CHC Helicopter
Encyclopedia
CHC Helicopter is one of the world’s largest helicopter services company specializing in: Transportation to offshore oil and gas platforms; Civilian search and rescue services; Helicopter maintenance repair and overhaul
CHC Helicopter is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are based in the United Kingdom
, Norway
, the Netherlands
, Brazil
, and Australia
.
CHC Helicopter is one of several global providers of helicopter transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry (the others including Bristow Helicopters
) and claims to be the most experienced helicopter operator in the world. CHC has capabilities in precision flying techniques and technical support.
CHC has long-term working relationships with most of the major oil and gas companies. CHC operates the marine search and rescue
service for the Irish Coast Guard
at Shannon
, Waterford
, Sligo
and Dublin
airports and provides commercial Search and Rescue helicopter services for the United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency
. CHC provides helicopter services in Australia for the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia
, the Victoria Police
Force and Ambulance Service of New South Wales
.
-B3 and pay for their flying and maintenance training.
Okanagan Air Services moved to Vancouver in 1949, renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. By 1954, had become the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world.
In 1987, Newfoundland businessman Craig Dobbin
headed a group (Canadian Holding Company) that purchased Okanagan Helicopters and Toronto Helicopters and merged them with his own company, Sealand Helicopters to form Canadian Helicopters. The new parent company was called CHC Helicopter Corporation. CHC acquired British International Helicopters in 1994; Helicopter Services Group of Norway in 1999 (included Bond Helicopters), Helikopter Service AS, Lloyd Helicopters of Australia and Court Helicopters of South Africa. In 2004, CHC purchased Schreiner Aviation Group who provided offshore helicopter services company in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and in the Nigerian offshore industry.
In 2000, CHC entered into an agreement with Fonds de Solidarité FTQ (FSTQ) and the management of its two Canadian divisions, Canadian Helicopters Eastern and Canadian Helicopters Western, for the sale of an interest in CHC's Canadian assets in a Management Buyout to form Canadian Helicopters
. As a result senior Management and FSTQ acquired 10% and 45% equity interests in Canadian Helicopters
, respectively, while CHC retained a 45% equity interest.
CHC restructuring in 2004 saw the creation of a new Corporate Head Office in Richmond, B.C., Canada, and the creation of three main operating segments:
CHC was purchased by First Reserve, a US private equity company in February 2008 for CAD$3.7 billion ($3.5 billion). At the time, the word "Corporation" was dropped from the company's name, which is now "CHC Helicopter".
CHC manages its global operations through the following divisions:
.
helicopter, a new military search and rescue helicopter provided to France, Italy, Germany
and The Netherlands through a joint venture shared by Agusta, Eurocopter and Fokker.
CHC provides extensive ship supply and rescue service off the coast of Africa and the
Netherlands, and helicopter support services to scientific expeditions in Antarctica
and other harsh environments.
Australia
Bangladesh
Brazil
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Newfoundland & Labrador
Nova Scotia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Thailand
CHC Helicopter is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
CHC Helicopter is one of several global providers of helicopter transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry (the others including Bristow Helicopters
Bristow Helicopters
Bristow Helicopters is a British helicopter airline originally based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland, part of the Bristow Group based in Houston, Texas, USA....
) and claims to be the most experienced helicopter operator in the world. CHC has capabilities in precision flying techniques and technical support.
CHC has long-term working relationships with most of the major oil and gas companies. CHC operates the marine search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
service for the Irish Coast Guard
Irish Coast Guard
The Irish Coast Guard is part of the Department of Transport. The Irish Search and Rescue Region, which includes most of the Republic of Ireland and parts of Northern Ireland is the area over which the coast guard has authority. This area is bounded by the UK Search and Rescue Region...
at Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
, Waterford
Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport , is south-east of Waterford. It is in Killowen near Waterford City serving the south-east of Ireland. The airport is operated by Waterford Regional Airport Plc. In 2009 112,000 passengers passed through the airport...
, Sligo
Sligo Airport
Sligo Airport is located in Strandhill, County Sligo, west of Sligo in Ireland. The airport is a small regional airport and has no scheduled routes.-Introduction:...
and Dublin
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
airports and provides commercial Search and Rescue helicopter services for the United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is a UK executive agency working to prevent the loss of lives at sea and is responsible for implementing British and International maritime law and safety policy.This involves coordinating search and rescue at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard , ensuring that...
. CHC provides helicopter services in Australia for the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia
Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia is a statutory government authority created in January 1999 to administer the following legislation within the state of Western Australia:...
, the Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
Force and Ambulance Service of New South Wales
Ambulance Service of New South Wales
The Ambulance Service of New South Wales , an agency of the Department of Health of the New South Wales Government, is the main provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
.
History
Commercial helicopter flying began in British Columbia in the summer of 1947. Three ex-RCAF officers, pilots Carl Agar and Barney Bent, and engineer Alf Stringer, were operating a fixed-wing charter company, Okanagan Air Services Ltd., from Penticton. In July 1947 they raised enough money to purchase a Bell 47Bell 47
The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
-B3 and pay for their flying and maintenance training.
Okanagan Air Services moved to Vancouver in 1949, renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. By 1954, had become the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world.
In 1987, Newfoundland businessman Craig Dobbin
Craig Dobbin
Craig Lawrence Dobbin OC was an industrialist and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CHC Helicopter Corporation, a public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange...
headed a group (Canadian Holding Company) that purchased Okanagan Helicopters and Toronto Helicopters and merged them with his own company, Sealand Helicopters to form Canadian Helicopters. The new parent company was called CHC Helicopter Corporation. CHC acquired British International Helicopters in 1994; Helicopter Services Group of Norway in 1999 (included Bond Helicopters), Helikopter Service AS, Lloyd Helicopters of Australia and Court Helicopters of South Africa. In 2004, CHC purchased Schreiner Aviation Group who provided offshore helicopter services company in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and in the Nigerian offshore industry.
In 2000, CHC entered into an agreement with Fonds de Solidarité FTQ (FSTQ) and the management of its two Canadian divisions, Canadian Helicopters Eastern and Canadian Helicopters Western, for the sale of an interest in CHC's Canadian assets in a Management Buyout to form Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters , formerly CHC Helicopter Canadian operations, operates 132 aircraft from 43 bases across Canada which provides a broad range of helicopter services to include: emergency medical services, infrastructure maintenance, utilities, oil and gas, forestry, mining and construction,...
. As a result senior Management and FSTQ acquired 10% and 45% equity interests in Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters
Canadian Helicopters , formerly CHC Helicopter Canadian operations, operates 132 aircraft from 43 bases across Canada which provides a broad range of helicopter services to include: emergency medical services, infrastructure maintenance, utilities, oil and gas, forestry, mining and construction,...
, respectively, while CHC retained a 45% equity interest.
CHC restructuring in 2004 saw the creation of a new Corporate Head Office in Richmond, B.C., Canada, and the creation of three main operating segments:
- CHC Global Operations, based in Richmond, B.C.,
- CHC European Operations, based in Aberdeen, Scotland, and
- Heli-One, CHC's leasing and Repair and Overhaul support group, now based in Delta, B.C.
CHC was purchased by First Reserve, a US private equity company in February 2008 for CAD$3.7 billion ($3.5 billion). At the time, the word "Corporation" was dropped from the company's name, which is now "CHC Helicopter".
Divisions
- EEA Helicopter Operations B.V. ("EEA"), a Dutch company majority owned by EHO Holdings S.a.r.l. and minority owned by CHC Helicopter S.a.r.l., provides helicopter services in the North Sea. EEA operates under the CHC brand name and uses CHC logo under license. It provides services from 17 bases in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands.
- Brazilian Helicopter Services (BHS) (BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) - CHC Helicopters Global Operations/Corporate Office (Richmond, British ColumbiaRichmond, British ColumbiaRichmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
) - CHC Helicopters (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - CHC Helicopters (AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
) - CHC Composites (Gander, Newfoundland)
Ireland
- Irish Coast GuardIrish Coast GuardThe Irish Coast Guard is part of the Department of Transport. The Irish Search and Rescue Region, which includes most of the Republic of Ireland and parts of Northern Ireland is the area over which the coast guard has authority. This area is bounded by the UK Search and Rescue Region...
- CHC serves as the sole provider of Search and Rescue helicopter services to the Irish Coast Guard, where it operates a fleet of six Sikorsky S-61N helicopters based in Dublin, ShannonShannon, County ClareShannon or Shannon Town , named after the river near which it stands, is a town located in County Clare. It was given town status on 1 January 1982. The town is located just off the N19 road, a spur of the N18/M18 road between Limerick city and Ennis....
, WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, and SligoSligoSligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
.
United Kingdom
- CHC, as part of the Soteria SARSoteria Search and RescueSoteria Search and Rescue is a British based consortium which, from February 2010 to February 2011 was the preferred bidder for the contract to run all UK civilian search and rescue helicopter services from 2012 onwards.-History:...
consortium was selected as the Preferred Bidder for the 25-year SAR-H contract to provide a civilian Search and RescueSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
service throughout the United Kingdom. However, days before the contract was due to be signed in February 2011, the UK Government halted the process after Soteria admitted that a former Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer who now worked for CHC Helicopter had passed commercially sensitive information on how the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
would commercially assess the bids. MoD Police are now investigating how the information came into the hands of CHC and Sorteria.
Australia
CHC is the largest provider of emergency medical helicopter services in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Military
- Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) - CHC has been providing dedicated rescue support to the RAAF since 1989, where it operates a mixed fleet of Sikorsky S76 and Bell helicopters.
Police
- Victoria Police Air Wing and Air Ambulance ServicesVictoria PoliceVictoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
- CHC provides three Eurocopter SA365N3 DauphinEurocopter DauphinThe Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
and one Eurocopter EC135Eurocopter EC135The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
aircraft, plus maintenance services, to the Victoria Police.
Ambulance
- Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western AustraliaFire and Emergency Services Authority of Western AustraliaThe Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia is a statutory government authority created in January 1999 to administer the following legislation within the state of Western Australia:...
- Based in Perth, WA, CHC provides a Bell 412 EP aircraft. - Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) of Victoria - CHC provides two Bell 412EP helicopters for Air Ambulance and Search and Rescue duties.
- Ambulance Service of New South WalesAmbulance Service of New South WalesThe Ambulance Service of New South Wales , an agency of the Department of Health of the New South Wales Government, is the main provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
- CHC provides a Bell 412 EP for the area around Wollongong, NSW - Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service http://www.cqrescue.com.au/ - CHC provides a Bell 412, an SA365C1 and a Bell 206 LongRanger for EMS helicopter services.
- Snowy Hydro SouthCare Air Ambulance Service http://www.snowyhydrosouthcare.com.au/pages/page2.asp - CHC operates a Bell 412 for emergency helicopter service, based in SymonstonSymonston, Australian Capital TerritorySymonston is a primarily industrial and agricultural suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Symonston is named after Sir Josiah Symon a Legislator, Federalist and one of the Founders of the Constitution of Australia....
, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
.
Norway
- Norwegian Search and Rescue - CHC provides private Search and Rescue services in the Norwegian North Sea but acts in concert with government SAR operations. The CHC SAR fleet includes three offshore-based Dauphin AS 365N2s, along with a Bell 214 ST at Statoil’s Statfjord field, which can be converted from inter-rig shuttle role to SAR duty role within 15 minutes. Several of the Super Pumas in CHC’s Norwegian fleet are prepared for the same quick change to SAR configuration.
Other related services
- NH90 - CHC is designing, manufacturing and installing 19 life-raft assembly kits for the NH90
helicopter, a new military search and rescue helicopter provided to France, Italy, Germany
and The Netherlands through a joint venture shared by Agusta, Eurocopter and Fokker.
- Supply, rescue, and support Services.
CHC provides extensive ship supply and rescue service off the coast of Africa and the
Netherlands, and helicopter support services to scientific expeditions in Antarctica
and other harsh environments.
Fleet
CHC operates approximately 250 aircraft in Canada and 29 other countries which include Malaysia, Australia, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, the Middle East, South Africa, Ecuador, Angola, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea.Helicopters
- AgustaWestland AW139AgustaWestland AW139The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland. Originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, it was redesignated the AW139 when Bell withdrew from the project...
- Eurocopter AS365 N1,N2,N3 DauphinEurocopter DauphinThe Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
- Eurocopter Super PumaEurocopter Super PumaThe Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopter marketed for both civil and military use. Originally designed and built by Aérospatiale, it is an enlarged and re-engined version of the original Aérospatiale Puma...
AS332, L1, L2 - Eurocopter EC155
- Eurocopter EC225
- Sikorsky S76Sikorsky S-76The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades...
A,B and C Series - Sikorsky S-61Sikorsky S-61The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the successful SH-3 Sea King helicopter. They are two of the most widely used airliner and oil rig support helicopters built.-Design and development:...
- Sikorsky S92
Fixed Wing
CHC provide a range fixed-wing transportation services for crew transport to helicopter bases around the world. CHC operates both jet and turbo prop aircraft including Dash-8 and Twin Otter service to meet the needs of the global oil and gas industry.- 1 - de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterThe DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
- 1 - de Havilland Canada DHC-8
Locations
Australia
- Adelaide • Perth • Victoria • Wayville • Sydney • Wollongong • Orange
Bangladesh BrazilAlberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
- Edmonton • Fort McMurray • Grande Prairie • High Level • Lac La Biche
British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
- Fort Nelson • Fort St. John • Golden • Kamloops • Penticton • Smithers • Terrace • Vernon • Richmond
Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
- Southport
Newfoundland & Labrador
- Gander
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
- Halifax (Location To Be Sold)
- Esbjerg
Indonesia- Cork • Dublin • Shannon • Waterford • Sligo
Malaysia- Stavanger • Bergen • Florø • Kristiansund • Brønnøysund
- Den Helder
Thailand- Aberdeen • YarmouthGreat Yarmouth - North Denes AirportNorth Denes Airport is a heliport that is located in the northern suburbs of Great Yarmouth, just off the A149 next to Yarmouth Stadium, used as a base for services to the gas platforms in the southern North Sea. Fixed wing aircraft are not permitted to use the heliport...