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RotorTalesISSUE 02.2005CHC HELICOPTER CORPORATION EMPLOYEE MAGAZINE

02 Jeremy Labuschagne

07Training 10,000 AMEs

10CHC Safety Policy

12 The Lonely Pilot

14 Summer of a Lifetime

17CHC crews in Ireland awarded for bravery

The Launching of

Heli-OneCHC’s new leasing and R&O company starts on top

By Chris FlanaganAt 10:17 a.m., Sunday, February 6, at theHelicopter Association International Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, CHCpointed the company in a strategic newdirection and fired the starting gun forHeli-One, at once the world’s largest independent helicopter support company.

continued on page 04

Craig L. Dobbin, O.C.

My fellow employees,With tributes flowing infrom all over the world,I know I speak on behalfof all CHC employees when I express the shock and

immense sadness felt at the news of thepassing of Jeremy Labuschagne. Wordscannot begin to express our feelings at this time. Jeremy’s death was so suddenand unexpected, I know it will take a while to actually sink in. Jeremy was anoutstanding individual – a loving familyman, a good friend to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, and adedicated, diligent associate. It was alwaysgood to listen to Jeremy tell his stories and present his divisional reports.

I remember with great fondness my timespent with Jeremy, and his wonderful wife Julie, when I visited Cape Town withmy wife Elaine. We always associate goodtimes and happy memories with theLabuschagne family. What makes thistragedy even more unbearable is that we have lost Jeremy less than a year afterthe death of his beloved son Ian, from cancer. Ian was also a great man andaccomplished pilot, working as CHCAfrica’s Cape Town Operations Managerat the time of his death last year.

The Labuschagnes were wonderful hoststo us and to our friends and colleagues whovisited Cape Town over the years. And Iknow that whenever CHC employees visit-ed Cape Town, Jeremy would personallytake them out, show them the city, andmore often than not, involve Julie and theirsons, making sure visitors had an excep-tional time. They invariably did, and alsoand got to know an exceptional family.

Over the past few days, many of you haveshared your treasured stories about Jeremyand offered tributes which I would like toshare with the rest of the group:

In an interview for his biography a few yearsago, which can still be found on the web,Jeremy was asked about values. He listed:

honesty, integrity, transparency, loyalty,commitment, fairness, equality, justice andhard work. “What matters, in the finalanalysis,” he said, “is a solid family relationship and sharing and building intothe lives of others.” Jeremy was well knownto almost everyone in the helicopter industryin Africa and, by all accounts, he lived hisvalues every single day. Jeremy Labuschagnewas a great leader and a truly special man.Words cannot express how much Jeremywill be missed by those who knew andworked with him. Wherever he is, we willcontinue to think of him.

Jay Gates, CHC Africa/CHC Europe

Dear Julie, Philip, Carmen and Annetjie,I have yet to see any of my colleagues atCHC not willing to go the extra mile forJeremy. I’ve never heard a bad word saidagainst him, even when he was out ofearshot. On the contrary, the praise andrespect for Jeremy was ever present.

His door was always open for anyone whoneeded a shoulder to cry on or just to say‘Hi, how’s it going?’ He was in every part of the company’s business, always interestedin what was happening – not just as the MD, but as a colleague who cared.

To hear of his sad and untimely death andthen see people in work crying, includingmyself and I say that unashamedly, it’s anindication of love and the greatest of respect.… We will miss a man who was a giantamongst men.

Rob Denning, CHC Africa, speaking at Jeremy’s Memorial Service

Others have written about the manyaccomplishments in Jeremy’s life, whichdue to his humble nature, were not wellknown. For example, Jeremy was awardedthe medal of valour known as theWoltemade Cross, South Africa’s highestcivilian medal for gallantry, awarded onlyfor ‘exceptional acts of bravery, especiallywhen the act itself meant risking one’sown life to save others.’ On August 6, 1983,Jeremy demonstrated his flying prowesswhen the supertanker ‘Castillo de Bellver’suffered an explosion and caught fire some 70 miles northwest of Cape Town.The tanker spilled over 100,000 tons ofburning oil into the sea, which prevented

all of the crew from safely abandoning the vessel. Jeremy, then flying the SikorskyS58T, braved intense heat and searingflames to rescue a trapped crewman from the burning, sinking ship.

Despite being a national hero, I believeJeremy will be remembered as a leader,a man who continuously inspired others,as so many of you have demonstrated in your letters and comments:

I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to work with Jeremy over the years. His passion for life was unmatchable. Thislast November, Jeremy and I spent severalweeks working together in Cape Town, andin our other various African bases. This timewith Jeremy allowed me to see the visionand inspiration that he brought not only tohis work, but to those whom he led. He wastruly an inspirational man, and he will bemissed by all that knew him.

I shall always remember Jeremy fondly. He was a great leader, a kind friend, adevoted father and husband, but most of all,Jeremy was a true gentleman.

God speed my friend.

Christine Baird, President CHC Global Operations

In my time as part of the senior managementteam, Jeremy was always an example ofprofessionalism that was an inspiration to us all. He was always calm and logical,whatever the challenge we faced, and it isdifficult to imagine a planning session without him…. He will be greatly missed.

Neil Calvert, President, Heli-One

Godspeed JeremyEXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

02 CHC HELICOPTER CORPORATION EMPLOYEE MAGAZINE

Jeremy Labuschagne 1942 - 2005

Sylvain Allard

I would like to join Mr. Dobbin in praising the outstanding careerand leadershipqualities of JeremyLabuschagne, and

send my heartfelt sympathy to his wifeJulie, son Philip, daughters-in-law Carmenand Ammetjie, and beloved grandchildrenDylan and Jemma.

We filed our Third Quarter Report March14, and I’m pleased to report that resultsfrom operations continue to be strong,with significant revenue increases due primarily to the addition of Schreiner and

growth in our International Markets.In addition, increased activity fromNorwegian and Scottish bases more thanoffset reductions from the bp contract that expired in August.

Worldwide, flight hours were up 8,125 toapproximately 40,000 hours. With this volume of flight hours, we are on target to fly an impressive 160,000 hours in thefiscal year ending April 30, 2005, whichworks out to nearly 25 million kilometresin the year.

That is an incredible accomplishment,requiring the coordinated effort of morethan CHC 3,000 professionals around the world.

During the quarter, we were awarded afive-year contract renewal in DenHelderfor a consortium of Total, Wintershall and PetroCanada. The contract will see the introduction of two new aircraft types– the EC155B1 and AB139. I expect greatthings from both these types and look forward to their introduction in 2006.

We were also successful in Africa, winninga new contract in Northeast Africa and asignificant contract renewal with our part-ner Aero Contractors Nigeria, which willsee the introduction of a new Dauphin N3to the West Africa-based fleet, along withtwo additional S76C+s. All told, we addedeight new aircraft to the fleet in the third

F L Y I N G 25 million kilometresCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

03CHC HELICOPTER CORPORATION EMPLOYEE MAGAZINE


CHC TSUNAMI FUND TOTALS

Your contributions to the CHC Earthquakeand Tsunami Fund have been trulyextraordinary. You have opened yourhearts and contributed a total ofCDN$47,554.63 to help those sufferingfrom the devastating earthquake andtsunami which struck Southeast Asia

Dec. 26 2004. I would like to thank all ofthose who gave so much, in some casesmore than $1,000 each. I am pleased toreport that with CHC’s matching contri-butions, the total raised for the relief effortis $95,109.26. The funds will be donated to the International Red Cross, and also to Mercy Malaysia, a relief agency recom-mended by our Malaysian partner and

customer, Malaysian Helicopter Services.Mercy Malaysia is doing some terrificreconstruction and rehabilitation work in the hardest hit region around Aceh,Indonesia, where hundreds of thousandsremain homeless, and our money will bevery well spent.

Craig L. Dobbin, O.C.

I knew Jeremy long before I met him the first time. His reputation as one of the mostcharismatic leaders in the African AviationIndustry preceded him, and, I felt privilegedwhen I finally met him in person and wasallowed to work side-by-side with him in hisefforts to push helicopter services in Africa to new heights.

Like with his beloved son Ian, it was impossi-ble to find anybody that did not like, respectand admire Jeremy. Jeremy was passionateabout his family, his extended family at CHC Africa, and helicopters. There was nodoubt in anybody’s mind that Jeremy wasthe Leader, and it was the rare kind of leadership that was founded on wisdom,gentleness, tolerance, respect and politeness.He was the perfect gentleman, always con-siderate and respectful of others, but nevershy to express his opinion and to lead theway by example. I challenge everybody to

find somebody more knowledgeable aboutour industry on the African continent thanJeremy. My thoughts are with Julie andPhilip, I am at a loss for words, trying todescribe my deep feelings of compassionand sadness for two people who lost somuch. …God’s speed, Jeremy !!!

Chris Krajewski,VP Business Development

…Jeremy was an accomplished and hugelypopular individual. His personality, affabilityand sensitivity will be missed by many,including his friends within Schreiner. …

Hein Verloop, CEO, Schreiner Aviation Group

Jeremy had so many talents, not the leastof which was his incredible stamina,which was demonstrated by his many

accomplishments in athletic endurance.In 2000, Jeremy earned the much-treasured‘green number’, a privilege reserved onlyfor those runners who have completed 10 Comrades Marathons, a grueling 89kmrun. The number 16067 was awarded inperpetuity to Jeremy, and will never againbe issued to another runner.

More than the sense of accomplishment,Jeremy loved that fact that both his sonsalso completed the course. Just a little overa year ago he completed both the 56kmTwo Oceans Marathon and the mountain-ous 108km Cape Argus Cycle Race withhis sons Philip and Ian, and Ian’s wifeAnnetjie. It was the kind of family outinghe cherished so dearly.



Launched by Executive Chairman Craig L. Dobbin at a special breakfastevent, Heli-One combines under one banner all CHC helicopter support staffand divisions including: Astec HelicopterServices, AeroTurbine Support Ltd., theassets of Coulson Aero Technologies Ltd.,Overhaul International Pty of Australia,

To the uninitiated, the company launchseemed a simple affair: a breakfast launchwas held, distinguished guests arrived,a booth was set up at HAI, a few thousandbrochures were printed, and the www.heli-one.ca web site was up and running. In reality, a great deal of workwent into the project so that on openingday everything seems simple and natural.

The creation of Heli-One did not involve a team of outsideconsultants and months ofpondering. In fact, the new company was pulled togetherlargely in-house, in a short,hectic period.

Although the concept of a unified CHCGlobal Support division came about aftermuch planning and deliberation under the Good-to-Great program, it wasn’tuntil December 2004 that senior executivesagreed that a brand new identity – totallyseparate from the CHC name – wouldenhance the company’s growth potential.Craig Dobbin, CEO Sylvain Allard, CFO Jo Mark Zurel and H1 President NeilCalvert debated dozens of possibilitiesbefore finally coming up with one thatseemed absolutely perfect for one unifiedgroup, providing one-stop service – and starting out as No. 1.

But who actually penned the Heli-Onename? Turns out the majority agreed itwas the best name before they even knew it was Craig Dobbin’s idea.

In addition to choosing the name, CraigDobbin had one of his board members –Craig C. Dobbin – come up with the logo design concept. Once these decisionsand Aberdeen’s Multifabs Survival

Limited, world-renowned experts in sur-vival suit manufacturing who significantlyenhance CHC’s offshore services.

With this launch, CHC has changed theshape of the company and created a hugeopportunity for growth. Heli-One will notonly provide helicopter leasing and tip-to-tail support services for the entire CHCfleet, but will now be able to offer theseservices – and the 50 years experiencewithin the group – to the entire global helicopter industry.

The Launching of Heli-Onecontinued from page 1

Above: Ioin Anderson, Supply contracts Manager, is the center of attention at the Heli-One tradeshow booth, which was completed on-time and on-budget. Below: Mike Druit, Senior VP, BusinessDevelopment and Marketing, and Jim Campbell chat with a potential customer.

Margit DeJong, Executive Assistant, and Neil Calvert, President of Heli-One, at the Company's breakfast launch.


Jim CampbellHeli-One’s Overhaul Shop specialist

Like many Heli-One employees aroundthe world, Jim Campbell has CHC roots that stretch back decades. Jim isHeli-One’s new Vice-President, OverhaulShops (Americas), which basically meanshe is responsible for all R&O shops outside Europe.

His mandate is to convert a number of diverse, widespreadworkshops into one cohesive,efficient, profitable unit specializing in S76/S61 majorcomponents as well as CT58 and PT6 engine overhaul.A tall order perhaps, but Jim is used to CHC ambition.

He started in the business in 1969,working for Associated Helicopters,which was soon purchased by OkanaganHelicopters, CHC’s first major acquisitionback in 1987. Working for CHC, Jim setup the workshops that would becomeAcro Aerospace. That mission accom-plished, he left the Company in 1996 tobecome a partner in a new Repair andOverhaul venture, HeliPro. Three yearslater HeliPro was purchased by Acro, but

Jim didn’t get the chance to rejoin CHCfor long, as Acro-HeliPro went its own way when CHC spun off Vector Aerospacewith a public offering on the TorontoStock Exchange.

In 2004, when CHC commenced itsGood-to-Great restructuring and a stand-alone helicopter support company wasenvisioned, CHC senior executives CraigDobbin and Sylvain Allard immediatelythought of Jim, and invited him to join the CHC team. Once the Heli-One visionwas on the table, Jim couldn’t say no.

“I liked the concept,” Jim says, “and I spent27 years with CHC, so basically it was likecoming back home.”

were firm, the program kicked into highgear. Heli-One’s Margit de Jong beganorganizing the launch breakfast, whichincluded invitations, an ice sculpture,Canadian products for customers, banners– all in the brand new Heli-One livery –and a host of other Heli-One details.

At the same time, a 1,000 square foot spacehad to be booked, a booth designed andcreated, plus brochures, business cards,stationery, e-mail addresses, give-aways –and it all had to be in place in Californiawithin a matter of weeks.

Trade show booth companieswere sought, tenders requested,a winner declared, and a boothdelivered on-time (barely) andon-budget. A Vancouver companywas selected to produce thebrochure, a Newfoundland company built the website in acouple of days, Astec sent overwhat graphics it had from pastshow, a dozen large banners weredesigned in-house and printed in California, a cut-away turbineengine was sent from Coulson on Vancouver island and refurbished by Aero TurbineSupport Ltd. before being sentacross the border.

Erik van Straaten coordinated the trade-mark registration in Europe and NorthAmerica. A team from Norway came overto help at the show. Behind the scenes,meetings were booked, customers called.

HELI-ONE PROFILE

CHC Global Operations was also involved,flying a brand new Sikorsky S76C+ fromConnecticut to Anaheim (to be displayedat the Sikorsky booth), and then on toVancouver for some modification work.

Within hours of the Heli-Expo launch,third-party operators were dropping bythe Heli-One trade show booth, wonderingif this upstart company could help themoperate more efficiently. Of course whileall this was going on, Heli-One staff werecontinuing to serve CHC Operations andother customers such as Cougar

Helicopters, Malaysian Helicopter Servicesand Aeroleo, and also go about the task ofreorganizing the entire company. Takingadvantage of CHC’s buying power, globalpresence and expertise, Heli-One’s aim isto improve cash flow and reduce overhead,downtime and uncertainty for helicopteroperators everywhere, both civilian andmilitary. Support services include leasing,integrated logistics, engineering anddesign, base maintenance, safety equip-ment, inventory management, parts


Position Only - scan inlcuded with this file

HAI, Anaheim, CA

Jim Campbell at CHC’s new Vancouver facility


The Schreiner NorthSea Helicopters(SNH) air base at Den Helder, theNetherlands, is the major jumping offpoint for the Dutch sector of the NorthSea and a critical part of Schreiner’s success in this region. Den Helder is home to a fleet of nine CHC/Schreiner aircraft including two Sikorsky S61N and six Sikorsky S76 helicopters serving theoffshore oil and gas industry, as well as aDauphin N3 contracted to fly pilots to sea-going vessels. Two new aircraft types –the AB139 and EC155 – are to be intro-duced in 2006 as part of a new five-yearcontract renewal.

However, the airport, which is also hometo a Royal Netherlands Navy airbase, wasthreatened with closure late last year overgovernment cost cutting. After consider-able negotiations by politicians, militaryleaders, airport officials and Schreinermanagement (Schreiner owns 50 percentof the airport) Den Helder won a reprieveand the Company has received assurancethe airport will remain open for the foreseeable future.

SNH Manager Friso Horstmeier waspleased with the negotiation process and,of course, the outcome. “An excellent dialogue was established between theMunicipality of Den Helder and DenHelder Airport,” Friso said. “The taskswere handled in a very positive manner.”

Closure of Den Helder would have presented a huge challenge to CHC/Schreiner and offshore operators in theDutch North Sea. The fleet flies approxi-mately 12,000 hours annually from thisbase and staff operate out of a brand newterminal building, with a modern spacioushangar, workshops and offices on site forminor maintenance and support.

In addition, Den Helder’s location on Holland’s easternseaboard minimizes flight times to offshore platforms.“Den Helder Airport is the perfect location from which toserve our customers,” Friso said.

This busy base is also set to introduce twonew aircraft to the CHC fleet beginning in 2006: the AB139 and EC155B1. SNH and CHC signed a five-year contractrenewal (plus two one-year options) with Total E&P Nederland/WintershallNoordzee/Petro-Canada Netherlands Dec. 10, 2004 for two EC155B1 and two AB139 aircraft. The value of the contract is estimated at CDN$125 million over thefive-year fixed term.

The AB139 is the latest aircraft from BellAgusta and is based on proven technologywith great performance. As the helicopterhas been extensively tested in the Texasdesert and in Milan. It is expected to flywithout major problems as of the first of January 2006. The EC155B1 is also anew technology helicopter. With its largecabin and new engines it will function asan inter-field helicopter. The EC155B1 is expected to arrive in Den Helder mid-2006.

With airport survival negotiations success-fully behind him, Friso is now directing his attention to less critical matters, suchas hours of operations.

“We would really like to have longer opening hours,” Friso said. “We now haverush hour in the morning and in theevening. We have tremendous peaks in our work. A bit of distribution would beperfect.”

Den Helder Airportsurvives threat of closure

Top: Pilots Michiel Greoneboom and Ricardode sa Guimaraes head out for a flight to anoffshore platform in the Dutch sector of theNorth Sea. Below: Gert-Jan Meijnen and Dirk-Jan Martens at work in the new terminalbuilding. Left: CHC will begin operation of two new AB139s from Den Helder in 2006.


By Susan McAlpineMaintenance and Engineering

If you are in the helicopterindustry, it is almost certain that someone you work withhas been trained by Ted Potts. If you are in Australia, it is absolutely certain. Ted Potts, currently CHC’s busiest aircraftmaintenance instructor for the SikorskyS76C+, Bell 212 and 412, is a householdname to helicopter Aircraft MaintenanceEngineers (AMEs).

Ted has now trained almost everyAustralian engineer employed by CHCand over 200 AMEs for CHC GlobalOperations. (I’ll testify to Ted’s far-reachinginfluence myself; I have yet to throw thename of an Australian AME at him that he doesn’t know).

Over the course of his illustrious career,Ted estimates that he has taught over10,000 AMEs. At 73 years old, he has nointention of slowing down.

Ted gained notoriety in Australia when he became the first AME to be approvedon all Bell Helicopter types. As Ted will tell you, he was grilled by 22 Bell trainersand mangers for about six hours beforethey admitted he couldn't be stumped,and granted his training school approvalfor every Bell product from 204 right up to 412.

Ted’s first training assignment with CHC came about when CHC (Australia)referred him to Steve Peszel, CHC’sVancouver-based Training Director, toteach an S76 course on Kish Island.In early 2005 Ted instructed a full S76C+and Avionics course in Thailand, and isscheduled to teach courses in Capetown,Nigeria and Vancouver, all by the end of October.

Ted was born in London, England in 1932and at age 14, moved to Egypt where hisfather was stationed during the war.In 1947 Ted joined the Royal Navy as anapprentice and became an instructor fiveyears into a successful 25-year career.

Early in his Navy career, Ted builtautogyros – even constructingthe rotors himself out of plywood– one of which is now on displayunder the wing of the proto-typeConcorde in the Royal NavyMuseum. “Yes, there were four of them, actually…” Ted says,beaming, “…Benson B8M’s.”Ted used them for training, askinghis students to improve the existing design of the machine.

After the Navy, Ted moved to Australia,which would become his new home.He set up and ran a training company forAirfast from 1972 to 1975, and then movedto Singapore to train the Indonesian AirForce on the Bell 212. In 1977, Ted wasinvited by the Royal Air Force to perform a“short” service in Brunei as Chief GroundInstructor. The contract turned into 8.5years as Ted aided the Sultan to nationalizethe military’s engineering department.Ultimately Ted earned the titles “Officer

Commanding Technical Training andGround Studies” and “Seri Laila Jasa”(the Order of the Brunei).

Ted started his own training company,Ted Tech Training, and began contractinghis services to operators around the world.

Last year Ted trained 187 CHC AMEsalone - “Forgive me if I don’t remember allyour names,” jokes Ted, and his assignmentis to help CHC Global Operations secureTransport Canada approvals on all of ourtype courses.

I asked Ted about his training philosophy.“If you think training is expensive, “ quipsTed, “try ignorance. If you do trainingright it will save you a lot, despite the upfront cost.”

Training 10,000 AMEsTed Potts has done it – and more

CHC GLOBAL

Top: Tedd Potts receives the ‘Order of Brunei’from the Sultanate’s representative for his workin the 1970s and ‘80s. Left: Christine Baird,Tedd Potts and the class in Vancouver. Below: From left, AMEs Lanny Reynolds, Mark McKinnon, Ted Potts, Brian Walker,Brian Brake.


What do you do if your Piper Navajo twin engine turbo-prop is forced to make anemergency landing on the mud flats of Darwin Harbour – and the tide is coming in?Fortunately for the owners of this aircraft, help was close at hand.

Darwin is home to CHC’s most northerly Australian base, and to a CHC AS332 SuperPuma capable of lifting more than two tonnes. Pilots Greg Meakins and David Bartonwere called upon to sling aircraft to safety.

First the engines were slung out to reduce weight, and then the aircraft was carefullyrigged and gently lifted to safer ground some 200 meters away. The operation wasjudged a complete success, particularly since the alternative was to wait two hours andwatch the aircraft get washed away by the tide.

A race against tide

CHC lands WollongongContractCHC Global Operations(Australia) plans to work closelywith the people of Illawarra,after being tasked to provide an interim helicopter service in this area of Wollongong, New South Wales. Commencing in late February 2005,CHC began serving Illawarra communities with a fully equipped and crewed Bell 412 twin-engine aircraft,configured as an air ambulance.

CHC’s contract is directly with the NSWAmbulance Service, and is expected to lastapproximately 12 months before the jobcomes up for long-term tender.

CHC is Australia’s largest commercial helicopter operator and has been operatingAir Ambulance, Search And Rescue (SAR)and Emergency Medical Service (EMS)helicopter services for more than 20 years.

CHC Regional Director (Australia) Chris Ridings said CHC has establishedclose ties with the communities in which itoperates, and plans to do the same inIllawarra.

“CHC recognises that the local communityhas a strong affinity with and relianceupon the rescue helicopter service,” he said.“We pledge to demonstrate that reliancecan be placed on us.”

CHC GLOBAL AUSTRALIA

MEMO TO ALL EMPLOYEES

FROM Sylvain Allard, President and CEO

SUBJECT CHC HEALTH, SAFETY,

ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY POLICY

Dear Colleagues:

A copy of the CHC Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality Policy

is printed in this issue of RotorTales. This corporate policy applies to every

aspect of our organization, including Joint Ventures. All other policies and

procedures throughout CHC must now align with this document.

The Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality Policy will be factored

in every decision made at CHC. The HSE policy and Safety Management

System within it will guide the organization in achieving its goals and provide

enduring benefits for all stakeholders.

I expect all employees to familiarize themselves with the CHC Health,

Safety, Environment, and Quality Policy and adhere to the standard

that it sets.

“For absolutely every decision

we make, safety must always be

the first consideration.”

Regards,

Sylvain AllardPresident and Chief Executive Officer


by Jay Gates

Ask global travellersto name the world’s mostisolated, permanentlyinhabited place and theymight come up with PitcairnIsland, or another one ofnumerous Pacific Islands, or maybe a settlement locatedin the furthest reaches ofSiberia, or the Canadian Arctic. They would be wrong,of course, because that distinction goes to the island of Tristan da Cunha. Tristan da Cunha is so lonely, The LonelyPlanet travel guide could not find a placemore suited to its name even if it tried.

Located way out in the South AtlanticOcean, Tristan da Cunha is Britain’s mostremote possession. An oceanic, volcanicpeak that rises to 6,760 feet, it lies alongthe mid Atlantic ridge and its nearestinhabited neighbour is another British

Colony, namely the island of St. Helena,some 2,300 kms to the North. To the eastis South Africa and Cape Town, over 2,700kms distant. South America is more than3,200 kms away to the West.

Tristan da Cunha’s isolation is as remark-able as is its history. Discovered in 1506 by Portuguese Navigator Tristao da Cunha,it remained unclaimed until NapoleonBonaparte met his ‘Waterloo’ in 1815 andwas incarcerated on the island of St.Helena. In 1816, fearful that the Frenchwould attempt to rescue Napoleon fromhis island prison, the British governmentplaced a military garrison on Tristan daCunha to prevent the French from tryingto use it as a springboard, and so began itspermanent settlement as a British CrownColony. Over the years a motley collectionof former British Soldiers, AmericanWhalers and shipwrecked Italian Sailorsremained and today the island boasts asteady population of 300 people who share just seven surnames. But how isCHC connected to this lonely outpost of the old British Empire?

Well, 350 kms to the south, lying at 40°South 10° West, in the roaring forties, isSouth Africa’s most important weatherstation. It is situated on Gough Island,

which itself is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha. The Weather Station has beenoperating since 1955 and the land it lies on is leased from the British governmentfor a nominal ‘peppercorn’ rent. It ismanned year round by six personnel andthe station is replenished on an annualbasis by the polar supply ship ‘S.A.Agulhas’. Part of the agreement betweenthe British and South African governmentsis that whenever Gough Island receives aresupply voyage, the ‘S.A. Agulhas’ mustalso offer passenger and cargo space forTristan da Cunha. And wherever the ‘S.A.Agulhas’ goes, so does CHC’s SouthAfrican helicopter detachment.

On September 2nd, the ‘S.A.Agulhas’ slipped her moorings in Cape Town and headed for theannual resupply voyage to GoughIsland. Onboard was the CHCHelicopter detachment led byCaptain Dick Hilland.

The helicopter support programme was tobe carried out by Bell 212, ZS-RGV, flownby Capt. Andre Vandrie, and would byaided by Engineers John Britton and Sean Greef. Completing the CHC partywould be the Engineering ApprenticesNomawethu Mlonzi, Tangeni Ndakalakoand Jody Brophy, who would assistJohn and Sean as well as act in the roles of fireman, refueller and loader.

Also onboard were a full complement ofmeteorologists, ornithologists, botanists,Antarctic department staff, and specialistconstruction workers. They were joined by 28 passengers heading for Tristan daCunha including returning islanders,British colonial administrative officialsand short stay visitors. After five days’steaming, the ship arrived safely in QuestBay, above which stood the Gough IslandWeather Station. As almost all of South

Lonely Pilot

CHC GLOBAL AFRICA

The Capt. Andre Vandrie at the controls on Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated inhabitedplace on the planet.


Africa’s weather comes from the south andwest, the Gough Island Weather Station isof paramount importance to the nation’sfarming and transport industries.

Andre Vandrie went straight to work with a full flight schedule of underslingingfood, supplies, scientific equipment androofing materials for the station repairprogramme. The roofing materials werethe first priority as part of the roof of theweather station had been blown off duringa 70 mph gale a few months earlier, and itwas only temporary tarpaulins that werekeeping the rain out of the affected part of the building.

After a few days of hard flying, the offloadwas completed, and all of the meteorolo-gists and construction workers were safelyashore on the island. Next stop was Tristanda Cunha and an opportunity for every-body to get ashore and witness life on an isolated settlement. The picturesquevillage of Edinburgh is the one and onlysettlement, and where the whole islandpopulation resides. Tristan da Cunha isalso well known to philatelists and all theCHC crew took the opportunity to headfor the post office and get the famouspostage stamps. As Tristan da Cunha doesnot have a runway, it depends on passingships to both collect and deliver the mail.As the ‘S.A. Agulhas’ was going to bring allthe post back to Cape Town, everybodywas guaranteed that their own mail wasnot going to get lost in the post!

Andre was requested to fly the IslandCouncil and the British Administratoraround the Island to allow them to see

their volcanic home from a perspectivethat they would never normally get.Andre was getting the supremely rareopportunity to fly in the world’s loneliestairspace. He truly was the world’s loneliestpilot. Tristan da Cunha was famouslyabandoned from 1961 to 1963 due to avolcanic eruption that threatened to engulf Edinburgh. Viewing the island from seaward gives observers the perfectview of a perfect volcano, which of courseis exactly what the island is. Today the volcanic vent next to the village still smokes,and as long as it does, the islanders arehappy as it means there is no build-up ofpressure within the volcano.

Once the offload and pleasantries ofTristan da Cunha were over, the ship headed for its next assignment, which was to drop a party of ornithologists andbotanists onto uninhabited (and aptly

was affecting the natural biodiversity of the island, and had to be eradicated.For the ornithologists, Inaccessible Islandis the one and only place on earth whereyou can find one of the world’s rarest, andsmallest flightless bird, the aptly namedInaccessible Island rail. Due to the massivegrowths of tussock grass on the islandplateau, almost all of Andre’s drop-offsand pick-ups were done by hovering one foot above the ground. The scientistsmerely had to leap off, or climb aboard,whilst Andre held the 212 helicopter justoff the soft and uneven ground.

Again, as soon as the shore parties weresafely ashore and had pitched their campsin readiness for their missions, the shipheaded off deep into the South AtlanticOcean to drop off a series of automaticweather buoys. This gave all of the CHCcrew a period of rest and recuperation as

they had been working and flying continuously for almost a fortnight.

That completed, the ship headed back toTristan da Cunha to pick up any returningvisitors, Islanders heading for hospitalappointments in Cape Town, and BritishColonial Administrators returning to their


Above: The villiage of Edinburgh, population 300, is 2,300 kilometres from its nearest neighbour.Left: Capt. Andre Vandrie, left, and AME Sean Greeff next to the 212 on the deck of the S.A.Agulhas, with Inaccessible Island in the background.

named) Inaccessible Island, which lieshalfway between Tristan da Cunha andGough Island. Surrounded on all sides bysheer 1,000-foot cliffs, the only way ontothe island plateau is by helicopter. Thebotanists were to remove a colony ofNew Zealand flax, which used to providethatching material for Tristan da Cunha’scottages. The flax is an alien plant and

By Lars HjertaasHead of Global Maintenance, Astec, Heli-One

On the 22 of January, 2004, an importantcontract was signed between BMI/GS(Ministry of the Interior and the GermanBorder Guard) and a consortium made up of Eurocopter and Astec HelicopterServices.

Ten Super Puma AS332Ls from the NorthSea were sold to the BMI, to be refur-bished and upgraded for use as Maritimeand Police helicopters for the GermanBorder Guard. Five are to come from theCHC Super Puma fleet and five fromBristow’s fleet. Nine of the helicopters willbe completed at Astec’s Stavanger facility,but the first helicopter is being completedin Marignane, where engineers from Astecare currently studying some of the newinstallations.

Engineers from Astec and Eurocpter havebeen collaborating on the project sinceApril of last year, taking advantage of vastexperience on both sides to meet the cus-tomer’s requirements in an economicalmanner. Several design preview meetingswith the customer have taken place andthe design phase is on schedule for boththe Maritime and the Police version.

The upgrade program is extensive and the major modifications include:new autopilot, including autohover andDoppler, on the Maritime version; full de-ice installations; new flight manage-

ment system; various Maritime and Policeequipment; and conversion from 332L to332L1 status. The workload is expected toinvolve more than 10,000 man-hours forthe most extensive Maritime version andthe down time on the first aircraft is esti-mated at 10 months.

As the upgrade is carried out, all modifica-tions specific to the Police version will becertified by the Norwegian CAA and lateron, approved by the German authorityLBA. Test flights for all aircraft will be performed by Astec’s test pilot prior todelivery to the customer.

The second, third and fourth helicoptersin the program were delivered to Astec inNovember, January and March, respective-ly. With three helicopters in parallel, weexpect that spring will be pretty busy, andexperienced avionics skills will be in highdemand in the coming months. Work isscheduled to run until 2007, at which timeAstec hopes to offer similar programs toother customers.

Two of the first three helicopters at Astectoday will become Police versions, whilethe third will become a Maritime version.The strip-down has been completed andreplacement of all major wiring looms willbe the next step. Another milestone will bereached when we put electrical power onthe first aircraft in May. Delivery to theGerman Border Police is scheduled forOctober.

Astec’s refurbishment and upgrade of North Sea Super Pumas is underway, with two aircraftalready in the Stavanger facility, and a Korean Air AS332L1 (foregraound) being upgraded toreplace one of 10 machines being sold to the German Border Guard.

Astec’s German Border Guard Program

well under way


Summerof a Lifetimewith AstecBy John O’HaraStudent Trainee, University College Dublin

Having applied for a workplacement to the InternationalAssociation for the Exchange of Students for TechnicalExperience (IAESTE) in earlyJanuary last year, I could notimagine the amount of fun,enjoyment and learning thatwas in store for me. Eight short weeks later I received an offer to spend a summer in Stavanger,working with Astec Helicopter Services.Having been fascinated by aircraft from the earliest days of my childhood I felt this was an opportunity of a lifetime.IAESTE is a long-established non-political,non-governmental organization providingstudents with technical experience relevantto their studies, and providing employerswith well-qualified and motivated trainees.The organization also offers culturalenrichment for trainees and their hostcommunities.

My work at Astec Helicopter Services hasbeen most enjoyable. My skills at producingaccurate, three-dimensional models anddrawings have improved dramatically andI was fortunate to work on several projects– each with its own highs and lows – all ofwhich provided a wealth of experience.The entire staff at Astec was professionaland approachable, and always willing tohelp and “take a look at my drawing.”

In Stavanger, I met IAESTE students from all over the world, including Ireland,U.K., Turkey, Finland, Kazakhstan,

HELI-ONE ASTEC HELI-ONE ASTEC

Tunisia, Lebanon, Slovenia and the CzechRepublic. Through this social network,we were able to go out and explore theamazing scenery, culture and nature thatNorway has to offer.

One of the highlights was “Arctic Week,” which allowed us the opportunity to visitTromsø, Svolær, Lofoten andBodø. Needless to say, this wasone of the most memorable and enjoyable trips of my life.Without doubt Norway is themost awe-inspiring country Ihave ever visited, with its warmand friendly people, ruggedcountryside and breath-takingscenery.

I would like to say thank-you to all thestaff at Astec Helicopter Services and toCHC for making this summer possible.I have enjoyed every second of it.


20kBy Jay GatesThere is something to be said for thosewho give freely of their time and do something to help redress the inequalitiesin our society. Those who choose to makea difference are deserving of special mention, particularly those who get physically involved and do it the hard way. Thankfully, CHC has plenty of thesemunificent people all over the world,and the Cape Town office is no different.

Generally speaking, these people neverboast about their exploits and the onlyway their colleagues find out about theirdeeds is through a dropped word or newspaper photograph. So it was with one of Cape Town’s great charity events of last year, the 101st Big Walk.

The Big Walk, which helps local charitiesraise much needed funds, is exactly what it claims to be. Courses of 5, 10, 15, 25, 30,50 and 80 kilometres are on offer, alongeight different scenic routes. Entry fees act as donations. This year nearly 25,000people turned up on the morning ofSaturday 10th October, including twofrom CHC, namely Carol Goedhals, theDocks Base Operations Controller, andYolanda Abrahams, the Head OfficeAccounts Processor.

Carol is no stranger to walking, as she regularly walks up to seven km in theevenings. This was Carol’s third ‘Big Walk’and this year she tackled the 20km route,in the company of her friend who worksfor South African Airways. It turned out

to be a very creditable performance as shecame home in 918th place in her group,clocking up an official time of 3 hours,10 minutes and 45 seconds. AlthoughCarol is adamant that it took her at leasttwo minutes to get over the starting linedue to the amount of people attemptingthe same route. OK, 3 hours, 8 minutesand 45 seconds it is!

Yolanda was embarking on her 4th ‘Big Walk’ and also walked the 20kmcourse. Those competitive sorts who liketo keep inter-departmental rivalries alivemight point out the time differencebetween the Operations and the Accountsdepartments. But Yolanda, the accountsprocessor, admitted she had no idea inwhat time or position she finished, onlythat she crossed the line ‘about midday’!Strangely, both Carol and Yolanda walkedthe 20km Blouberg route, completelyunawares that they were strolling alongonly a few minutes apart from each other.However, positions and times do not really count as we can all agree that both of them are winners.

\

As always, the real winners were the twonominated charities, this year the ‘SouthAfrican Guide Dogs Association’, and‘Habitat for Humanity’, which helps the homeless. Excluding individual sponsorships, the funds raised fromentrance fees alone topped US$230,000.

At the end of the day, two special peoplemade a difference, just as many throughoutCHC continue to make a difference helping others.

Cape Town staffgo walkabout to help others

Carol Goedhals, Docks Base Operations Controller

John O’Hara

CHC GLOBAL AFRICA


“The helicopter just arrived from DenHelder to be put into service on the AGIPcontract,” Peter said.

The Dauphin is the second Aero aircraft to be painted in CHC colours, following a new Sikorsky S76C+, which was trans-ported from Vancouver to Cape Town and then ferried to Port Harcourt, where it is leased to Aero. The delivery of theS76C+ involved the cooperative effort of CHC Global teams in Vancouver and Cape Town, and Aero personnel in Nigeria.Special thanks to CHC Global OperationsChief Pilot Guido Lepore, Aero ManagingDirector Koen Neven, and to JeremyLabuschagne who, as always, gave the operation his personal attention every step of the way, ensuring it was completedwithout a hitch.

Aero now operates 25 aircraft – 18 rotorwing and seven fixed wing – from threemain bases at Lagos, Warri, and PortHarcourt, three major centers that spanthe Nigerian coastline from west to east.Aero’s staff of approximately 900 includes22 different nationalities.

On the fixed wing side, Aero operates aLear Jet 45, Hawker 800 executive jet,Twin Otter, Dash-8 100 and Dash-8 300exclusively for the oil industry, as well asan additional Dash 8-300 on regularlyscheduled passenger service betweenLagos/Port Harcourt and Accra, Ghana.

Christine Baird, President of CHC GlobalOperations, and her team are focusingtheir attention on continuing to buildAero Contractors of Nigeria (ACN) into a world- class rotor and fixed-wing operation, providing seamless and integrated transportation services to customers worldwide.

Recently, Christine commented that she is excited by the opportunities and isdeveloping a deep admiration and affectionfor Aero and its people.

“What struck me most about the people of Aero is their incredible passion for thebusiness,” Christine said, “there’s realexcitement over there, and a commitmentto making things work.”

CHC’s relationship with ACN, or simply‘Aero’ to those acquainted with ‘the reliable way to fly’ in West Africa, began in February 2004, with the acquisition of Schreiner Aviation Group.

That relationship has been strengthenedrecently, with the delivery of two CHC aircraft to Aero in Port Harcourt, Nigeria,and through visits by Global Operationsstaff to Africa, and Aero staff to NorthAmerica. Christine and her team are frequently finding themselves in Nigeriaand CHC’s other African operations, andin March Aero Technical Manager PeterWeisz made a trip to CHC Headquartersin Vancouver, Canada, to meet with seniorexecutives, flight operations, the safetyteam, Heli-One personnel and others.While Peter was in Vancouver, the firstAero Dauphin in CHC colours began flying from Port Harcourt.

Aero Contractors – CHC’s reliable partner in West Africa

But the pride of the Aero fixed-wing fleet is the Boeing 737, which operates a dailypassenger service between Lagos, Abujaand Port Harcourt, and a weekly service to Malabo. Aero provides all check-in andreservation services as well as some basemaintenance. Peter Weisz would like toperform all maintenance in-house andexpand the jet service.

Christine Baird agrees there is room for expansion.

“We would like to add a second 737,”she said. “The demand is there and theAero team certainly has the capability to meet it,” Christine said. “Watch for exciting developments in West Africa.”

The grandeur, vastness, and mystery of Africa draws many people to its shores. CHC is present in ten African countries but the greatestopportunities for growth are yet to be unveiled in this diverse continent.

Top: Licenced Engineer (AMEL) CarlosNascimento and Israel Udofia participating in a 400-hour T-inspection on the NNPC AS 355 Twin Star. Above: Aero’s first S76C+in CHC colours. Below: The Aero 737. Are there more to come?

CHC GLOBAL AFRICA


and en route to the vessel, a second crew-man was reported dead of his injuries.R115 on scene and with the loss ofday-light, the Princess Eva informed R115she was unable to turn into wind due tosea state. This resulted in R115 carryingout a downwind deck rescue dangerouslyclose to the superstructure, in heaving seasand storm force winds. The remainingsurvivor was dramatically stretchered from the deck to the Aircraft. Suffering acomplete amputation of a lower limb andmultiple fractures he was stabilized by therescue crew of R115, and safely deliveredto Galway University Hospital, where hemade a slow but successful recovery.The Marine Bronze Medal is awarded to the crew of Capt. R. Goodbody; Capt.T. O’Mahony; Winch/op-Eamonn Burns;and Winchman-Neville Murphy.

CHC crews in Ireland awarded for bravery

Helicopter winchman Neville Murphy suffered a fractured leg while attemptingto rescue a seriously injuredhiker on Hungry Hill nearCastletownbere, Ireland, but he didn’t let that get in the way of his mission.

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For his extraordinary efforts, Murphy waspresented the Award of Marine BronzeMedal for Meritorious Service by Ministerfor Marine-Pat the cope Gallagher T.D. ata ceremony at Dublin Castle Dec. 7, 2004.Murphy was one of several CHC crewmenhonoured at the event. Here are their official commendations:

AWARD OF MARINE BRONZEMEDAL FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE

At 1220 on Thursday 19th September 2002 MRSC Valentia received a report ofa German woman who had sustained serious head and spinal injuries, havingfallen on Hungry Hill near Castletownbere.Castletownbere Coast Guard Unit and theShannon based Coast Guard helicopterR115 were tasked to the scene. The S61Nrescue helicopter arrived on scene at 1312and located the casualty with her husbandat 1324. Winchman Neville Murphy waswinched down and whilst on route to the casualty, he sustained a broken leg onthe rough terrain. Neville continued to the casualty, received a stretcher using a hi-line and recovered the seriously injuredwoman to the helicopter, even though insevere pain himself. Both the casualty andNeville were brought to Cork UniversityHospital.

For perseverance in the rescue of a seriouslyinjured person from a mountainside, whilstsuffering considerable pain, the MarineBronze Medal for Meritorious Service isawarded to Mr. Neville Murphy.

MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD

On the 24th of May 2003 a young manwas in danger in a cove at Portstewart, Co.Antrim. There was a large swell runninginto the cove and the man was being bat-tered against the rocks. Belfast Coastguardbroadcast an alert and the crew of Rescue110 from the northwest which had been taking part in a Search and Rescuedemo at Portrush responded to the alert.On arrival at the scene the crew realisedthat the man was in extreme danger having being swept into the cove whichwas surrounded by high cliffs. The winch-man, Ciarán Smith, was lowered into thesea and despite the large waves and the fact that the casualty was continually submerged below the water managed to fit the strop around the casualty.The casualty was winched aboard andassessed by the crew and found to be suffering from severe lacerations and washypothermic. The crew recovered thecasualty to Altnagelvin Hospital.

MARINE BRONZE MEDAL

On the 23rd January 2003 the Tanker‘Princess Eva’ in severe weather-wind force11 and 10-12 meter sea broke adrift a liferaft on the foredeck. Attending the liferaft three crewmen went forward to re-secure. A large rogue wave smashedover the deck and killed one, seriouslyinjured two others. R115 from Shannonwas tasked to medevac casualties.The Princess Eva was now running beforethe storm 150nm towards the north westcoast of Ireland. After refueling at Blacksod

Back row: Nevil Murphy, winchman -Waterford, Eamonn Burns, Winch-operator-Shannon, (received Marine Bronze Medal for Meritorious Service on behalf crew), and front row; Ciarán Smith, winchman -Sligo, received ‘Meritorious Service’ Award.

CHC EUROPE IRELAND

Welcome AbroadEUROPEAN OPERATIONSAberdeenTorstein Sandven – Co-Pilot,Manish Menghani – Technical Consultant,Marie McWilliam – Procurement Assistant,Anita Bennett – Customer Service Assistant(Norwegian Desk),Sandra Taylor – Buyer

HumbersidePeter Moggridge – Pilot,John Harding – Mechanic, Stephen Matthews – Mechanic

North DenesStephen Middleton – Ramp Dispatch,Jay Gates – Senior Dispatch Officer

Ireland (Shannon)Ciaran McHugh – Winchman,Andrew Tillion, Andrew Rees and David Curle – SAR Co-Pilot

SligoRobert Saunders – Winch operator/Winchman; Leif Holmgard – AR Co-Pilot,Brendan Jackman – SAR Captain (Designate),Richard Bolton – SAR Pilot, Francis Perris – A+C Certifying Technician

WaterfordGraham Youdell – A+C Certifying Technician,Peter McKenzie-Brown – SAR Captain(Designate), Martyn Rayner – SAR Captain

StavangerIne Pettersen – Customer Coordinator,Camilla Hellman – Co-Pilot, Leif-Arne Bratteng – Co-Pilot

GLOBAL OPERATIONSAfrica(Bata) Horst Zell – First Officer, S76A++, B212

OranjemundWarren Vogt – Engineer, S76A++

LuandaAndy Roets – Engineer, AS332

Cape TownEdwin John Consul – Engineering apprentice,Dudley Davies – Avionics Engineer

GeorgeRobin Plato – Cadet Pilot, S61N, Craig Links – Cadet Pilot, S61N

AntarcticaDonovan Kohl – First Officer

Australia, (Adeliade)Robert Lendjer – Technical Support Clerk,

Rachel Last – Sarquip Administration Support,Snjezan Bilic – IT Trainee, Michelle Brambilla – HR Coordinator, Terry Dale – Stores Officer, Estelle Dew – Stores Officer, Chris Shaw – Check and Training Captain

PearceMartin Earle – Trainee Rescue Crewman

CanberraCharles McGregor-Shaw – Aircrewman

East SaleMark Stewart – Trainee Rescue Crewman

SchreinerNienke van der Harst – HR Advisor

HELI-ONE Vancouver: Richard Natavio – Stores, Jesse Smith –Stores, Linda Schneider – BU InformationAnalyst-LS, Michael Macgowan – USReceiving Clerk, Joe Braz – Marketing & SalesMgr, Angie Wells – Deputy Logisitics SupportMgr; Peter Tait – Logistic Process Analyst,Taryn Leadbeater – Executive Assistant,Terence McHardy – Head Shop Lead Hand,Augustine Fong – Shop Supervisor, Bert Fong – Stores Assistant, Ian Leitch –Machinist, Micah Jopson – ComponentTechnician, Peter Pusch – ComponentTechnician, Al Lewis – Machinist, Per Tveita– Market Price Specialist, Eoin Anderson –Supply Contracts Manager, Fiona Czeschel –Temp Assistant, Chris Poirier – Lead HandTechnician, Nathaniel Roque – ShopTechnician, Amandio Ferreira – ShopTechnician, Chris McCulloch – Lead HandTechnician, Daniel Michael Nekic – ShopTechnician, Eric Warawa – Shop Technician,Daniel Pusch – Shop Technician, Steve Bains– Lead Hand Technician, Bryce Levasseur –Painter & Shop Floor Asst.

CHC HQVancouverMehernosh Kasad, Shipper Clerk, StephenFung – Internal Audit Manager, MichelleRoberts – Payroll Administrator, AmandaBaker – Financial Reporting Analyst, RebeccaHargreaves, Hibaq Farah – Accounts PayableAdmin, Ian Thomas – Assistant Director,Finance, Aileen Lopez – Accounts PayableAnalyst, Grace Buenavides – PayrollAdministrator, Ma Loreto Russell – TreasuryAccountant, Gregory Fok – Budget Analyst,Chris Wales – Sr. Mgr, Taxation/Treasury,Wilson Mah – Accounts Payable Analyst

Promotions/ChangesEUROPEAN OPERATIONSStavangerGreta Skjærseth – Resources CoordinatorEurope, Sven Ove Retland – Head ofTechnical Services, Murray Timms –Engineering Manager and Senior Type Engineer,Lillian Hjorteland – Traffic Coordinator,returned from maternity leave, Lotte HvidRamsdal – Crew Planner Aberdeen

FlorøInge Gunnar Hovland – Technician

AberdeenKeith Mullett – Managing Director, European Operations, Michelle McCombie – Tech Svs Coordinator, Lee James – Mechanical Engineer, Jide Adebayo – Head Of Ops - European Ops, Robin Croll – Engineering Technical Clerk

North DenesTerry Boddy – Co-Pilot, Andrew Napper –Captain, John Harris – Captain

SligoRichard Bolton – SAR Pilot

CorkWilliam Chambers – Certifying Technician

DublinJames Duffy – Certifying Technician

GLOBAL OPERATIONSAustralia, (Adelaide)Ron Maurer – Flight Standards, Bronwyn Scott – Senior Resource Officer,Loris Tomkinson – Internal Auditor, Joshua Schuppan – Engineer

WilliamtownGlenn Higgins – RAAF Contract Manager,Steven Flanagan – SAR Aircrewman

BendigoAndrew McDonald – Base Manager

PearceDanny Clarke – Aircrewman

East SaleHeath Scanlon – Senior First Officer

Latrobe ValleyAndrew Baker – MAS Contract Manager

AfricaDimmie de Milander – to Base Manager,Malabo, Morne Wiid – to Base Manager,Luanda, Andre Stroebel – to Captain, S61N,Cape Town, Jeff Brocker – to Captain,S76A++, Bata, Gerhard van Deventer – to Captain, S76C+, Malabo, Monica Mhle –


Peoplearound the world

to Avionics Engineer, George, Walter Ramsey– First Officer, S61N, to Abidjan, Africa, JayGates – Chief Operations Controller, CapeTown to Humberside, Carl Gillies – Captain,S76C+, Malabo to Bata, Randy Leitch –Captain, S76A++, Luanda to Thailand, BobRaymond – Captain, S76A++, Luanda toVancouver Pool, Murad Ahmad – Captain,S76A++, Luanda to Vancouver Pool, AntoDevotta – Captain, B212, Sudan to Congo,Bob Masson – Captain, B212, Haiti to Congo,Andre Stroebel – Captain, S61N, Cape Townto Antarctica, Ron Smith – First Officer,S76A++, Malabo to Bata, Len Crocker – First Officer, S76C+, Thailand to Malabo,Tinus van der Westhuizen – First Officer,S76A++, Luanda to Bata, Prabhat KumarSubudhi – First Officer, B212, Sudan to Congo,Toni Lindschinger – First Officer, B212, Haiti to Congo, Jakes Jacobs – Engineer,S76A++, Malabo to Bata, Mario Baragona –Engineer, S76A++, Malabo to Bata, WillieBrits – Engineer, S76A++, Luanda to CapeTown, Colin McCabe – Engineer, B212, Cape Town to Congo, Craig Fisher – Engineer, B212, Luanda to Congo, Sean Greeff– Engineer, B212, Cape Town to Antarctica,Dewald Botha – Avionics Engineer, S76C+,Luanda to Malabo

SchreinerErik, van Straaten – General Counsel, to HQ, Vancouver

Astec NorwayTransferred from to Heavy Maintenance toSystem Avionics: Aircraft Technicians – Ronny Lie, Rune Ingebrethsen and Helge Grøsfjel. Also: Even Herigstad and Simon Musland-Massey.

Departures/RetirementsEUROPEAN OPERATIONS AberdeenBridget Irwin – Admin Assistant, Peter Cork – Quality Manager/FSO, Karen Jack – Customer Care Assistant, David Barron – Engineer.

Ian McBeath – Managing Director, Europe,Henderson McIntyre – GSE Co-ordinatorand, Fred Middlebrook – Quality HSEManager. Humberside: Brian Rook – Base Supervisor, Shannon: Peter McDonell –Aircrewman, Waterford: John Duffy –Captain, Jim Cornell – EngineeringSupervisor. Sligo: Ashley Roy –Winchoperator/Winchman

DublinJohn Paterson – Chief Crewman, Standard.

GLOBAL OPERATIONS Australia, (Adelaide)Barry Ferris, Gino Sbriz, Luke Byrne,Grant Scott, Stacey Sbriz, Anthony Byrnes,Peter Clifford.

East SaleBlair Robertson, Peter McDonell.

DarwinStephen Wood.

TindalPeter Bale.

Dili UNGlen McIntyre.

Dili PhillipsBrian Condon.

Africa, (Malabo)Dave Martin, Karl Zehrt, Colin Williamso.

LuandaPeter Davies, Carl Matthews, Mohd SomOthman. Bata: Mark Grant.

SchreinerG. Madad, I. van der Ster, A.L. Hertog, D.Fatlawy, A. Yazdani (Stagiairs), R. Cabo –Logistics Officer, Ed Lamberty – Pilot, LeonJanssen – Import/Export Officer, PatrickOnderwater – Customer Support Officer,Richard Altman – Contract Administrator,Bram van den Berg – Project Manager,Gertjan van den Berg – Logistics Officer,Saskia van Doodeweerd – TechnicalAdministrator, Rene van der Horst –Manager IT, Dick van der Laag – Fin Adm,Rogier Leeflang – Pilot, Quinten Plaizier –Back Office Beheerder, Nick Remmers – Front Office Beheerder, Raymond Coester –Platformmedewerker, Essers, H.A.,Serkan Vurgun – Customer Support Officer

HELI-ONE Astec, NorwayJan-Tore Sletten, Simon Musland-Massey,Tor Neeraas Olsen and Olaf Langeland –Aircraft Technicians, also Einar Tunge –Driver

BergenTone Solholm – Cleaner, Niels Heyerdahl – Captain

FlorøKåre Sørensen – Technician

BirthsEUROPEAN OPERATIONSAndrew Thom (Aberdeen) and his partnerLinda Jordinson became proud parentswith the birth of their child Adam Andrewon 17th Feb. Mother and son both doingwell, Father is a bit stressed and sufferingfrom sleep deprivation.

Congratulations to Garret Collins (Cork)and partner, Leslie, who had a baby boy,Jake, and to Jason Fakes (North Denes)and wife Lynn who had a baby girl, Emilyon the 16 December 2004.

StavangerCongratulations to Stian Kyllingstad,on the birth of a son, 29 January 2005.

GLOBAL OPERATIONSAustraliaCongratulations to Chad Plumeier(Sarquip) and Peekay on the birth oftheir daughter, Chapalia, to Jack Kinross(Captain, Bendigo) and Amanda on thebirth of their son, William James, and to Ben Lokteff (Life Support Technician,Sarquip) and Nadia on the birth oftheir son, Nathaniel Benjamin.

CHC HQTrevor Paterson (Audit and CMS ProjectCoordinator) and wife Helen welcomedson Matthew Trevor Paterson into theworld on Jan 13th, weighing 6lbs, 15oz.

DeathsGLOBAL OPERATIONS AfricaJeremey Labuschagne – Regional Director

VancouverRobert Fitzsimons – AME, 42 passed away on January 10th, 2005

AwardsEUROPEAN OPERATIONS25 yearsAllan Dent

20 yearsAlan Cotton, Stephen Pyttlik,Stephen, Robinson

15 yearsSteve Ball, Colin Stephenson, JamesStrachan, Colin Watkins, John Masters,Nicola Park, Michael Handley

10 yearsSuzanne Kauss

Marriages/EngagementsEUROPEAN OPERATIONSMatthew Watkin’s (Aberdeen) got engaged in Texas to Bethany Baker,30 December 2004.



Rotortales is the employee magazine for CHC HelicopterCorporation, produced four times per year. All material is gathered and written by CHC employees for CHCemployees and interested parties. No material containedwithin Rotortales magazine may be reproduced withoutpermission of CHC Helicopter Corporation. For questionsor comments, or to submit an article or photos for publication, please contact CHC Helicopter CorporationDirector of Communications Chris Flanagan, by telephoneat 604-279-2493, or by e-mail at [email protected], or forward correspondence to CHC Helicopter Corporation,4740 Agar Drive, Richmond, BC, Canada, V7B 1A3. For more information on the company, please visit thewebsite www.chc.ca.

RotorTales

CHC Headquarters

VancouverChris FlanaganDirector of [email protected]

CHC European Operations

AberdeenKaren MacConnellExecutive [email protected]

StavangerSidsel MyreExecutive [email protected]

CHC Global Operations

VancouverNicole BarkerExecutive [email protected]

Cape TownCheryl PedersenCommercial [email protected]

AdelaideJennie McBeathSales and [email protected]

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quarter, and have entered into an agreement to purchase five more S76C+ during the year.

Finally in fleet news, we are set to fly theSikorsky S92 in Norway, and should havethree S92s operating there by the end ofthe Norwegian summer. In spite of thisaggressive fleet expansion, our fleet is stilltight and fully utilized, a testimony to theincreasing demand in our markets.

The third quarter was also significant inthat we continued with our restructuringinitiatives, in particular the launch ofHeli-One.

Officially launched at the annual Helicopterconvention in California in late Januarythis new group, led by Neil Calvert,is dedicated to supporting all helicopteroperators, both civilian and military,worldwide. Of course, Neil’s No. 1 customer is still CHC’s European andGlobal Operations, which I’m sure willalso continue to grow. Neil Calvert and his team are now established right here inVancouver ready to launch on May 01 atthe beginning of our next fiscal year. I amconfident Heli-One will greatly expand thescope of CHC’s business, providing exitinggrowth opportunities in new markets.

Flying 25 million kilometres continued from page 3

The Lonely Pilotcontinued from page 13

desks in the Foreign And CommonwealthOffice in London. Andre picked them allup in the 212. After two days at anchor offthe island, the ship now headed back toInaccessible Island to pick up the scientistsand their equipment at the conclusion oftheir unique programmes on the island.

The last stop was a return to Gough Islandand to pick up the Weather Station team,who had been away from home for over a year; the Antarctic Department’sObservation Team, and most importantlyof all; the Construction Workers. The 212was used to fly off all the personnel andbackload the ship with all the returningcargo, scientific equipment and wasteproducts. Andre completed the last underslinging flight without a hitch andthe ‘S.A. Agulhas’ turned east and headedfor Cape Town, and home.

On the morning of the 8th October, theship sailed into the safe confines of TableBay Harbour to complete the voyage.Andre Vandrie’s last flight of the voyagewas to fly ZS-RGV from the ship’s flight

deck back to the CHC MaintenanceFacility at Cape Town InternationalAirport. This flight was conducted entirelyin busy and controlled airspace, so thatAndre Vandrie was the world’s loneliestpilot was back in the real world, and froman aviation point of view, he was lonely no more.

supply, and repair and overhaul servicesfor both engines and components.

January was a hectic month at Heli-One,and much thanks goes to the entire teamfor pulling it off. In the months since thelaunch, however, the pace has not slack-ened, and the Heli-One team is busy continuing the transformation towardsbecoming a unified, stand-alone CHCsubsidiary.

Don’t expect that pace to slacken.This company is geared for customer service excellence – and growth.

The Launching of Heli-Onecontinued from page 5

Godspeed Jeremy continued from page 3

Cover Photo: Jim Campbell, Vice-President, Heli-One Overhaul Shops (Americas)

Also in 2000, Jeremy logged his 10,000thflying hour, quite an accomplishment forany pilot, let alone a pilot who was alsoManaging Director for an entire continent.His son Ian filled the co-pilot’s seat on thatmemorable flight. Jeremy died as he lived,following the adage ‘Life is there to begrasped’. Jeremy leaves his wife Julie, sonPhilip and his wife Carmen and their twochildren, and Annetjie, Ian’s widow andher two children. His grandchildren wereall very special to Jeremy, and after Ian’stragic death, he formed a very close bondwith Ian’s son, three-year old Dylan, whonow faces growing up without the love ofthe Grandfather he so adored. A man weall adored.

These word of praise and tributes, and themany many more delivered from all overthe world, speak volumes about the type ofman Jeremy was. He was a rare individualand he will be greatly missed.

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jeremy labuschagnewas

chc employees

chc crews

chc africachc europedear

great man

cape town withmy wife

wonderful wife julie

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