STANDARDAERO CASCADE HELICOPTER SERVICES Airbus Helicopters North America STERLING HELICOPTER MIRABEL HÉLI SUPPORT HELISUL AVIAÇÃO HELIBRAS BRAZIL 23 Independent Service Centres 2 Independent Service Centres Customer Centres Find Airbus Helicopters' global network here. Find Airbus Helicopters' global network here. EUROPE EUROPE “We provide helicopter maintenance and support” “We focus on a customer-centered approach and being a one-stop shop for the helicopter operators, performing maintenance, inspections, repairs, avionics repairs and upgrades, component maintenance, engine maintenance, maintenance tracking, import/export, and AOG support 24/7. Sterling’s focus is building strong relationships amongst customers by performing quality maintenance and service as quickly as possible. Our 30+ technician team is cross trained, allowing more flexibility for the customer’s schedule and if AOG situations should arise. Providing or being involved in the aircraft maintenance tracking allows Sterling to always be prepared for what is needed and plan well in advance for the customer’s schedule. We provide helicopter maintenance and support for our customers locally and worldwide. Sterling has even chartered helicopter services from our Part 135 customers to make repairs on corporate customers that were AOG within New York City late in the day. This service made sense and brought savings in cost and time because we were nearby and have access to provide such support.” Jason Smith, Sterling General Manager STERLING HELICOPTER Supports: wide range of customers (VIP, EMS, law enforcement, private) in the US Northeast region Partner with Airbus since: late 1980s Marius Johansen, Executive Director of Scandair, explains the inspiration behind his company’s modified truck, used for spraying lime on lakes. “We asked what was the most essential thing we had and that’s the helicopter, so it was important it didn’t have to wait to get material. We manufacture things that are so good it doesn’t matter how fast operations go, there should always be a new bucket of material available.” They have to be efficient to drop some 30 slings per hour of lime on Scandinavia’s lakes as part of the region’s environmental upkeep. Material distribution, as it’s called, helps offset factors like a too-low pH value in lakes that have been polluted by acid rain. In 2010, with a sole H125, Scandair got its start contracting with a lime producer working for the Swedish government to spray lime on lakes. They gradually took on contracts for private- and government-owned forest holders, dropping fertiliser and wood ash on forests. This year, they will carry out approximately 60,000 sling loads with their three (soon to be four) H125 helicopters. With a sling and a bucket… The lime is driven out to the site in big bags before the helicopter arrives. When Scandair’s team of a pilot and two ground crew gets there, their crane driver fills a silo on their customised truck with around six tonnes of lime. From that, a screw fills two drop buckets equipped with a hook for the H125’s sling. “When you have sprayed, you can just fly back, make the exchange with a full bucket, and go,” says Johansen. They carry out lime drops year round, flying above the surface and spraying a radius of 10 metres at a time. “Our customers measure the acidity of lakes around five times a year to keep track,” says Johansen. “With some, they want us to put the lime on top of the ice so when it melts it mixes with the polluted snow on the lake. Most customers want it done in the summer so it can mix directly.” They also drop clean wood ash on young forests as part of the region’s policy of putting back in the soil the nutrients taken away by logging. This work must be done in the growing season, so Scandair’s forest work usually starts up in May when the snow has melted and continues until August. A hard working fleet Scandair manufactures its own equipment, including a GPS-controlled bucket system. This means the pilot at the controls of the H125 simply focuses on flying a slow 50 knots while the GPS automatically signals the bucket when to make a drop and how much, depending on speed. At an average of 700 flight hours per helicopter per year, the fleet is one of the hardest working in the area, considering the company also helps out with fire fighting when there’s a need. “We have ordered 16 new helicopters in 10 years,” says Johansen. “We have a high cycle consumption, so it gets expensive if we keep them for too long.” The volume of work for Scandair’s seven pilots hasn’t diminished with the pandemic. And as long as the environment needs a boost, this niche industry may become mainstream. “Qualified by Airbus to carry out D-level maintenance” “We are the only manufacturer of turbine helicopters in Latin America. At our sites in Itajubá, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Atibaia, we perform MRO, retrofit and modernisation, blade overhaul and repair, the sale of spare parts and training. Our Airbus Helicopters design organisation has developed local solutions for customers and more than 300 STCs. We are the only facility authorised and qualified by Airbus to carry out D-level maintenance, repair and overhaul in mandatory components, such as blades, gearboxes and aircraft structures. Our focus is to maintain proximity to customers, providing our support and service capacity installed in the country, with solutions that will maintain the continuity and safety of their air missions. Our presence in the region brings agility in proposing services to our customers in the moment of crisis, as in Brumadinho during the pandemic when we could provide all the necessary support to the customer, providing high availability to their fleet.” Jean Luc Alfonsi, Managing Director HELIBRAS BRAZIL CUSTOMER CENTRE Supports: Latin American region, for operators including Brazilian Armed Forces and other sectors (public services, fire fighting, law enforcement, EMS, air taxi, VIP and private) Partner with Airbus for: 43 years partner since 2009, Airbus Authorized Maintenance Center since 2015) “We provide all types of services” “We have a very good relationship with customers. We even have some who stop by to see what we’ve got on the go. It has to do with the experience. The ambience in the shop with a customer is important and we try to make sure they like the experience of getting their helicopter maintained or upgraded. We provide all types of services. Maintenance, paint jobs, avionics services. We even help to purchase and sell helicopters. We try to make it as easy as possible for customers so that they ultimately enjoy their helicopters. We’ve got one project coming to install TCAS, floats, autopilot. For another model, we’re installing a kit that will appear next year so we’re working with a representative from Transport Canada to certify the kit. Our customers have different reasons for using their helicopter; our goal is to make sure they fly safe and enjoy their ride.” Patrice Chaput, Mirabel owner MIRABEL HÉLI SUPPORT Supports: privately owned helicopters and commercial aircraft in northeast America, including Quebec, Ontario, Canada and northern US Partner with Airbus since: 2012 (business Partner with Airbus since: 1989 “Being ready and near made us save numerous lives” “Being located close to customers has the value of offering a reduced cost of ferrying the aircraft to a workshop, while offering quick solutions to AOG situations, for an improved availability of the aircraft. Being near also makes it possible for customers to check the ‘in-loco’ status of ongoing maintenance and timeframes for delivery of their aircraft. An extra benefit is the possibility of doing field support for minor maintenance requirements. During the COVID period, being ready and near made us save numerous lives in the four Brazilian states. We have been rendering medevac services with Airbus helicopters of our fleet and we support third party helicopters that are still operating for the pandemic, doing vaccine transport. Our experience and approval for doing EMS services enabled us to equip our team and be ready to add this service under current contracts and support our customers in this very difficult time.” Humberto Biesuz, Helisul Executive Director HELISUL AVIAÇÃO Supports: private and parapublic customers in Brazil from 14 bases in the country, providing charter and maintenance services; in 2020, became an Airbus customer support centre (CSC)