chc rotortales 2004 annual edition

VANCOUVER AT DUSK

NEW AIRCRAFT 5 ACE REPORTER 8 NEW SAR DIGS 12 BUSY EUROPE 16

CHC Establishes Global Headquarters in British Columbia. See pages 2-3

Building Momentum in VancouverSee pages 10 and 11

Special Edition 2004

R O T O R T A L E S S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 2 0 0 4

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I would like to commend the hard work and long hours put in by my colleagues onthe Good-to-Great steering committee. These individuals are doing yeoman’s work interms of the detailed analysis and assessmentthat follow from the structural changesrecently announced.

Under the new structure, Astec Helicopter Services willreport directly to the new CHC Global Support Group,headed by Neil Calvert, which will help us expedite thestrategic expansion of our Repair and Overhaul servicesand logistics support. I am excited about the tremendouspotential around the world for this new business unit.

Astec is a true global success story, and our strategy is to harness that expertise in Global Support. Astec,meanwhile, continues to expand and prosper. Recently,Astec Managing Director, Atle Stromme, finalized theacquisition of Multifabs Survival Ltd., a successfulmanufacturer of the survival suits worn by passengersflying offshore over cold water environments. Atle isbuilding a significant safety equipment business unitwhich will contribute to the overall success of CHC in ameaningful way.

The other major change under the new structure is the CHC Global Operations group, headed by ChristineBaird. This new group will allow CHC to become the firsthelicopter company in the world to meet the statedrequirements of multinational oil companies – onestandard of safety and service around the globe.

By coordinating all activities outside of Europe, CHC willnot only meet this requirement, we will work togetherto offer our customers the greatest value, efficiencyand safety anywhere. Our goal is to be unbeatable.We have the people – and now we have the structure –to make this happen.

As before, Schreiner Aviation Group will continue toreport to me in my capacity as Chief Operating Officerfor the Group. However, Schreiner Managing DirectorHein Verloop has been asked to coordinate with theG2G steering committee, in consultation with the unionand works council, the transition of Schreiner into thenew global structure.

These are exciting times for CHC, with tremendousopportunities ahead. I look forward to working with allof you as we continue to strengthen this great company.

SYLVAIN ALLARD PRESIDENT

Tremendous Opportunities Ahead

In our business, change is the onlyconstant. Which is why we are embracingsignificant change this year to ensure CHC remains the best helicopter servicescompany in the world – and the futureremains promising for all of us. We beganour Good-to-Great (G2G) company-

strengthening exercise in early June, and I am pleased to report much progress has been made.

After consultation with senior managers from ouroperations worldwide, the decision was taken toestablish a new Global Headquarters in the beautiful city of Vancouver, on Canada’s West Coast. Vancouver is truly one of the world’s most international cities,with more than a third of its population born outside of Canada, and I look forward to building on thetremendous momentum we are generating here.

The Global Headquarters will include a new CHCGlobal Logistics group and CHC Global Operationsgroup. Neil Calvert will head up Global Logistics and Christine Baird will lead Global Operations.

I congratulate Neil and Christine on these importantnew appointments and invite you to give them your support as we make this transition. Both Neil and Christine have been with the company more than 20 years, and bring a wealth of experienceunmatched in the industry.

This new structure will help CHC provide theconsistent standard of safety and service ourcustomers are looking for, and help improveefficiencies throughout the group.

But more importantly, we are building a strong,unified company; a company that will harness thecollaborative strengths of our founding pioneers,leaders such as Bob Schreiner, Guy Lloyd, Carl Agar,Morten Hancke, Jock Cameron and Boetie van Zyl.These individuals helped build the helicopterbusiness as we know it today, and we are thefirst generation to bring together their combinedexpertise. We have a unique opportunity to build a true world leader which will prosper forgenerations.

CRAIG L. DOBBIN O.C. CHAIRMAN AND CEO

A Giant Step Forward for CHC


CHC’s Good to Great initiative began with theappointment in June of 20 representative managersfrom CHC divisions around the world. Their task: toconduct a comprehensive evaluation of the company,consult with senior management and bring forwardtheir recommendations.

To some it might appear an unusual time to re-evaluatethe company. With the successful consolidation ofEurope and acquisition of Schreiner, CHC had solidifiedits position as world leader. Built on a culture ofcorporate agility, CHC has never been a company torest on its laurels. The industry is changing, and ourcustomers have told us they are looking for consistentstandards and seamless delivery of helicopter servicesworldwide. The opportunity is there to build a trulyglobal helicopter services company, offering morevalue to customers and greater opportunities foremployees. After the Good-to-Great (G2G) steeringcommittee’s evaluation and discussions with seniormanagement and CHC’s Board of Directors, thefollowing principles were adopted:

1. CHC will ensure consistent standards of safety and service for all customers around the world. These standards shall be the highest in the industry.

2. CHC will improve efficiency and further enhance consistency by eliminating duplicationwherever practical.

Under the new structure, CHC determined it wouldestablish a new Global Headquarters in Vancouver.Several key head office staff, including financial staff

and our President Sylvain Allard, have successfullymade the transition to the Global Headquarters.

CHC’s focus was not only on operations, but also on global support and logistics. As a result, a newreporting structure was proposed. The proposalincluded three operational divisions which wouldmanage the company:

CHC Global Support – providing aircraft managementand logistics support to all CHC operations and also to third-party civilian and military helicopter operatorsaround the world. This group will build upon the greatstrength of Astec Helicopter Services in Europe andapply Astec’s winning formula to North America andthe rest of the world.

CHC Global Operations – ensuring consistency in safetyand the delivery of the highest standards of operationsaround the world, Global Operations will support flightoperations in all locations outside Europe.

CHC Europe – continuing on the successful path setout with the creation of one European operating unit,CHC Europe will oversee all flight operations in theNorth Sea, Irish coast and throughout Europe.

Additionally, CHC will effectively reinforce its brandstrength and emphasize the one global standard of safety and service. Marketing will be simplified, with the well-recognized CHC name and powerfulhummingbird logo being used globally, withoutregional distinction. We are also refining and enhancingone common aircraft paint scheme around the world.

Good to Great

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Lion’s Gate Bridge connecting North Vancouver and Stanley Park, at right.


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If new work is the measure of success, then fiscal2004 has been a winning year indeed. CHC HelicopterCorporation won several major new contracts thisyear, providing a full range of services, from the safetransportation of offshore oil and gas workers, to life-saving search and rescue support. Just as importantly,we renewed working relationships with a number of key clients; a tangible demonstration of ourcommitment to safety, value and customer satisfaction.

Following are some examples of the more significantcontracts and renewals in 2004:

• Most recently, in August 2004, Kerr McGee awardedCHC a one-year contract renewal, plus two one-yearoptions, for the provision of one dedicated SuperPuma MkII aircraft based in Aberdeen, Scotland.Currently, Kerr McGee operates flights to theGryphon and Janice Platforms and is currentlyoperating drilling vessels, Noble T V Langveld, CSO Alliance and Global Producer 3.

• Also in August, PGS Production AS awarded CHC a two-year contract renewal, plus two one-yearoptions, for the provision of offshore crew changehelicopter services utilizing CHC’s fleet of SuperPuma aircraft based in Stavanger, Norway.

• On June 15, CHC was awarded a new contract in WestAfrica for the provision of one Super Puma AS332L2aircraft for an initial period of 18 months. Anticipatedrevenue over the term of the contract is approximatelyCDN $11 million. CHC will lease the advanced SuperPuma MkII to Sonair, the aeronautical subsidiary of the Angolan national oil company Sonangol. The helicopter will be based at Luanda, Angola.

• On Feb. 26, CHCrenewed a contractwith theGovernment ofAustralia to provideSearch and Rescuehelicopters andcrews for the RoyalAustralian Air Force.The contract will span10 years, plus twooption periods of twoyears each.

• On Feb. 13, CHC’sEuropean operatingdivision was thesuccessful bidder forwhat amounted tothe world’s largesthelicopter servicescontract awards:expanded multi-yearrenewals with StatoilASA and Norsk Hydrofor the provision of

A Winning Year: Contracts in Review

CHC has ordered advanced new Super Pumas and is sending others to new markets such as Brazil and Angola.

heavy helicopter transportation services in theNorwegian North Sea. The contracts include theprovision of three new Sikorsky S-92 helicopters and up to five advanced Super Puma MkII helicopters, plus backup. Annual anticipated revenue accruable to CHC is estimated at approximately CDN $78 million.

• Chevron Offshore (Thailand) Ltd. awarded a three-year(plus two option years) contract renewal on Jan. 27, toCHC’s business partner, Thai Aviation Services, for theprovision of two Sikorsky S-76 aircraft.

• Also on January 27, CHC’s Astec Helicopter division inNorway signed a contract with the German Minister ofInterior to provide and upgrade 10 Eurocopter AS332Lhelicopters. The contract, with helicopter manufacturerEurocopter as co-contractor, will support maritime andpolice operations.


CHC continues to invest in the newest and besttechnology available to meet and exceed ourcustomers’ expectations for safety and efficiency.Which is why, in 2004, we continue to introduceadvanced new aircrafts to the fleet, including theSikorsky S-92, and additional S-76C+ and Super Puma MkII helicopters.

The Sikorsky S-92 is a key component in two of theNorth Sea’s most significant helicopter servicescontracts, awarded earlier this year by Norsk Hydroand Statoil. In fact, the S-92 was a specificationrequirement in the Norsk Hydro bid.

Certified to the latest and most rigorous FAA safetystandards, the S-92 offers a unique set of features that provide additional protection to passengers and crew. On June 14, Sikorsky Aircraft’s firstproduction S-92 helicopter took to Connecticut skiesaccomplishing a successful first flight and ushering ina new era for Sikorsky. Aircraft No.6 carried out astandard 30-minute hover, performing all routinecontrollability manoeuvres and completing engineand avionics checks.

A total of 12 aircraft will be delivered this year, includingone to CHC in November for operation commencingJan. 1, 2005. The S-92 boasts multiple redundantsystems governing flight control, AFCS, avionics,cockpit displays, electrical systems and engine controls. It is also certified to continue flying even after a one-kilogram bird strikes at maximum aircraft speedanywhere on the airframe, including the rotors.

Low maintenance requirements also make the S-92 an efficient aircraft. The S-92 has only seven life-limited parts, the lowest such number in its class.All other parts are certified for the life of the aircraft.This translates into fewer inspections, less requiredmaintenance, greater aircraft uptime and lower costs.And when the aircraft is in the hangar, numerous

access panels and doors across the entire airframemake routine maintenance easier.

Norsk Hydro selected two types of helicopters, in case one fleet is grounded. In addition to the S-92,Norsk chose to upgrade to the highly successfulEurocopter Super Puma MkII, making Norsk Hydrothe first offshore oil and gas company to fly exclusivelynewest generation aircrafts. The seating arrangementon the advanced MkII will be changed to a staggeredconfiguration to provide more shoulder space and anenhanced feeling of security for passengers.

In the medium category, CHC has introduced its sixthS-76C+, the evolution of the Sikorsky S-76, which wasintroduced 20 years ago. The S-76C+ combines amature airframe with the most advanced features todate, offering performance gains of 30 to 40 percentover the original S-76 model. It has achieved a 950 lb.gain in useful payload compared to the S-76A. CHC now operates the S-76C+ in Equatorial Guinea,Thailand and India.

New Helicopters are Leading Edge Technology

The S-76C+, now operated around the world.

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CHC’s first Sikorsky S-92 arrives in November.

CHC took delivery of three new S-76C+s earlier this year.


Last autumn, Schreiner Aviation Group made afinancial contribution to the Kirikiri school initiative in Lagos, Nigeria. So what has been happening in Kirikiriin recent months? Veronica Snoxell, wife of Aerocolleague Mark Snoxwll, has been involved in the projectsince early 2003. It was Veronica who drew Schreiner’sattention to the financial straits of the project, and sheknows exactly how things stand at the moment.

“The Kirikiri area is one of the poorest parts of Lagos”,says Veronica. “There’s a shortage of everything, thepoverty is enormous and many children have very littlehope for the future. Dick Francis, a business manager in the civil engineering industry from Lagos, becameconcerned about the fate ofthese children and decidedto do something about it. Sosix years ago he took theinitiative to start a school forthe very poorest of them. Thefirst building was an oldwarehouse, but the schoolhad to move from thatlocation one year ago. Sincethat time the schoolcontinued to operate in thechoir cubicles of St. Joseph’s church compound thathave only benches and no tables.”

Finding a Place

Veronica has been helping with the project for over a year. She started off as a stand-in when the teacherswere sick, and has provided in-service training to thestaff to improve the quality of teaching and learning.When she heard that Schreiner wanted to start

supporting a number of projects in Nigeria, sheimmediately thought of the school in Kirikiri: “Wewere allocated a piece of land on the site of the Kirikiriprison, where we had permission to build a newschool. It doesn’t have to be a posh building oranything like that, because we don’t want it tobecome an object of envy”, explains Veronica. “Ouraim is to have a few cubicles where the children canlearn in peace and quiet. But even though it will besimple, it still needs to be financed. Fortunately,Schreiner decided to help us, as did the LagosCaledonian Society, the British Wives Group of Lagosand generous individuals including Mr. Carol Khouri.”

Getting Results

When the construction workwas about to start, it suddenlyturned out that a wall hadbeen built on the allocatedspot. “We were lucky enoughto be given a new, larger plot,and we’ll start building soon.The parents of the 120 pupilswill be providing free labour.It’s a real community project,

and that’s what really makes it worthwhile.” Veronicais proud of what the school has achieved so far,despite the difficult circumstances: “This year we sawthe first primary leavers. We succeeded in getting 12children accepted into secondary school. And if theparents can’t pay, we help them with the tuition fees.That’s important, because a good education can helpthese children make something of their lives. Andwe’re very grateful to everyone at Schreiner for that.”

“It doesn’t have to be a posh building...our aim is to have a few cubicles where children can learn in peace and quiet.”

A Little Money Makes All the Difference in Kirikiri

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Children and staff at Kirikiri School, Lagos, Nigeria.


Although at times it was more difficult than he hadanticipated, Koen Neven has every reason to lookback with satisfaction on his first year as ManagingDirector of Aero Contractors. It has been a verychallenging year for him with very little time forfamiliarization, also because most of the contractscame up for tendering and some new contracts were awarded. But instead of reminiscing, KoenNeven rather looks ahead, and recent developmentsindeed seem to point to a promising future.

First of all, Aero Contractors has invested heavily in the NAF base at Port Harcourt and the new hangarand passenger facilities were completed July 1. The new hangar has a floor area of 1400 Sq. m and officespace of 1800 Sq. m. The facility has an independentrefueling system and dedicated fuel storage facility.Koen Neven has high expectations for PHC: “We will be closing the Trans Amadi officeand consolidating the administration and flightoperations for the rotary wing unit to the NAF base.At the base, all the helicopters of NNPC & ACN will bejoined by the three helicopters of TOTAL Nigeria,which will also be operated from the base. The newfacilities will put Aero way ahead of the competitionin providing its customers with a world class servicewhile at the same time reducing logistics overheadfor the company.”

Shaping the future

Koen Neven’s optimism is confirmed by the fact thatan additional S-76C+ arrived at Port Harcourt at theend of July after its refurbishment at Den Helder,Holland. “This fits inperfectly with our plans for fleet modernization,which are slowly takingshape, as are our plans forrecruiting and traininglocal pilots. In May the firstbatch of five young pilotsstarted their rotary wingcourses at the 43 Air Schoolin Port Alfred, South Africa.They are expected tocomplete their trainingover the next 12 monthsand will then join theoperation at Port Harcourtas co-pilots to cover futuredemands and expansion of operations.”

International Routes for Aero

Fixed Wing also continues to expand its operations.Two Dash 8’s were replaced by a wet-leased B737-300,to cater for the scheduled services on the PHC andABV routes. And on May 17, Aero was formallydesignated as an official Nigerian carrier to theneighbouring countries of Sao Tome, Malabo inEquatorial Guinea, Ghana, Togo & Republic of Benin.“The first new service planned will link Nigeria withEquatorial Guinea, one of the fastest growing oilproducing states in the region. This will provide ouroil and gas customers with a new route to transporttheir materials and make crew changes between Port Harcourt and Malabo. Also, this service willenable Aero to provide support to the CHC helicopterunit from Nigeria. The long-term plan is to link all theoil producing countries in West Africa with air servicesfrom Nigeria. I firmly believe that this service forms an added value that will help us stay ahead of the competition. “

Aero Expands Into West Africa

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Schreiner SA365 prepares to touch down.

Schreiner is consolidating administration and flight operations at Port Harcourt, where new facilities were completed July 1.


Most professionals in the helicopter industry knowhim as CHC’s Chief Operations Controller in Africa, but to Rotortales, Jay Gates is Clark Kent – a prolificwriter and super reporter, able to turn apparentlystraightforward facts into enormously detailed stories of intrigue and adventure. Jay has contributedno less than 15 feature articles to the magazine in lessthan two years. He has written bullet-proof tales on ahuge range of topics, from the Patagonian Toothfishcaper to the rescues of the hapless Mr. Kikuchi (seebelow), to a light-hearted piece on Francois du Toit’scolourful ‘Hummingbug.’

Jay has a superior eye for nautical and historical detailand has been known to provide background materialdating more than 500 years before the actual event –such as his December 2003 Cape of Good Hope shipsalvage piece that began with Bartholemew Diaz’description, in 1497, of Cabo Tormentosa, the Cape of Storms. He even seems capable of inventing a language (see page 9).

But perhaps Jay’s greatest strength is his ability to givecredit where credit is due, and describe the skill anddedication of CHC Africa helicopter crews who arecalled out in gale force winds or in the dead of night to rescue those in trouble.

But exactly who is this man of steely determination?Rotortales sent an undercover reporter to find out.

After leaving school, a typical English public boardingschool (Tom Brown school days), Jay joined the British Merchant Navy, or as the Americans call it, theMerchant Marines. During this time, he spent eightyears in Antarctica on a scientific research ice breakership. He left the sea in 1990 and turned to aviation.

Jay then began working in flight operations/dispatch at London, Gatwick and Birmingham Airports in the U.K. He joined Bond Helicopters in 1994 as OperationsController, responsible for Humberside, Liverpooland Strubby bases. He had a short break fromhelicopters as Operations Manager for the U.K.’slargest fixed-wing air ambulance operator, where hewas responsible for the repatriation of patients fromall over the world. A chance encounter whilst onholiday in Cape Town with Bob Denning, CHC Africa’sOperations Manager brought him back to helicopterswhen he joined CHC in Cape Town as the ChiefOperations Controller.

Jay has acquired extensive knowledge on varioussubjects, and has given lectures to the Ships Societyof South Africa, the Mountain Club of South Africa,the Aircrew Association (ex fighter and bomber crewsof WW2), and the Cape Town Library. His subjectsinclude helicopter operations, tall ships, lighthousesand Antarctica, amongst others. He is repeatedlyasked back to give more lectures. He has writtenarticles and has had photos published in manyspecialist magazines and books about wildlife,lighthouses, sea birds, marine mammals andAntarctica. He is also a member of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers.

Jay enjoys rural pursuits, ambling down countrylanes, finding country pubs, and exploring thecountryside. He is also passionate about all thingsmaritime and aviation related, in case you hadn’t noticed. And all you single girls out there; Jay issingle and looking for the right one.

Jay Gates at Cape Point, South Africa October 2003.

CHERYL PEDERSEN COMMERCIAL EXECUTIVE

CHC’s Intrepid Journalist, Jay Gates

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The Strange Travels of the Kikuchi StoryWhen Jay Gates writes, the world takes notice. Take, for

example, Jay’s coverage of the escapades of the haplessadventurer Masayaki Kikuchi. When Mr. Kikuchi set sail forCape Town from Punta Arenas at the southern tip of SouthAmerica, and then found that he required the lifesavingrescue services of CHC Helicopters, Jay was there.

Jay’s September 2003 article detailed poor old Mr. Kikuchi’spredicament: he was slowly drifting toward the rocks, notknowing what to do, nor how to communicate with hisrescuers. Unbelievably, when CHC arrived at the scene,rescue swimmer Craig Lambinon discovered that the

anchor was securely fastened to the deck with 40 screws –but he managed to get them all out and saved both Mr. Kikuchi and his boat.

Unknown to Jay Gates, friends of mine from Newfoundlandwere living in the sailing community of Punta Arenas andhad befriended the infamous Mr. Kikuchi. Rumours hadtrickled back that he had met with misadventure, but noone knew for sure what had become of this solo sailor and his plans to circumnavigate the globe. That was until Rotortales arrived. The magazine was sent merely as interesting reading material, but Jay’s article about


It might be gibberish to most, but toeverybody at CHC Africa, the acronyms prettymuch say it all.

CHC Africa (CHCA) recently completed a doublelift of radar equipment on behalf of the RacalAvionics Company (RACAL) at Cape TownInternational Airport (CPT). The delicateunderslinging operation was carried out incollaboration with the Government of SouthAfrica (RSA) Air Traffic National Services (ATNS).

The requirement was for Racal avionicstechnicians to dismantle, and remove, theAirfield Surface Movement Indicator (ASMI) forscheduled maintenance. To most, an ASMI isbetter known as ground radar. The problem wasthat the radar scanner head was situated atopthe Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at Cape TownInternational Airport (aka, by ICAO, as FACT) and therewas no way of getting it down to the GND, other thanby helicopter.

As a coastal city airport, CPT has a high incidence of FOG,and because of this, ATC operates to CAT III ILS (Category3 Instrument Landing Standards). As the radar monitorsall aircraft and vehicle movements around the airfield, itneeded to be removed, R&O’d and replaced ASAP.

The radar scanner head assembly is bulky, rather thanheavy, and so the Docks-based Bell 206L Longranger(ZS-RDI) was used to effect the removal of the radar,and to replace it after maintenance. The A/C on bothoccasions was crewed by Pilot Sven Hilland andCrewman Carlo Kok. Once the Racal technician haddisconnected and dismantled the radar, it was gentlyairlifted off the roof of the ATC tower and lowered to

an adjacent piece of open ground. From there, it wasprepared for transport and shipment to Holland (NL),where the overhaul process was due to take place.

Some weeks later, the radar was returned to CPT and again, both Racal and ATNS requested theassistance of CHCA. Sven and Carlo, in ZS-RDI, werecalled into action once more. With the assembly still in its packing crate, it was gently picked up andflown to its original position where it was unpacked,reassembled, reconnected and sent straight backinto successful service.

The ASMI was, once more, A-OK and both the Racaland ATC staff at CPT (aka FACT) passed their TKS toCHCA for a job well done.

Now does the headline make sense?

JAY GATES CHIEF OPERATIONS CONTROLLER, AFRICA

RACAL, ATNS TKS CHCA as CPT ATC ASMI OK at FACT

RDI prepares to lift the ASMI off the GND with the CPT ATC in the BCKGND.

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Mr. Kikuchi jumped out like a letterfrom home, and was quickly circulatedit to the entire sailing community sothat his fate became known.

Unfortunately, Masayaki Kikuchi’smisadventures were not over yet. In July 2004, Jay once again reported indetail on not one, but two subsequentrescues of the solo sailor. The latterended with the very same CHC crewflying offshore to rendezvous with a bulk carrier, which had rescued an injured and dejected Mr. Kikuchi from hisstorm-damaged sailboat. Alas, his vessel was “left to drift

at the mercy of the southern ocean”,and his mission was over, Jayreported. The good news is that Mr. Kikuchi’s friends in SouthAmerica – and likely around theworld – were again able to readabout his helicopter rescue inRotortales. The better news: Mr. Kikuchi came out of it, in Jay’swords ‘shaken, but not stirred,’thanks to CHC’s rescue crew.

Masayaki Kikuchi may not have made it around the world, but thanks to Jay Gates, his story sure did.

– Chris Flanagan

Rescue swimmer Craig Lambinon, comforts Mr. Kikuchi on board the S-61 after his third rescue.


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CHC Building Momentum in Vancouver New global headquarters in world’s most international city

On Aug. 24, CHC opened a spectacular newfacility on the south side of VancouverInternational Airport. As far back as 2002, CHCdetermined it would need a new building. Theold facility was on airport land leased for 50 yearsand the lease was to expire in October 2004. With further growth projected, it did not makeeconomic sense to refurbish the cramped oldbuilding – particularly since it would no longer be in compliance with building safety codes – so new accommodations were sought.

The new facility is just a few hundred metresaway, facing the Fraser River to the south, and the

Vancouver skyline to the north, with BritishColumbia’s magnificent North Shore Mountainsin the distance. Design work began in May 2003,and constructionin September, withthe exteriorcompleted byDecember. Furtherchanges areplanned toaccommodateCHC GlobalHeadquarters,including CHC

Vancouver Facility Up and Running

CHC’s new facility at Vancouver Interntional Airport opened Aug. 24.

When Indiana newspaperman John Soule penned thewords “Go West Young Man” in 1851, he was encouragingpioneers to stake new ground and take advantage ofnew opportunities in the boundless, wide-open westernpart of North America. He could hardly have imaginedthat his words might apply to the world’s largesthelicopter services company more than 150 years later.

But with the creation of a new Global Headquarters inVancouver in 2004, CHC has indeed gone west to stakenew ground and seek new opportunities. And CHC is very much a collection of pioneers. Our company iscomprised of a group of companies whose foundersbuilt the commercial helicopter services industry fromscratch. And now, building on the combined strength of those founding companies, CHC is launching a newera in global helicopter services.

Vancouver is the perfect location for such an endeavor.Consistently voted one of the world’s best cities in whichto live and work, Vancouver has also been declared themost international city in the world. Approximately 35percent of Vancouverites were born outside Canada, thehighest figure for any city in the world.

Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indianssettled the Vancouver area about 2,500 years ago, but itwasn’t until 1792 that British naval Captain GeorgeVancouver explored the area, and not until the 1870sthat Vancouver was settled – scarcely 100 years ago.Today the Vancouver metropolis is the third-largest inCanada, with a population of more than two million.

Just like CHC, Vancouver is home to a multitude ofcultures and languages from around the world. The Cityof Vancouver values this diversity, and considers it asource of strength, vitality and prosperity. This approachis reflected in the city’s mission “To create a great city ofcommunities, which cares about its people, its environment,and the opportunities to live, work and prosper.”

Vancouver is a major port and leads the world in grainexports. As the main western terminus of Canada'stranscontinental highway and rail routes, it is the primarycity of Western Canada, as well as one of the nation'slargest industrial centers.

In a recent country-wide profile of cities, Canada’sNational Post ranked Canada’s 14 largest urban areas,and determined Vancouver was the healthiest city inCanada, according to health outcomes and lifestylechoices. Vancouver also has the lowest mortality rates for cancer and heart disease nationwide, and one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

On July 2, 2003 members of the International OlympicCommittee (IOC) voted to award Vancouver the 2010Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games,culminating nearly seven years of cooperative effortsince the quest for the Winter Games began.

CHC is very much like Vancouver, built in dramatic fashionby pioneers, with distinct regional qualities andadvantages, yet ready to expand in new and excitingdirections as one cohesive unit.


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• In a survey of 130 cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit

rated Vancouver (along with Melbourne) as the best city

in the world in which to live.

• Vancouver has the third–most productive film industry

in North America, behind Hollywood and New York.

• Vancouverites spend more on sports equipment than

residents of any other city in Canada. The Vancouver area

boasts more tennis players, more boats, more fitness classes,

and more vertical feet of skiing here than anywhere else

in the country.

• Vancouver has the narrowest building in the world, the

Sam Kee Building in Chinatown. Built in 1913, it’s 1.5 metres

(6 feet) wide, 30 metres (100 feet) long, and two stories tall.

It is now an insurance office.

• More than half of Vancouver’s children are raised speaking a

language other than English.

• During the five-month Alaska cruise season, 290 sailings

from 25 ships representing 11 cruise lines carry 800,000

passengers from Vancouver along the Inside Passage

to Alaska.

• Whistler Resort is 90 minutes away, the largest ski area on the

continent, with 7,000 acres of skiable terrain and 200 marked

trails. It will host many of the alpine events at the Winter

Olympics in 2010.

• Stanley Park, at 1,000 acres, is larger than New York City’s

Central Park. A seawall rims the park, making it the city’s

most popular area for walking, jogging, and cycling.

• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden was the first authentic

classical Chinese garden built outside mainland China.

Chinese craftsmen constructed it with materials imported

from Suzhou, China’s premier garden city.

• The West End of Vancouver is the most densely populated

area in North America (20 square blocks) and possesses the

most restaurants per capita in Canada.Vancouver is one of

the only places in the world where it is possible to ski, golf,

and go sailing all in the same day.

• Despite Vancouver's reputation as a wet city, it actually

has a lower average rainfall than Boston, Mass.

Global Support and CHC Global Operations. The new facility includes 31,000 sq. ft. of officeand employee space, 21,000 sq. ft. of R&O shopsand 10,800 sq. ft. of hangarage. The hangar featuresa new five-tonne crane, capable of lifting amedium aircraft and placing it anywhere withinthe hangar. With this system, CHC will be able toquickly move aircraft around to perform requiredmaintenance tasks and get helicopters into thefield faster.

The facility was built using a tilt-up concreteconstruction – which gives it greater strength and a lifespan far exceeding that of regular steelbeam construction – by First Canadian Group inconjunction with local architect CTA DesignGroup, of Vancouver, and Canstore Constructors

of Vancouver Island. CHC engaged Syncor Groupof Vancouver to complete the interior design andfurnishings. CHC’s Brad Shaw and Corallee Hewlittrepresented the Company to ensure CHC’s bestinterests were looked after throughout. Theirfocus was on the floor plan layout, interior designfinishes, furniture acquisition including layout,electrical/data layouts, hangar equipment etc., as well as external structure finishes, signage and landscaping.

The interior will feature artwork from variousregions around the world where CHC hashelicopter operations. The new address is:

CHC Helicopters 4740 Agar Drive, Richmond, B.C. V7B 1A3 CANADA

Vancouver Facts:

Mackay, Australia – Central QueenslandHelicopter Rescue Service (CQRESQ) has a new home. In May of this year CQRESQmoved into a brand new, purpose-builthangar facility – a far cry from their ‘home’for the previous seven years.

The service is a community-based SARoperation (VFR) which was started in 1996 with CHC (then Lloyd) contracted as service provider. The aircraft employedat that time was a Bell Longranger, whichstill serves as a backup machine.

For those seven years, some floor space in a privately owned hangar was leased and a couple of temporary pre-fabricated‘demountables’ were set up alongside asoffices, workshops, ops rooms and pilotbedrooms. CQRESQ staff, including crewmen, werecrammed into a small building across the road. Notidyllic conditions for emergency response times!

By September 2001, theoperation was well established;the aircraft was upgraded to a Bell 407, offering improvedpayload and speed.

In November 2002, plans for the building of a newfacility had commenced, and were well underway byOctober 2003. At this time,

a replacement aircraft had to be sourced and it wasdecided to refurbish an available Dauphin C1 to put into service. This was duly carried out and the

Dauphin came into service asthe primary aircraft in March of this year.

Two months later saw themove to the new hangar facilityand in such a short period oftime, we have seen quite a lotof change in the operation. We now have a new home and new helicopter.


PETER FRESTEL BASE MANAGER, MACKAY

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CHC moved into a new facility in Mackay in May.

CHC’s new SAR Dauphin.

Back: Andrew Werner, Duane Reid, Dave Jibson, Warren Ritson.Front: Phil Dowler, Peter Frestel, Perry Elliot.


CHC’s Australia-based Bell 412 aircraft, VH-BZH, celebrated a major milestone in early August –she turned 10,000 hours. BZH’shome away from home is theEnsco 102, a drilling platform in the Yolla Gasfield, approximately250 kilometres south of Melbourne. The Yolla Field will besupplying gas for Origin Energy inVictoria. CHC has a longstandingrelationship with the Yolla Field,having provided helicoptersupport services for earlierexploration drilling programmesfor Premier Oil, which held therights to the field in the late 1990s.

VH-BZH is currently performingcrew changes and 24-hour, seven-day-per-week medevac supportamidst some of the worst weatherconditions in Australia. The anniversary flight tookplace Aug. 8, 2004. The crew, pictured, was comprised

of John Barnard, Brent Chamberlain and engineer,Mark Lee.

Major Milestone for BZH

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Most days, the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettespractice in the vicinity of a tiny primary school calledMeerlieu. Recently, the RAAF took the Roulette PublicRelations Officer (Roulette 7), to speak to the studentsof Meerlieu.

Roulette 7 flies the spare PC9/A aircraft and providescommentary on the show, as well as public relationssupport. He also conducts most of the administrativearrangements and films each display for the post-flight team debrief. Roulette 7 addressed the entireschool: all 20 of them from prep to grade 6!

The Roulettes usually perform for crowds ofthousands at events like the Australian Formula 1Grand Prix and the Aussie Rules Football grand final.But on this day, the crowd was made up of theirnumber one fans! The kids were equally excited tosee East Sale's new S76A++ (autohover) helicopter,LHN, and its handsome crew.

JENNIE McBEATH SALES & MARKETING ASSISTANT, AUSTRALIA

Meerlieu Amazing

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CHC’s East Sale Autohover S-76A++ with RAAF Roulettes performing an aerobatic manoeuvre in background.

VH-BZH and her crew on the big day.


One of the glaring problems that faced SouthernAfrica in the maritime world was the ‘feast and famine’scenario. In South Africa itself, there were too manyagencies involved in Search and Rescue (SAR)coordination. On the contrary, in every other SouthernAfrican state, there were virtually no agencies lookingafter their own territorial waters and too often, SAR wasleft to chance outside the South African jurisdiction.

Now, thankfully, this has allchanged with the advent ofthe government- sponsoredCape Town Maritime RescueCoordination Centre (MRCC),which has received thesupport and authority of theregional governments tomaintain a watch over theentire Southern Africanoceanic region. It has beenoperational for just over onemonth, and up to July 7, 2004,it had not yet been called toaction. July 8 changed all that.

On the morning of July 8,2004, Carol Goedhals came towork as usual at the CHCDocks Base, with nothingmore to worry about thansome S-61 training for anupcoming SAR contract onthe Ivory Coast. Capt. JohnPocock would be conducting flight training with FirstOfficer Arthur Bradstreet. Later that morning thephone rang, and for the first time ever, Carol heard avoice over the phone say, ‘Hello, this is the DutyController of the Cape Town MRCC. We have apotential medevac brewing and request CHC’sassistance to bring the patient back to Cape Town toreceive medical assistance’.

Some 87 nautical miles northwest of Cape Town, aTaiwanese tuna fishing boat, the ‘Sheng Ching Chin’,reported that their Skipper had taken seriously ill and had not shown any sign of improvement in thelast three days. The worried crew decided he neededto be airlifted off the vessel for further medicalinvestigation of his condition.

Due to language difficulties, the MRCC asked theTaiwanese Consular Director, Mr. Chen Chi Wu, to geta full medical report of the patient, whose diagnosis

was a suspected perforated duodenal ulcer. Carolasked another Taiwanese official, the Ship’s AgentJoseph Li, to start lowering all radio masts and whipantennas around the bow area of the vessel, inanticipation of a winching operation later that day.

Just before lunchtime, the Docks S-61N, ZS-RDV,which had been prepared for an offshore medevac

by Chief Engineer Carlo Kok, lifted off from the DocksBase and headed for the last known position of the‘Sheng Ching Chin’. Duty First Officer Andre Stroebeland paramedics Phil Ress and Ian Klopper had joinedCaptain Pocock; First Officer Arthur Bradstreet wouldgo along for the ride, as would trainee paramedicStuart Burgess, as they would both receive pricelessexperience from the operation.

As it turned out, this would not be a simple mission,mainly because of the ongoing language barrier.Nobody aboard the tuna fishing boat could speakEnglish and none of RDV’s crew could manage more than two words of Mandarin Chinese. So bothMr. Wu and Mr. Li joined the crew just in case theywere needed for their linguistic skills.

The first problem of the day occurred once RDV hadarrived in the area of the casualty, as they could see twotuna fishing vessels about ten miles away from the

Paramedic Phil Ress stands ready on the bow, while the crew brings the casualty down the deck towards him.

JAY GATES CHIEF OPERATIONS CONTROLLER, AFRICA

Maiden Call for MedevacC

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reported position. Captain Pocock radioed the base toask which ship was the casualty, as they were similar inappearance. Carol informed him to look for the onewhich did not have any radio masts raised in the bowarea. It soon became apparent which ship it was, notonly due to the absent radio masts, but also becausethe ship was awash with Chinese fishermen franticallywaving their arms in the air as RDV made its pass!

It was now apparent that nobody on the vessel knewwhat a ‘Hi-Line’ was and it took some time for theinterpreters to explain it. Once that had been achieved,the next problem was to steer the ship on the correctcourse. Since the vessel was so small, it was imperativeit followed the course instructed by Captain Pocock.After another short delay, while the interpreters explained to the vessel’s helmsmanwhat he had to do, Phil Ress and Ian Klopperprepared for the winchingoperation down to the bow deck of the ‘Sheng Ching Chin’.

Once Phil was safely onboard, thecrew was already bringing theirSkipper along the deck to meethim. Ian joined Phil on deck, and they found that theSkipper, 62-year-old Mr. Cheng San Lin, was in a farmore serious condition than they had expected. Inaddition to being dehydrated, Mr. Lin was drifting in and out of consciousness. He was prepared for the transfer onto the helicopter basket stretcher, and Phil signaled for RDV to make its approach. The winching operation to get everybody back up to the helicopter was now underway.

The next problem to arise was that the helmsmanwas so transfixed by the helicopter hovering abovethe vessel, that he was continuously steering towards

the helicopter and not the course needed to affectthe rescue. No matter how many times CaptainPocock asked the helmsman to maintain his course,he kept veering to both port and starboard tomaintain ‘contact’ with RDV. Phil Ress decided thatnow was the time to show off his skills as a Lifeboatcrewman, and he stormed back to the vessel’s bridge,pushed the helmsman aside and began steering thevessel himself!

Now that Phil had control of the wheel, Ian Klopperfinally reached the stable platform he needed tocontrol the ascent of the stretcher back to thehelicopter, with Mr. Lin safely contained in it. Oncecompleted, Ian attached himself to the line and hewas winched up to the helicopter.

As all this was going on, thehelmsman was slowly realizing whatPhil was trying to achieve and whenthe time came for Phil to make hisway back to the bow, the Chinesehelmsman took the wheel andmanaged to maintain his course longenough for Phil to attach himself tothe winch line and for Carlo Kok to

bring him back up into the comfort of RDV’s cabin.

All the paramedics onboard RDV were now busyingthemselves, stabilizing Mr. Lin for the 40-minute flight back to Cape Town. On arrival, he was met by ambulance and transferred to the Christiaan BarnardMemorial Hospital where his diagnosis was confirmedand he was immediately put under the care of a gastricsurgeon. Shortly afterward, he was operated on and isnow recovering well from his ordeal.

The whole flying operation was a complete success.Once more, CHC Africa had been called on as the

preferred operator, to go to theaid of a mariner in distress off the African coast. In this case itwas the first time that the newSouthern Africa MRCC was calledon to ‘cut its teeth’ in service,and the first time that CHCAfrica had been tasked by thenew agency. We bid all sailorssafe journeys under anycircumstances; however, theseare dangerous waters, and inthe best possible way, let’shope the mission to the ‘ShengChing Chin’ was the first of many‘call-outs’ in a new relationshipwith the new MRCC and theSearch and Rescue fraternityof Southern Africa.

Paramedics Phil Ress and Ian Klopper prepare the ship’s captain for transfer to the helicopter stretcher, just prior to the winch operation.

Phil Ress decided that now was the time to show off his

skills as a Lifeboat crewman...he pushed the helmsman aside and began steering

the vessel himself!

Summer 2004 has proven to be a busy period for CHC’sEuropean operations, with several customers requiring moreflight hours than originally projected, and many of our aircrafton the move. In addition, several short-term contracts havebeen won, including:

• A short-term drilling contract from Applied Drilling Technology Inc.(formerly Global Santa Fe) for a one-well drilling operation inBlock 49/26 in the Irish Sea. The operation is being carried outfrom our Waterford Base using an S-61N helicopter. EI-CZN wasrepositioned from its Shannon base to Waterford in preparationfor the July 15 start. The contract was based on a seven-day perweek operation, with scheduled flights Tuesday through Fridayand standby being provided on all other days.

• Another short-term contract resulted from the combinedwork of CHC Scotia and CHC International divisions. DuringMay and June, we successfully completed a joint venture on behalf of Total E&P Pakistan, based offshore Karachi.

• CHC was awarded a 90-day drilling contract from ENI Norge AS tosupport forthcoming drilling operations on the OceanVanguard, west of Kristiansand in the Norwegian Sea. The soleuse AS332L/L1 contract will commence in October.

Aircraft on the Move

In conjunction with the end of the BP contract, one of ourAS332L2 aircrafts will be used by BP in Brazil. We are in theprocess of leasing the MkII to Aeroleo Brazil for BP work. The aircraft will leave from Liverpool Docks and sail to Halifax,Nova Scotia. From there, a ferry flight will take the aircraft toBelem, in the Amazon Delta of Brazil. In addition, a Norwegianbased S-61N will begin operations for BP in Baku. The aircraft willleave Norway within the month, with the contract lasting untilDec. 31, 2009. Two additional Super Puma AS332L1s are beingtransferred from Norway to Brazil to operate for Aeroleo from abase in Macae, near Rio de Janeiro.

German Border Guard Update

The German Border Police previously signed a deal withEurocopter and CHC’s Astec Helicopter Services divisions to purchase and upgrade ten AS332L Super Puma aircraft. The aircraft will be upgraded and retrofitted to L1 standards,including full de-icing equipment, night vision goggle-compatibility, digital multi-function displays, tactical multi-frequency radio sets, reinforcement provisions for gyro-stabilised daylight reinforcement and thermal imagingcamera capability, weather radar three/four axis autopilot, GPS navigation computers, search lights, fast-roping devices for special forces engagements, rescue hoists for SAR missionsand an emergency floatation system for maritime missions. The first of five CHC aircraft to be handed over will be delivered to the German Border Guard in November 2004 with theremaining aircraft following over the next three years.

News from the Training Department

The Super Puma simulator based at Forus, Stavanger hasundergone major enhancements, including a new CentralProcessing Unit, an Instructor On-board Station and a new, stateof the art Visual System. The main feature of the new visualgraphics is a daylight system compared to the old night/dusksystem and the added capability of moving helidecks, allowingthe company to achieve greater flexibility in training. Thesystem also has the capability of operating with night-visiongoggles, a first for this company.

The S-61N simulator was updated with a new CPU and IOSearlier in the year and has already reaped the benefits of suchinvestments. The Italian Air Force is sending helicopter crews to Forus for simulator training for the first time. We welcome theItalian Air Crews to our training department and look forward to a longstanding mutually beneficial relationship with them.

Busy Summer for CHC in Europe

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Rotortales is a publication of CHC Helicopter Corporation. We welcome submissions, story ideas and letters. For questions, comments or concerns please contact: CHC Helicopter Corporation’s Director of Communications,Chris Flanagan by telephone at 709-570-0749, or by email at [email protected], or forward correspondence to CHC Helicopters 4740 Agar Drive, Richmond, B.C. V7B 1A3 Canada. For more information on the company, visit the CHC website at www.chc.ca. Rotortales is designed and produced by CCL Milestone, 709-739-9995 or [email protected]

R O T O R T A L E S CC O N T A C T S

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS Chris Flanagan

Director of Communications

[email protected]

CHC EUROPE Karen MacConnell Executive Assistant

[email protected]

AUSTRALIAJennie McBeath

Sales and Marketing Assistant

+61 8 8372 7703 [email protected]

AFRICACheryl Pedersen

Commercial Executive

+27 21 934 [email protected]

INTERNATIONALNicole Barker

Executive Assistant

[email protected]

ASTECBirgit Smeby

Executive Assistant

+47 51 94 10 [email protected]

SCHREINERHella Veldink

Executive Secretary

+ 31 (0) 23 [email protected]

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