HeliQwest Aviation Inc.

HeliQwest describes itself as an international helicopter charter company specialising in external load and specialty operations. Its Canadian arm, HeliQwest Aviation Canada, operates from Villeneuve Airport in Sturgeon County near Edmonton, Alberta, and from a second base in Duncan, British Columbia. The group's United States headquarters are in Broomfield, Colorado. Aircraft and crews travel across North America and overseas, so customers are not limited to the base locations.

Services

• Heli-portable seismic support
• Aerial harvesting
• Aerial construction, using the helicopter as an aerial crane
• Forest fire suppression
• Aerial application
• Heli-skiing support
• Inspection and surveillance, mapping, photography and survey
• General transport

Method

HeliQwest says it is set apart by longline vertical reference external load techniques. Flight crews typically use 150-foot longlines, which keeps the helicopter well away from obstacles and ground personnel and reduces rotor downwash felt on the ground. Using differential GPS, the company says it can place seismic or other equipment in remote locations without cut lines or drop zones.

Fleet

The fleet page lists the Bell 205 and Super 205, the Kaman K-MAX, the Eurocopter AS350B2 and AS350B3, the Bell 212 and the Bell 206. The Bell 205 entry shows up to 14 passengers, a maximum external gross weight of 10,500 lb and a normal cruise speed of 100 knots. The K-MAX is listed as a one pilot aircraft with a maximum external gross weight of 6,000 lb, built for repetitive external lift work.

Company facts

• Canadian base: Villeneuve Airport, 27018 SH 633, Sturgeon County, Alberta T8T 0E3
• Second Canadian base: 2B 2753 Charlotte Road, Duncan, British Columbia V9L 5J2
• US headquarters: 11915 Airport Way, Broomfield, Colorado 80021
• Flight crews average over 6,500 helicopter flight hours, according to the site