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Thinking big

By Oliver Johnson

By Oliver Johnson | March 10, 2016

Published on: March 10, 2016
Estimated reading time 28 minutes, 36 seconds.

Established just six years ago by Quebec City entrepreneur Stephan Huot, Capitale Hélicoptère has already spawned divisions operating in the utility, air medical, flight training and aerial tourism sectors, while its new state-of-the-art $22 million facility also contains the company’s own clothing line — and an interactive helicopter museum. And it’s only getting started.
A GoHelico Airbus Helicopters EC130 B4 gives a group of tourists a spectacular vantage point to take in the Château Frontenac and Old Quebec — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
A GoHelico Airbus Helicopters EC130 B4 gives a group of tourists a spectacular vantage point to take in the Château Frontenac and Old Quebec — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
The experience of visiting Capitale Hélicoptère’s dazzling new facility, adjacent to the Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, Qué., is truly that — an experience. The utility operator, established in 2010 by local entrepreneur Stephan Huot, moved into the $22-million, 60,000-square-foot building almost two years ago.

Known as the Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère, the facility is home to Capitale, as well as sister companies GoHelico (an aerial tourism company), the Capitale Hélicoptère Flight School, Arrow Leasing, and Airmedic (an emergency medical service) — as well as an upscale restaurant and a boutique selling the STEPHAN/H Aerostyle clothing line (developed specifically for helicopter pilots and crew). But perhaps the most intriguing part of the building is the “Discovery Space” — a free-to-visit exhibit hall designed to provide visitors with a captivating introduction to the world of rotary-wing flight.

From the enormous marble slab that serves as the reception desk that greets you at the entrance, to the custom-made craft beers served in the restaurant (known as B1, B2, B3 and B4), to the frankly extraordinary Discovery Space, which looks like a hybrid between a Cirque du Soleil set and an interactive museum, it’s clear that no expense was spared in the creation of the complex. For those used to the generally more sedate utilitarian environments of the vast majority of North American helicopter headquarters, a tour of Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère could provide something of a sensory overload.

The Discovery Space within Capitale Hélicoptère’s headquarters has been created to share owner Stephan Huot’s passion for helicopters — and make the complex a destination in its own right. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
The Discovery Space within Capitale Hélicoptère’s headquarters has been created to share owner Stephan Huot’s passion for helicopters — and make the complex a destination in its own right. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo

But while wizened members of the industry may scoff at the extravagant presentation, there’s no doubt that the complex has been born from a genuine and deep affection for rotary-wing flight — and a desire to share it. The company’s multifaceted offering also represents an ambitious and innovative approach at a time when caution and conservatism are more often the industry watchwords.

On the morning of Vertical’s visit to the facility, a large group of young schoolchildren were busy learning the basic principles of rotary-wing flight in the Discovery Space. A guide gave the children a brief explanation of how a helicopter’s blades work, and then they made their own versions out of a piece of paper to test the theory.

Jean-Marc Lessard, the complex’s operations and customer service manager, explained that the school group was one of two visiting that week, and their guide was a new pilot who had just graduated from the flight school and had recently begun flying for GoHelico — in addition to providing tours of the facility. The tour, lasting two hours, includes time in the Discovery Space, a visit to the complex’s VIP and maintenance hangars, and a showing of a video specific to the group’s age, explaining the history of the helicopter and rotary-wing flight.

Entrepreneur Stephan Huot bought his first helicopter before he’d even completed his pilot training. He established Capitale in 2010, and has been diversifying the company’s business into various different sectors since then. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
Entrepreneur Stephan Huot bought his first helicopter before he’d even completed his pilot training. He established Capitale in 2010, and has been diversifying the company’s business into various different sectors since then. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
“We want people to know more about the helicopter world from the beginning, and create a passion for it when they’re young,” said Lessard, as the children threw their paper helicopters off the mezzanine, competing to be the closest to land near the tiny helipad marked on the floor. “We are open on a daily basis for visitors, but we also organize visits with schools or adult groups. They can come here with their family, try the simulators, take an aerial tour, and then why not try “Pilot for a Day” [a product that provides a basic ground school followed by a 30- to 60-minute flight]? And then maybe they’ll join the pilot flight school.”

The Discovery Space, which includes a static helicopter display, two basic “simulators”, various custom-made interactive TV displays, and a viewing platform looking towards the takeoff area outside, is already quite a draw, but Lessard said the company is planning to further develop it into 18 distinct “stations”, with a more explicit route for guests to follow. But it begs the question: Why provide all this?

“It’s the dream of the owner — Stephan Huot,” said Lessard. “He found a passion for the helicopter world and he had the vision that it should be shared with people. When he looked up the facilities in Canada, he found out there was an opportunity to do something. In the Québec region, and in Canada, there is no place like it.”

The Capitale fleet out on the ramp at the company’s base at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport. Maxime Perron Caissy Photo
The Capitale fleet out on the ramp at the company’s base at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport. Maxime Perron Caissy Photo

Back to the beginning

Stephanie Huot, daughter of Capitale founder Stephan, serves as the manager of GoHelico and special events at Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère. “It all started from a simple idea of my father,” she told Vertical. “In 2008, my father and I went to Las Vegas, and we took a helicopter tour in the Grand Canyon. And my father told me, ‘I want a helicopter’ — just like that!”

Stephan Huot’s success with his group of companies, of which there are about 15 across real estate, transportation, construction and aviation, gave him the financial ability to purchase his first helicopter before he’d even completed his pilot training. And his newfound love of rotary-wing flight was soon reflected in his next business project, with the launch of Capitale Hélicoptère and the Capitale Hélicoptère Flight School in 2010. The company has completed a typically varied breadth of work for a Canadian utility operator over the years, including mining support, firefighting, aerial photography, air taxi, and wind farm inspections, while the maintenance unit has become a certified service center for the Robinson R44 and R66.

However, Stephan Huot was already looking at several next steps as he was launching Capitale, including the idea of creating a helicopter complex. “At first he wanted to do a very VIP FBO-type service, but in the market of Québec City, we have maybe 30 [helicopter] owners, so it’s not many,” said Stephanie Huot. “Then we had the idea to create this Discovery Space so that people can enjoy and see the incredible world of helicopters.”

Capitale launched Airmedic, a membership-based air medical transportation provider, in 2012. It reached 122,000 members by the end of 2015. Joe Alvoeiro Photo
Capitale launched Airmedic, a membership-based air medical transportation provider, in 2012. It reached 122,000 members by the end of 2015. Joe Alvoeiro Photo
The company broke ground for the new facility in late 2010, and this was followed by the launch of Airmedic in 2012. The air medical transportation provider is a membership-based service, and had already reached 122,000 members by the end of 2015. Operating across 11 bases, it has a fleet of two AgustaWestland AW109 GrandNew aircraft, an Airbus Helicopters EC130 B4, and two fixed-wing Pilatus PC-12s.

The helicopters carry a crew of one paramedic and one nurse in the cabin, and are equipped to the same level as a ground ambulance. In 2015, the organization completed over 800 interventions — up from 650 the previous year.

The next project to be launched was GoHelico, also in 2012. Then, after extensive research and development, the STEPHAN/H Helipro line of handmade flight suits, jackets, and pants made its debut, alongside the Discovery Space, in the Complex Capitale Hélicoptère, which opened in April 2014. The most recent addition to the building is the restaurant — Le Commandant Resto-Bar — which welcomed its first customers in October 2015.

GoHelico, Capitale’s aerial tourism arm, offers three tours: a 15-minute tour of Quebec City, a 30-minute tour over the Montmorency Falls, and a two-hour flight to the Jacques-Cartier National Park. Maxime Perron Caissy Photo
GoHelico, Capitale’s aerial tourism arm, offers three tours: a 15-minute tour of Quebec City, a 30-minute tour over the Montmorency Falls, and a two-hour flight to the Jacques-Cartier National Park. Maxime Perron Caissy Photo
Today, across the various business units, the company employs about 150 people and has 15 helicopters, including a Robinson R44, Airbus Helicopters H120, EC130 B4 and AS350 B2, and AgustaWestland AW109 GrandNew.

Stephanie Huot said the various branches of the company developed fairly organically in response to market demand. “This was not planned at all,” she said. “The first idea came with the complex; we just tested the products and services, and then came the idea of creating what we have right now. We just wanted to touch every market with every company that we have.”

A good example of how the company has responded to market demand is the creation of its own events company to manage corporate and private events at the complex, either within the Discovery Space (capacity of 350 for cocktail receptions and 250 for banquets) or the VIP hangar (capacity of 1,200 or 900). It’s probably fair to say that not many companies would be able to have their hangar double as a corporate event facility.

The Discovery Space is designed to be a place where those new to the world of helicopters can learn the history and principles behind rotary-wing flight — and hopefully develop their own passion for it. Jean Levasseur Photo
The Discovery Space is designed to be a place where those new to the world of helicopters can learn the history and principles behind rotary-wing flight — and hopefully develop their own passion for it. Jean Levasseur Photo
“It’s a really unique destination,” said Stephanie Huot. “What we want to do is create the tourism destination in Canada or North America for the helicopter world. We want to be a ‘must-see’ in the Québec City area, so that if you come to Québec City, you feel you have to go to the complex.”

New focus for operations

On the operations front, the company is refocusing its efforts to support the investment being made in the complex. In practice, this means less utility flying out in the bush, and more support for flightseeing, corporate flights, and the flight school.

The Discovery Space includes two basic “simulators” that visitors can fly with the help of a Capitale pilot. Jean Levasseur Photo
The Discovery Space includes two basic “simulators” that visitors can fly with the help of a Capitale pilot. Jean Levasseur Photo

“We’re putting the other stuff to the side for now,” said Pierre Lalancette, Capitale’s operations director and president of Arrow Leasing (the complex’s leasing arm). “We’ll keep doing a few contracts around the base, but we won’t be chasing a major contract up north for now. It doesn’t mean that in the next couple of years we’re not going to go back to it, we just decided to slow down on that side and focus on what we have, what we can really sell right now. What it means is that we’ve actually started to sell some aircraft through Arrow Leasing, we’re downsizing the fleet a little bit. We’ll keep the [EC130] B4, the [H]120s, the R44 for the flight school.”

There are eight full-time pilots across GoHelico and Capitale Hélicoptère, representing a vast range of experience — from the two youngest who recently joined the company after completing flight school at Capitale, to the chief pilot’s 20,000 hours. Lalancette said the most important quality for the aerial tourism role was to be able to fly safely and smoothly — given that many of its customers are taking their first flight in a helicopter, and may be nervous flyers. Secondly, he said good people skills are crucial — and bilingualism is also an asset.

GoHelico offers three tours: a 15-minute city tour, a 30-minute tour that includes a flight over the enormous Montmorency Falls, and a two-hour flight to the Jacques-Cartier National Park. The company works closely with the local tourist board and the cruise ship operators who stop in the city to maximize awareness of the flights among visitors to the city.

Capitale found the high finish of its headquarters appealed to companies looking for a unique backdrop to a corporate event. It has launched its own events company to cope with the demand. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
Capitale found the high finish of its headquarters appealed to companies looking for a unique backdrop to a corporate event. It has launched its own events company to cope with the demand. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo

A similar outreach effort is being made by the Capitale Hélicoptère Flight School, with a particular focus on developing the international market. Until this year, overseas students typically came from France, but the school has put a lot of work into developing the burgeoning Chinese market for flight training.

“They know they need pilots, but they don’t have instructors and they don’t have the schools,” said Geoffroy Tremblay, the flight school’s general manager. “They have a lot of demand, but they don’t know how to train these people. So they are looking to develop partnerships to send students that will become helicopter pilots in China in one or two years.”

Of the 10 students at the school in 2015, two were Chinese; Tremblay hopes to increase this to 15 Chinese students by June this year. Across the road from the complex, the helicopter school has recently finished constructing two accommodation blocks, complete with kitchenettes, for up to 30 international students to stay at a time. This provides the turnkey package that Tremblay said is often requested by companies overseas.

Capitale has seven maintenance engineers who work on the company’s own fleet, as well as servicing the aircraft of private operators. Jean Levasseur Photo
Capitale has seven maintenance engineers who work on the company’s own fleet, as well as servicing the aircraft of private operators. Jean Levasseur Photo
The school is centered on providing training towards a commercial license, and while this can be achieved in six months, there’s flexibility to take longer and work the training around a student’s schedule. Lalancette said the length of the course allows the company to have a good look at the students to gauge their potential as prospective employees.

“The best students — the ones that would fit more with our operations here — once they get to the end we can hire them and have them work on the floor with the customers,” he said. “We can see how their relationship is with the customers, and if it’s a good fit there, we can offer them a job. . . . It’s all a process. We only started two years ago, but we’re already seeing the benefits.”

The company has now hired four former students as pilots, and Lalancette said the opportunity to build hours performing aerial tours was a good way for the young pilots to start their careers. “It’s a very good, controlled environment — doing tours, working by an airport. Now they become really marketable to go somewhere else and work as helicopter pilots. Our goal is not to have them here for 10,000 hours. We know that.”

Geoffroy Tremblay (center), general manager of the Capitale Hélicoptère flight school, said it was looking to develop the international market — particularly in China. Jean Levasseur Photo
Geoffroy Tremblay (center), general manager of the Capitale Hélicoptère flight school, said it was looking to develop the international market — particularly in China. Jean Levasseur Photo

There are five instructors at the school, including chief instructor Eric Bertin. Among the qualities that make a good instructor, Bertin listed the ability to adapt to the different personalities of students.

“We have 50-year-old clients and 18-year-old clients; they don’t have the same study experience,” said Bertin. “The best quality for an instructor is to say, ‘Okay, I see the profile, I can adapt myself to his or her profile — to read the client. The key to make a client progress is to read him or her well.”

Students can fly in a Schweizer/Sikorsky S-300, an R44, an AS350 B2, or an EC130 B4. The school rents the S-300 and several R44s from private operators who store their aircraft in Capitale’s maintenance hangar. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” said Lalancette. “They have their aircraft when they need it, and it’s generating some revenue for them when they don’t.”

There are eight full-time pilots across GoHelico and Capitale Hélicoptère, and they have a vast range of experience, from those in their first position in the industry, to the chief pilot’s 20,000 hours. Jean Levasseur Photo
There are eight full-time pilots across GoHelico and Capitale Hélicoptère, and they have a vast range of experience, from those in their first position in the industry, to the chief pilot’s 20,000 hours. Jean Levasseur Photo
Lalancette said the addition of the S-300 to the school’s fleet would help prepare it for the Chinese market. “There’s a lot of demand for training [in China], and some companies request that the training be done in an S-300,” he said. “We’re upgrading it to the school standards. The guys are learning how to fix it, and the instructors have started flying with it. We’ll see how it goes!”

The aircraft is one of about 10 privately-owned aircraft kept at the facililty. According to Lalancette, 60 to 70 percent of the maintenance performed by Capitale’s seven maintenance engineers is on the company’s own fleet, while the rest is completed for private owners.

Christopher Stapor, director of maintenance at the complex, said the environment and type of work were relatively easy on the aircraft. “There’s no sand, so you save a lot of components and engines that way,” he said. “It’s a high cycle operation — lots of starts in an hour for little flight time — so you have to watch that when it gets close to the overhaul part of the maintenance.”

Pierre Lalancette (third from left), Capitale’s operations director, said the company would be focusing its flying efforts around the base, supporting flightseeing, corporate flights, and the flight school. Jean Levasseur Photo
Pierre Lalancette (third from left), Capitale’s operations director, said the company would be focusing its flying efforts around the base, supporting flightseeing, corporate flights, and the flight school. Jean Levasseur Photo
Taking a walk through the maintenance hangar, you’re struck by how pristine the environment is. This, of course, is no accident. “We have to be top notch,” said Stapor. “If we want to get the work, not only do we have to do the work well, we have to show how we take pride in what we do and where we work. The guys love it; nobody is complaining that they don’t have enough light or that the floor is dirty or that they don’t have the right tools.”

Completing the cycle

Despite how far the company has come in such a short time, there are still many projects in development to expand the offering at the complex; further embedding it within the fabric of the city, and sharing the passion for helicopters far beyond its boundaries.

The school is centered on providing training towards a commercial license. Students can fly in a Schweizer/Sikorsky S-300, an R44, an AS350 B2, or an EC130 B4. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
The school is centered on providing training towards a commercial license. Students can fly in a Schweizer/Sikorsky S-300, an R44, an AS350 B2, or an EC130 B4. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
“To generate all that excitement is one thing. But you have to support it,” said Lalancette. “What’s kind of interesting about here is that we can support it, and we’re trying to get some sort of a cycle here with the whole process. People come in, see the public area at the front, see the simulator, book a flight, and if they really want to go even further, they can buy Pilot for the Day. And then if they enjoy the experience, maybe they’ll do their pilot training, come to work for us, and provide the experience for our customers in the future.”

Lalancette said he was aware of some skepticism from within the industry as to what Capitale was creating in Quebec City. “It’s a big investment in a smaller city, and people are sometimes looking at us [and saying], ‘You guys are still going?’ Yes, we’re still going! We’re improving all the time. It’s not 100 percent where we want it to be, but it’s going in the right direction.”

For Stephanie Huot, while the motivation for her father was in sharing his passion for helicopters, for her, it was in creating something new. “We are part of a project that is bigger than us,” she said. “My employees are as motivated as me, because we’re creating something. And in 10 or 20 years, we’re going to say, ‘I was there at the start. I helped create this.’ And we’ll be proud of what we’ve achieved here.”

The STEPHAN/H Helipro clothing line has been developed specifically for, and with the input of, helicopter pilots and crew. All pieces are handmade, incorporating materials and technology that allow for maximum flexibility and comfort. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
The STEPHAN/H Helipro clothing line has been developed specifically for, and with the input of, helicopter pilots and crew. All pieces are handmade, incorporating materials and technology that allow for maximum flexibility and comfort. Capitale Hélicoptère Photo
 
Four of Capitale’s pilots are former students of the flight school. Lalancette said the length of the course allows the company to have a good look at students to gauge their potential as prospective employees. Jean Levasseur Photo
Four of Capitale’s pilots are former students of the flight school. Lalancette said the length of the course allows the company to have a good look at students to gauge their potential as prospective employees. Jean Levasseur Photo

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