Okanagan Mountain Helicopters FTU Ltd

Okanagan Mountain Helicopters, known as OK Heli, is a helicopter company based at Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia. It started as a flight training school in 2003 and has operated in Kelowna continuously since. It now also serves clients in the energy, agriculture and forestry sectors and runs scenic tours.

Flight training

The school says its courses are tailored to the needs of commercial helicopter companies in Canada. Initial and recurrent programs can include mountain training, and the Okanagan terrain and weather give students varied conditions. Students must be 18 and have completed Grade 12, or be 19 or older, and must pass a Transport Canada language proficiency test. The school is BC Ministry of Advanced Education PTIB designated and has teamed with Okanagan College on a business aviation oriented commercial helicopter pilot course. Discovery flights in the Robinson R22 are offered.

Charter

The charter team has flown for forestry, mining, oil and gas and tourism clients in western and northern Canada. Listed work includes:

• Forestry: tree planting, infrared scanning, GPS mapping and crew moves
• Oil and gas: pipeline construction, right of way and leak survey patrols, well site servicing
• Mining: staking, crew moves and sediment sampling
• Utilities: airborne surveys, vegetation management and wildlife survey and control
• Environmental and wildlife surveys

Fleet

• Bell 206B: up to 4 passengers, 3,200 lbs gross weight internal, 950 lbs cargo hook capacity
• Robinson R44: up to 3 passengers, 2,500 lbs gross weight, 800 lbs cargo hook capacity
• Robinson R22: used for flight training

Tours

Year-round tours by reservation include Kelowna flightseeing, Heli-Wine tours of the Okanagan Valley, engagement tours and gift certificates.