Legacy helicopters are unique in their ability to provide operators with a level of proven reliability, serviceability, and cost savings which newer aircraft struggle to achieve. Decades of airframe and safety updates in these aircraft make them the ideal tool for operations around the world when they are properly modernized and maintained.
The challenge for operators of these longstanding aircraft is finding knowledgeable maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service and support to keep these legacy aircraft aloft, while original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) remain focused on their new product sales and support of more recent helicopters.
That very knowledge and more than 25 years of operational experience is what makes CanWest Aerospace of Langley, British Columbia, the MRO of choice for legacy operators. CanWest is dedicated to updating and modernizing legacy Bell, Sikorsky, McDonnell Douglas, AgustaWestland and MBB/Airbus helicopters. CanWest provides airframe inspections; maintenance and repair of customized composites and sheet metal; airframe structural repair; modifications; scheduled and unscheduled inspections; and 24/7 technical support. The company also overhauls, repairs and updates aircraft components, avionics, instruments, and structures.
“Customers realize their legacy aircraft have a proven reliability which newer helicopters cannot guarantee,” said Tom Jackson, CanWest Aerospace president and director of maintenance. “We can do a tremendous amount to these airframes to both extend their lives and modernize them, such as adding glass cockpits and other aviation advancements. Our goal is not only to keep these proven aircraft flying, but also to bring them up to modern standards so they can fly safely and effectively for decades to come.”
In the end, operators who choose to invest in CanWest Aerospace’s nose-to-tail modernization and support for their legacy aircraft enjoy considerable savings over purchasing new aircraft.
“Modernizing an aircraft can cost a quarter of the price of a new helicopter,” Jackson explained. “Customers save by not having to retool their shops, buy new parts and ground equipment, as well as by not having to retrain their staff. Also, legacy models that have been tested over time tend to be more stable operationally compared to newer airframes that would have initial operating bugs that need to be refined and rectified.”
A large part of the CanWest Aerospace philosophy is reducing maintenance costs for customers. This is achieved by working directly with each customer and each individual aircraft to identify modifications, safety upgrades and a tailored preventative maintenance program.
“Preventative maintenance extends the life of parts, and that extends the life of the aircraft while reducing costs,” said Jackson.
Taking MRO to the Customer
CanWest Aerospace supports aircraft around the globe from its headquarters in Langley. With a strong customer base in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East, the company is expanding into China and Southeast Asia.
An increasing global customer base seeking cost effective solutions led to out-of-the-box thinking and the development of the CanWest Global Task Force (GTF). The GTF in essence brings CanWest to the helicopter, taking the company’s expertise on the road with an added benefit of reducing the costly aircraft on ground time.
“Basically, it’s an MRO in a box we can send to an end user anywhere in the world,” said Jackson. “We can perform anything from minor to major modifications and overhauls in the field, training the customer’s staff along the way; something they’d not have gotten otherwise. Through our GTF we can bring our high aviation standards to emerging markets that currently don’t have the skill base.”
Jackson speaks from experience. A second-generation aviation maintenance professional, he grew up around helicopters at his father’s employer, Okanagan Helicopters, and later Canadian Helicopter Corporation. He followed in his father’s footsteps before both landed at CanWest Aerospace, where they continue today.
“My father and I still see aircraft come through CanWest now that have our signatures in their logbooks from decades ago,” said Jackson. “That’s a real testament to the longevity of these helicopters.”
Beyond basic MRO
While MRO services to support legacy helicopters are needed, one caveat is finding parts. In response, CanWest founded its own parts sister company, CanWest Global AirParts (CWGAP), which offers an extensive, competitively priced catalogue of top quality new and re-certified serviceable dynamic and standard components, flight controls, wheels and brakes, landing gear, avionics and instruments, electrical items, and spares; all stored in-house to ensure fast turnarounds for clients. While many parts suppliers are stepping away from legacy parts, CWGAP is growing, dedicated to supporting legacy aircraft for years to come.
Approved by Transport Canada (TC), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an MRO operator, CanWest is not resting on its laurels. The company is currently updating and implementing a new quality management system to qualify for the AS9100 Rev D certification. While the TC and EASA approvals provide considerable verification of quality assurance in CanWest Aerospace’s maintenance work, the AS9100 Rev D certification will assure back office departments, such as sales, logistics, customer servicing and accounting, are held to the same high standard.
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