Viking Air May Create 900 New Jobs in Calgary

[Guest]

Plane-builder may land 900 jobs in city

 

• Calgary Herald
• 1 Jun 2017
• AMANDA STEPHENSON

The company that purchased the manufacturing rights for Canada’s iconic water bomber aircraft last year says it is considering a massive Calgary expansion that could bring up to 900 new jobs to the city.

Viking Air Ltd. — which is headquartered in Victoria, B.C., but employs about 100 people in Calgary at its aircraft assembly and product support facilities — is the manufacturer of the well-known Twin Otter utility aircraft.

Last June, Viking announced it had struck a deal with Bombardier to buy its water bomber program, acquiring the manufacturing rights as well as responsibility for support, parts and service of the planes.

At the time of the purchase, Viking indicated its first priority would be the parts and service side of the business — providing maintenance and product support for the fleet of approximately 170 Bombardier water bombers in service in 11 countries.

The Bombardier CL-415 water bomber is the only aircraft in the western world purpose-built for firefighting (it was used to fight the Fort McMurray wildfires last year), and is considered the aviation industry’s benchmark amphibious aircraft.

Over the past year, Viking has added about 40 people to its workforce in Victoria and Calgary to support the water bomber program. But in an interview Wednesday, Viking president David Curtis said the company is considering moving beyond parts and maintenance into a full-fledged restart of the water bomber manufacturing program (Bombardier stopped building new water bomber planes in December 2015). He said that if it does pull the trigger on its plans, Viking will locate the manufacturing activities in Calgary.

“We have some interesting opportunities to make aerospace a pretty big deal in the Calgary region,” Curtis said. “The water bomber is about the size of a 737, it’s a big airplane. If we put the 415 back into production, it has the potential for 900 new jobs. And depending on how you multiply that, about 2,000 indirect jobs.”

Viking is no stranger to reviving aircraft types that are no longer in production by the original manufacturer.

Twin Otters were originally built by de Havilland Aircraft, which turned them out from the mid1960s until 1988. Viking revived the aircraft, putting an updated version on the market and delivering its first in 2010. To date, more than 125 new aircraft have been sold to 29 countries worldwide.

“What we’re looking to do is something very similar to what we did with the Twin Otter,” Curtis said. “As you can imagine, it’s a pretty complex financing program to ramp it all up. You need customers on board, you need financing behind it. But we’ve already invested a significant amount.”

In preparation for a potential Calgary expansion, the company has been acquiring production and office space in the city within the past year, including a 71,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at McKnight Boulevard N.E. and 36th Street N.E., and a 48,000-square-foot parts and support facility off of Deerfoot Trail on 8th Street N.E. In addition, Viking has recently signed a lease for the former Field Aviation Hangars — about 140,000 square feet — on Calgary International Airport property.

Robert Palmer, vice-president of finance for the Calgary Airport Authority, said the expansion, if it comes to fruition, will be great news for the local economy.

“I knew they had plans. We at the airport have chatted with them a few times and we worked with them to both renew their existing lease and acquire new space on airport land,” Palmer said.

“This kind of stuff is actually part of our mandate to grow the economy, so anything we can do to facilitate that we’re happy to do.”

“We knew Viking was looking at opportunities to grow in Calgary,” Mary Moran, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, said in an email. “It’s encouraging for us that more and more companies are seeing that there are cost-competitiveness advantages of doing business here.”

Curtis said Viking will likely make its decision on whether to restart the water bomber program within the next six months.

Viking Air Ltd. is a privately held company managed by Longview Aviation Capital.

It’s a pretty complex financing program to ramp it all up. You need customers on board, you need financing behind it.

[conehead]

"Robert Palmer, vice-president of finance for the Calgary Airport Authority, said the expansion, if it comes to fruition, will be great news for the local economy."

Wasn't he with Westjet?

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, conehead said:

"Robert Palmer, vice-president of finance for the Calgary Airport Authority, said the expansion, if it comes to fruition, will be great news for the local economy."

Wasn't he with Westjet?

Here is what he was: 

AuthorRobert Palmer

Robert Palmer (aka RP) is WestJet’s manager of public relations. When he’s not blogging, you’ll find him developing communications strategies, doing media interviews and speaking engagements, or working with various stakeholder groups. And when he’s not doing that, you’ll find him on a soccer field or in a hockey rink, or at home in the kitchen on a never-ending quest to make the perfect dinner! RP’s favourite WestJet destinations are Phoenix and Palm Springs, where he continues to refine his golf game.

[conehead]

I thought so...

[Newman]

There were 2 Robert Palmers at WestJet and this one was at WestJet as a VP of Finance until his departure 5 or 6 years ago.

[Outside Looking In]

On ‎2017‎-‎06‎-‎01 at 4:19 PM, Newman said:

There were 2 Robert Palmers at WestJet and this one was at WestJet as a VP of Finance until his departure 5 or 6 years ago.

Correct. The blogging RP is still blogging. Finance RP made a rather abrupt departure in Sept of 2012.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Outside Looking In said:

Correct. The blogging RP is still blogging. Finance RP made a rather abrupt departure in Sept of 2012.

Thanks for the clarification.

[better4me]

On 6/6/2017 at 11:11 AM, Outside Looking In said:

Correct. The blogging RP is still blogging. Finance RP made a rather abrupt departure in Sept of 2012.

The Finance RP got a gig as CFO of Northview Apartment REIT. This was a normal job change as a result of deciding that the incubent CFO was not going to vacate the chair anytime soon. In the Finance/Accounting world, if you want to move from the right seat to the left; you switch employers. 

[blues deville]

This little company has taken over some of the best planes Canada has produced. I wonder if there is any support from the BC or AB governments towards the jobs being created? Haven't seen or read about any billion dollar bonuses at Viking. 

[Super 80]

I'm skeptical about this. The utilization on these things is so low that the turboprop upgrade made a lot of sense for CL-215 operators instead of buying the CL-415. Although the US Forest Service has been evaluating the CL-415 for the last couple of years, that was the order Bombardier was waiting for.

[Guest]

Viking Air brings aviation lift to Calgary with jobs

Firm’s plan calls for turning Calgary into centre for expanding its firefighting aircraft

• Calgary Herald
• 8 May 2018
• CHRIS VARCOE Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist. cvarcoe@postmedia.com

AL CHAREST David Curtis is CEO of Viking Air Ltd. The Victoria-based firm, along with its sister firm Longview Aviation Asset Management, wants to hire 150 people to modernize older Canadair CL-215 firefighting planes.

David Curtis strolled through an empty hangar near Calgary International Airport on Monday, looking out at the vast space and the promise ahead for his company.

“In another three months, this place will be full of planes and people. It will be pretty cool,” he said.

Outside the hangar in northeast Calgary, a series of hulking yellow and red water bombers are docked on the ground, awaiting a pending retrofit.

The chief executive of Viking Air Ltd. is making plans for a major liftoff in the coming weeks.

The Victoria-based firm, along with its sister firm Longview Aviation Asset Management, announced Monday the first phase of plans to turn Calgary into a centre for expanding its amphibious firefighting aircraft.

The companies are looking to hire 150 people in Calgary this spring and summer for a program to upgrade a series of older Canadair CL-215 firefighting planes that it’s acquired.

Known as “Super Scoopers,” these unique Canadian water bomber aircraft were manufactured in the 1980s. They have the ability to swoop down to lakes or oceans and scoop up 5,455 litres of water in a dozen seconds that can then be dumped on a fire.

Viking, a private company managed by Longview Aviation Capital, intends to modernize these planes — including replacing the engines, avionics and other integral systems — at its hangar in Calgary, starting this fall.

It has already hired 50 staff in Victoria to work on the plane conversion kits.

Now, it’s actively recruiting staff to retrofit the aircraft in this city.

“This is great. A lot of folks don’t understand the power of the aerospace industry in Calgary and this really shines a light on that,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Curtis is searching for an array of personnel, from human relations staff to aircraft maintenance engineers. He’s also working with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology to help train new employees.

Lynda Holden, academic chair of SAIT’s aviation program, said the school is developing a custom training program that would touch on areas such as engine theory, sheet metal skills, avionics and aircraft systems training.

On the business front, Curtis said the company has firm contracts to sell five of the upgraded planes for about $30 million.

By the time local operations are fully staffed, the group will have more than doubled its existing Calgary workforce. ( Viking manufactures the iconic Twin Otter in the city, with the subassembly done in Victoria.)

But that’s only the first step in a larger, more ambitious plan.

Viking ultimately wants to manufacture a new version of the water bomber at its Victoria and Calgary operations.

In 1994, Bombardier began making a more modern version of the original aircraft — called the CL-415 — but stopped manufacturing them three years ago.

Viking later acquired the design and manufacturing rights to Bombardier’s amphibious aircraft program and is now talking to potential customers who might want to buy a new version of the Super Scooper.

Curtis believes the demand is there, particularly with massive forest fires that have been sparked around the world in recent years. It’s hoping to pre-sell about 25 aircraft before starting production.

If approved, the larger $400-million program could create up to 900 direct jobs in Calgary.

The CEO has met with Nenshi and Calgary Economic Development officials about the concept. It is also seeking money from senior levels of government to get the proposed manufacturing plan airborne.

Viking and its partner have applied for $100 million in federal funding from the $1.26-billion, five-year Strategic Innovation Fund.

It has notionally made separate $40-million requests to the Alberta and B.C. governments, but that would likely be contingent on federal involvement.

Federal authorities wouldn’t comment on the application Monday. Officials in Alberta’s Economic Development office said the province is considering Viking ’s request and working with the company.

Curtis said any government money would likely come in the form of repayable loans, and it’s essential because Viking ’s business plan would see it manufacture a small number of aircraft — potentially four to five planes a year.

CED head Mary Moran said the group has been talking with Viking for more than a year and the company’s plans fit into Calgary’s broader strategy to grow the local transportation and logistics sector.

The program would increase the country’s exports, as many of the planes would be sold abroad, and would also help the city develop a cluster of aviationrelated businesses.

“We are definitely going to continue to push it. It’s one of our key diversification opportunities,” Moran said.

Given the amount of money Ottawa has poured into Bombardier and other economic diversification efforts around the country, it needs to look seriously at Viking ’s plans, say local officials.

“Certainly, the federal government hasn’t been shy in supporting the Canadian companies in the aerospace sector and if we are able to do that here in Western Canada — in Alberta — I think that would be a very nice win,” Nenshi said.

One of the biggest selling blocks is the plane itself, which Holden called a “one-of-a-kind workhorse” in the area of battling forest fires, able to load up water quickly without having to land.

“To have that Canadian stamp on an aircraft that is used worldwide really puts us into a global marketplace,” she said.

For the time being, the company is focused on its first staged step, upgrading the older planes. Curtis is optimistic it will lead to the bigger approach.

“I’m confident,” he said, walking across the hangar. “It’s a huge opportunity.”

[Super 80]

I was a skeptic, but I think big orders are coming from the US and Europe.

[J.O.]

I agree on Europe but I wouldn’t count on it from the USA. 

[Super 80]

The cancellation of the new tanker procurement, the C-130 conversion program and Aero-Flite contract for the US Forest Service is a short-term problem called Trump.

[boestar]

The US has shunned this aircraft from its inception, instead retrofitting all manner of aircraft all the way up to a 747.  Nothing has the turnaround time of these things.  Dump scoop and dump again...repeat.  No landing at an airfield and reloading with retardent.

The would be wise to buy them but they wont

 

[J.O.]

The roles aren’t the same. Those converted tankers deploy fire retardant, not water. 

[boestar]

as I stated 

 

[Super 80]

2 hours ago, J.O. said:

The roles aren’t the same. Those converted tankers deploy fire retardant, not water. 

The cancelled Aero-Flite contract was for CL-415s based in Lake Tahoe, the 2018 budget cut funding for them.

[J.O.]

2 hours ago, boestar said:

as I stated 

 

Right or wrong, there may be someone in the USFS who would rather focus on using retardant. That could be because some areas lack the bodies of water needed to support skimmers. If that's the case, then it's not unlike a trucking company choosing Mack Trucks over Bluebird buses to haul cargo across the country.

[boestar]

just saying the platform is proven effective.  Faster turn around times lead to more drops which lead to faster fire control.  if you lack a body of water then you can also load them with retardent.

[J.O.]

I've yet to see a CL215 / 415 with retardant stains on the belly and there's a very good reason why. Fire retardant must be applied consistently to prevent fire spread. The 215 / 415 drop system doesn't have the ability to lay down consistent coverage. When you're dropping "free" water from a close-in lake that's not a big deal. 

[boestar]

and yet the specifications for the aircraft specify RETARDANT as well as water. 

 

[Maverick]

On 6/1/2017 at 1:29 PM, conehead said:

"Robert Palmer, vice-president of finance for the Calgary Airport Authority, said the expansion, if it comes to fruition, will be great news for the local economy."

Wasn't he with Westjet?

 

[Kip Powick]

Yeh, the first compilation of this video and the other one the girls were in was banned.....the sweaters they were wearing were much more transparent....lip syncing was good but the use of the instruments was a complete sham.....but who really cares !!!

[conehead]

Nice resurrection there Mav, thanks!