West Coast Helicopters Maintenance & Contracting Ltd.

West Coast Helicopters Maintenance & Contracting Ltd. has operated out of Port McNeill, on the north coast of Vancouver Island, since 1994. The company has built a reputation across British Columbia for reliable, professional helicopter services. It offers flight operations and maintenance.

Forestry is the backbone of the work. The company flies fallers, survey crews and equipment into remote logging camps that no road can reach. Its services include precision longline work, camp resupply and crew rotation.

Wildfire support includes helitack crews, bucketing operations and aerial observation across the province. The hangar is built as a rapid deployment hub for fire suppression. Windfirming is another service. The company operates two in house built tree topping machines, and a ground crew moves with the helicopter from job sites with a fuel truck, trailer and safety equipment.

Medevac brings medical response to patients in remote coastal communities when road access is impossible. HeliVenture trips explore the Bella Coola coastal range and fishing on remote rivers with Nimmo Bay. Heliskiing is offered with Bearpaw Lodge outside Prince George in the Cariboo Mountains, and with Snowwater Heli Skiing out of Nelson in the Selkirks.

West Coast Helicopters is a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization. It offers third party maintenance for commercial and private operators on Robinson R22 and R44, Bell 206 series, Eurocopter AS350 and MD 500 helicopters. Maintenance is based at Port McNeill and Campbell River.

The fleet has thirteen aircraft: six AStars, four Bell JetRangers and three MD500s. The aircraft fly under day visual flight rules. The main base at Port McNeill has an 8,900 square foot hangar. Other bases are in Bella Coola (Hagensborg), Campbell River and Port Alberni.

The company operates a Safety Management System developed to meet Transport Canada standards, and it is SAFE certified. Its staff are trained to take part in the system by identifying hazards and applying safe working procedures.

Services

• Forestry Operations
• Wildfire Support
• Windfirming
• MedEvac
• HeliVenture
• Heliskiing
• Third Party Maintenance
• Aircraft Charter