Prairie Helicopters Inc.

Prairie Helicopters Inc. is a helicopter charter operator and flight school. Its head office and main hangar are at Gimli Airport, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The site says Gimli is about 45 minutes north of Winnipeg.

The company was founded in 2000. It says it works all over Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Ontario and Nunavut. The site describes it as Manitoba's only turbine helicopter flight school.

The charter services list includes aerial construction, aerial photography, aerial inspection, film production and agricultural surveys. Wildlife telemetry surveys, live animal capture and forest fire suppression are also listed. Other services include scenic helicopter tours, aircraft recovery, mineral exploration, diamond drill support and powerline maintenance.

The fleet is made up of Bell helicopters in several sizes. The site lists Bell 407, Bell 206L, Bell 206B and Bell 427 helicopters. A Bell 212 is also named as part of the fleet. The Bell 407 carries up to 6 passengers, and the Bell 206L carries up to 6 passengers.

The flight school is a Transport Canada approved facility. It works from a hangar of 7,634 square feet. All training is done on the turbine powered Bell 206B JetRanger, which the company also uses for charter. The site says class sizes are limited so each student gets one on one instruction. Qualified students can apply for Canada Student Loans.

The company runs four bases in Manitoba. They are Gimli, The Pas, Thompson and Churchill. It also owns and operates Hudson Bay Helicopters in Churchill. All aircraft carry SkyTrac units that combine satellite tracking with Iridium voice and text. The company says it runs regular self audits.

The site also advertises fall colour tours. Prairie Helicopters says its growth follows the needs of customers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Ontario and Nunavut.

The site says it is Manitoba's only turbine helicopter flight school. It says low traffic volume at Gimli helps students build radio skills.

The company also offers fall colour tours. The site includes a gallery and a page for its charter services.

Services

• Aerial construction
• Aerial photography
• Aerial inspection
• Film production
• Agricultural surveys
• Wildlife telemetry surveys
• Forest fire suppression
• Scenic helicopter tours
• Powerline maintenance
• Flight training