A Measured Approach

Avatar for Gary WatsonBy Gary Watson | August 14, 2013

Estimated reading time 8 minutes, 6 seconds.

In 1985, when Rod Wood purchased Avialta Helicopter Maintenance Ltd., it was just a small two-person operation located at the tiny St. Albert, Alta., airfield just north of Edmonton. While he may not have ever envisioned challenging the giants of aviation maintenance, he did want to grow his small firm, if not quickly, then at least carefully. 

Some 15-plus years later, that careful approach was showing fruit: having outgrown his original facility, and with no room to expand at St. Albert, he decided to move the business a further 12 miles (20 kilometers) west, to Villeneuve Airport. At Villeneuve, he saw not only a good fit, but also good possibilities. 
Built by Transport Canada in 1976 as the region’s main flight training facility, Villeneuve was purchased by the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority (ERAA) in 2000. ERAA’s plan was to innovatively develop the airport lands under its control and more efficiently manage operations in the region. This made Villeneuve an attractive choice for Wood; he purchased land there and began building a larger hangar, which the company moved into in 2006. 
Seven years later, the choice of Villeneuve is proving to be a wise choice. The airport is about to undergo its period of greatest expansion, and will see a lengthening of its runways, the addition of navigational aids, and designation as the alternate airport for provincial air ambulance flights. Plus, with the impending closure of Edmonton City Centre Airport, Villeneuve will soon become home to a number of general aviation aircraft and companies. 
A Full Roster of Services
Whatever changes Avialta may experience from Villeneuve’s expansion, the company is certainly ready for them. Today, Avialta, a Transport Canada AMO (approved maintenance organization), has a staff of 25 full-time employees, including aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs), office staff and support workers. This is supplemented by additional contracted AMEs, who are brought on as required. Its maintenance facility, meanwhile, covers 19,000 square feet, with 12,000 of that as hangar space. 
Then there’s Heli-Paint, Avialta’s state-of-the-art paint shop. Located next to Avialta’s main building, Heli-Paint has 15,000 square feet of space, including a paint booth large enough to accommodate medium-sized helicopters, a media blasting room and a second booth for painting smaller items. It also has a unique color-matching system that allows Heli-Paint to match any existing aircraft paint color.
On the maintenance side, Avialta is a Bell Helicopter platinum-level customer service facility (CSF) with maintenance and component overhaul capabilities on the 204, 205, 206, 212 and 407 models. The facility is also an approved Robinson Helicopter Co. service center for the R22 and R44, a qualified Turbomeca service center for the Arriel 1 engine series, and it provides Eurocopter AS350 repair services. 
When it comes to parts, Avialta is capable here, too. Its large stores department has an extensive array of new and overhauled parts for the Bell models it services, plus the Eurocopter AS350 and MD 500 models. 
Among the maintenance services Avialta provides are component overhauls, airframe maintenance, inspections, and field repairs. Aircraft refurbishing includes painting, avionics upgrades, and structural modifications. The AMEs are all very experienced and have completed various factory and Transport Canada approved training courses. 
Customers are mainly Canadian commercial operators and the Royal Canadian Air Force, whose CH-146 Griffons (military Bell 412CFs) are maintained at a number of Bell CSFs through a contract with Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd., which has the prime repair and overhaul contract for the Griffon fleet. Product support is also provided for Aven Helicopters, an Avialta affiliate that has a fleet of 30 helicopters, primarily Bell and Eurocopter models, for sale or lease. 
Recently, Aven acquired three additional Bell 407s, which gave Avialta a chance to display its diverse capabilities. The helicopters — which are being added to the Aven fleet as they are re-certified, registered in Canada and brought up to the company’s standards — were purchased from an Indian company that was using them to carry pilgrims to a shrine in the mountains of India. 
“The helicopters are in very good condition,” said Wood. “We have just finished refurbishing one and it has gone out on a contract, the second is partially completed; then, we have one more to start working on.”
Staying Safe
Although still a relatively small AMO, Avialta continues to diversify and strategically expand its offerings based on customer demand and its own readiness. “We are slowly and carefully adding additional capabilities as we can afford and justify them,” explained Wood. “Our business is dictated by our customers. In 2008, as the world economy slowed, the helicopter demand diminished and the hourly rates decreased. In 2010 and 2011, the work came back but the rates have remained low. As long as the helicopter operators continue to undercut each other and not charge what their services are really worth, then they will be hurting and we will continue with the status quo until the industry regains profitability.”
That careful, measured approach is a big part of why Avialta has continued to succeed through good times and bad over the past 28 years. 
Gary Watson has decades of hands-on experience in both fixed and rotary-wing aviation maintenance. He recently retired from SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, Alta., where he taught avionics and human factors for many years. He can be reached at gary@verticalmag.com.

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