Malcolm Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 De Havilland Canada Grows Manufacturing Capacity with Acquisition of Field Aviation Company Inc's Calgary based Aircraft Parts Manufacturing Operations NEWS PROVIDED BY De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Feb 08, 2024, 15:34 ET CALGARY, AB, Feb. 8, 2024 /CNW/ - De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited ("De Havilland Canada") is pleased to announce that it has purchased the assets and ongoing business of Field Aviation Company Inc's Calgary, Alberta based aircraft parts manufacturing operations, continuing to grow our Western Canadian manufacturing footprint. This is the second acquisition made by De Havilland Canada in the past several months, having recently acquired Mid-Canada Mod Centre and Avionics Design Services Inc. in Ontario in late 2023. These acquisitions will allow De Havilland Canada to grow our manufacturing, engineering and avionics design capacity to meet growing global customer demand. "At De Havilland Canada, we are focused on rugged, reliable, Canadian-made products, so we are very excited to add the expertise of Field's Calgary manufacturing operations to our De Havilland Canada team," said Brian Chafe, CEO, De Havilland Canada. "Field's Calgary operations will be integrated into our own manufacturing operations and will play a vital role in our desire to improve our in-house supply chain and ensure our customers have the parts they need, when they need them." Field Aviation Company Inc's Calgary, Alberta based aircraft parts manufacturing operations currently manufactures parts for De Havilland Canada aircraft as well as parts for other aerospace OEMs. For more information on De Havilland Canada and its aircraft, manufacturing and aftermarket business, please visit www.dehavilland.com About De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited With more than 5,000 aircraft delivered, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) is well-established across the globe and our talented team of aviation professionals is dedicated to advancing our near-100-year reputation for excellence in innovation, production, and customer support. Our aircraft operate reliably in some of the world's harshest climates and provide vital connections between rural communities and urban centres – transporting essential cargo and millions of passengers annually. Our aircraft also support a wide variety of special mission operations, including aerial firefighting, search and rescue, medical evacuation, reconnaissance, and coastal surveillance. https://dehavilland.com SOURCE De Havilland Aircraft of Canada For further information: For more information or interview requests, please contact: Jody Moseley, Director, Communications, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, Communications@dehavilland.com Aviation industry continues to soar as a local economic driver Calgary Herald 10 Feb 2024 CHRIS VARCOE Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist. cvarcoe@postmedia.com GAVIN YOUNG FILESIn 2022, De Havilland Canada owner Sherry Brydson and her husband Rob Mcdonald announced the company's plans to build an airfield and manufacturing complex east of Calgary in Wheatland County. That massive project is now moving forward. Less than six weeks into the new year, 2024 is already shaping up to be a pivotal time for De Havilland Aircraft of Canada and its ambitious plans in Alberta. On Thursday, the Calgary-based firm announced the acquisition of the aircraft parts manufacturing operations of Field Aviation in the city. The deal will add about 100 people to its local workforce and marks De Havilland's second major purchase since October. But that's just the starting course. The company is putting the final touches on agreements to manufacture a new amphibious aircraft, the DHC-515 Firefighter, in Canada for international customers. Work is expected to begin on it this year. Final plane assembly will be completed locally, where De Havilland currently has seven facilities. It's also busy advancing the DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G plane, which it first launched at the Paris Air Show last summer — the fifth generation of the iconic utility aircraft. Finally, it's expected to break ground on De Havilland Field, its ambitious new aircraft manufacturing centre and aerodrome that will be developed west of Strathmore. “This is a big year for us,” company spokesman Neil Sweeney said Friday from Rome, where De Havilland is finalizing contracts with European customers to manufacture 24 of the new upgraded amphibious water bombers. “Having two programs ramping up at the same time is a significant challenge. And having the right people in place is key for us. But 2024 … is absolutely going to be a critical year for us.” De Havilland Canada, a private firm owned by Westerkirk Capital — which is owned by billionaire Sherry Brydson — announced blockbuster plans in September 2022 to expand its operations in southern Alberta, having officially moved its corporate headquarters to Calgary earlier in the year. The company previously operated in the city as Viking Air, refurbishing and upgrading older models of the “Super Scooper” firefighting aircraft, the Canadair CL-215 and CL-415. That summer, it unveiled plans to move forward with a program for the new DHC-515 Firefighter, with customers in the European Union. It now has orders from six countries. The contracts will create new work in the company's facilities in Calgary and Victoria. It's anticipated the first water bomber could be delivered sometime in 2027. “We are finalizing the contracts with the European customers. We anticipate them to be wrapped up by the second quarter of this year, and at that point we'll be manufacturing 24 new waterbombers,” Sweeney said in an interview. “We are starting to hire people now and train people now for the program.” The company will need to ramp up significantly in both cities and hire “several hundred people,” he added. It currently has 750 people working in Calgary. De Havilland's plans are a key part of a major expansion of the aviation industry in Alberta. Calgary is home to one of the country's largest airports and Canada's second-largest airline, Westjet. It's also a growing base for post-secondary training programs for the industry. Across Alberta, more than 500 companies operate in the aerospace and defence sector, contributing $3.3 billion to provincial GDP, according to data from Calgary Economic Development (CED). CED chief executive Brad Parry said Friday that De Havilland's efforts are “another proof-point that diversification is happening” within the city. “The moves with Westjet and some of the other aviation companies coming in — and De Havilland cementing that — showcases this is a place where people are seeing the opportunity,” Parry said. “We see that sector as having a huge amount of potential still.” Last June, De Havilland announced it was launching its new Twin Otter version, with combined purchase agreements and letters of intent for 45 planes. The aircraft will be assembled in Calgary, with parts and manufacturing primarily done between the city and Victoria. In October, De Havilland purchased Mid-canada Mod Center and Avionics Design Services in Ontario, which works on avionics installations, repairs and modifications. The purchase this week of Field Aviation's operations in Calgary will bring its own expertise in-house to De Havilland as it looks to expand. De Havilland officials are also moving forward with massive plans for a new complex in Wheatland County, which will include a new runway, aircraft assembly facility, parts manufacturing and distribution centres, maintenance repair and offices. The complex, with 12 to 15 different facilities envisioned, is ultimately expected to be home to 1,500 workers, company officials announced in 2022. An amendment to Wheatland County's area structure plan took place last year. “Now it's really (about) sitting down with our industrial engineers and trying to figure out what buildings need to be built first … given that we are ramping up production of both the water bomber and the Twin Otter Classic,” Sweeney said. “I anticipate that sometime in the middle of 2024, we will be breaking ground.” Calgary-based industry analyst Rick Erickson said the company's development in Wheatland County — to be built on 1,500 acres of land — is significant and will help create high-paying aviation jobs throughout the region. It will also increase exports coming out of Alberta. “It's huge,” Erickson said. “You've got a brand new greenfield airport that is going to be built to manufacture airplanes. If you look around the world, you're talking dozens — at the most — of airplane manufacturing facilities that have a huge economic impact on the communities where they are located.” Full construction of De Havilland Field is expected to take at least 10 years to complete. Meanwhile, the company is looking to add staff as it expands in 2024. “We are in an active growth mode,” Sweeney said. “And we're looking to hire as many people as we possibly can in Calgary.” Article Name:Aviation industry continues to soar as a local economic driver Publication:Calgary Herald Author:CHRIS VARCOE Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist. cvarcoe@postmedia.com Start Page:A3 End Page:A3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Too bad it didn't stay in Canadian hands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 ?????? The De Havilland History On March 5, 1928, the De Havilland Aircraft Company of England incorporated a subsidiary business in Canada. Over the coming years, this small upstart would become one of the most accomplished aircraft designers and manufacturers in Canadian history. The DHC-1 Chipmunk—an all-metal trainer developed for the Royal Canadian Air Force—was the first all-Canadian design to come out of De Havilland Canada and helped establish the young company as a leader in the North American aviation industry. History | De Havilland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 44 minutes ago, Malcolm said: ?????? There was a period of foreign ownership that wasn't for the better. 'In the 1980s, the government of Canada privatized DHC and in 1986 sold the aircraft company to then Seattle-based Boeing. Boeing said it intended to make substantial investments for product development and modernization of the de Havilland plant. The Canadian government claimed to have guarantees from Boeing not to discontinue any product lines, but shortly thereafter, Boeing discontinued both the successful Twin Otter and the Dash 7. The jigs and specialised equipment for their manufacture were destroyed.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 7 minutes ago, Airband said: The jigs and specialised equipment for their manufacture were destroyed.' I've never understood the need to destroy the jigs and tooling. It's a story that I've heard many times and I always shake my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 32 minutes ago, Seeker said: I've never understood the need to destroy the jigs and tooling. It's a story that I've heard many times and I always shake my head. Kind of a mixed bag from my understanding. Some jigs are fairly large and storage becomes an issue, even when dismantled. Some parts, tools could be repurposed for current operations. Concern for protection of intellectual property - risk of reverse engineering. Shady players get access to them and start producing substandard replacement parts that can pull down the value of the brand. Could be a government requirement with respect to the discontinuance of certain military equipment (Avro Arrow?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 9 hours ago, Airband said: Kind of a mixed bag from my understanding. Some jigs are fairly large and storage becomes an issue, even when dismantled. Some parts, tools could be repurposed for current operations. Concern for protection of intellectual property - risk of reverse engineering. Shady players get access to them and start producing substandard replacement parts that can pull down the value of the brand. Could be a government requirement with respect to the discontinuance of certain military equipment (Avro Arrow?) Yes, I suppose there are some valid reasons. It's just that I've heard this type of story so many times; "We're done making the DHC-6." (on Monday), jigs cut up and hauled away (Tuesday before lunch), a few years later - "Oh, wait, there's still a huge market for the DHC-6 - too bad we don't still have those jigs." I guess I'm only remembering the handful of times an old design was found to have been almost perfect for the job and not the thousands of designs that have just been forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 17 hours ago, Airband said: There was a period of foreign ownership that wasn't for the better. 'In the 1980s, the government of Canada privatized DHC and in 1986 sold the aircraft company to then Seattle-based Boeing. Boeing said it intended to make substantial investments for product development and modernization of the de Havilland plant. The Canadian government claimed to have guarantees from Boeing not to discontinue any product lines, but shortly thereafter, Boeing discontinued both the successful Twin Otter and the Dash 7. The jigs and specialised equipment for their manufacture were destroyed.' but lately: De Havilland Canada - Wikipedia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbofan Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 On 2/10/2024 at 3:03 PM, Falken said: Too bad it didn't stay in Canadian hands! It is in Canadian hands. Very Canadian in fact. Longview Aviation and its subsidiary Viking have been picking up the rights to De Havilland parts and production for more than two decades now. Boeing initially bought De Havilland but sold the rights to everything from the Twin Otter down to Viking Air (Calgary) a subsidiary of Longview aviation (Victoria). Viking has been manufacturing the Twin Otter and parts for Beavers, Otters, and Twin otters for years. South East side of YYC by threshold of 35L. Boeing then sold the RJ and Dash 8 to Bombardier. Bombardiers sold the CL415 to Longview Aviation in 2016. Longview manufactures the new CL515. Viking is the part supplier for the CL415/515. In 2018 Bombardier sold the RJ to China with the remaining dash 8 production (and De Havilland brand) sold to Viking air. Viking Air rebranded themselves De Havilland Canada. De Havilland Canada, formally Viking Air, shut down production at downsview with the intent to move production to wheatland county Alberta, just east of Calgary. https://dehavillandfield.com/ More recently De Havilland Canada has also purchased maintenance company field Aviation and an avionics company. All with the intent to recreate downsview in Alberta as De Havilland Field. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/10/2024 at 2:03 PM, Falken said: Too bad it didn't stay in Canadian hands! ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 23 hours ago, Turbofan said: In 2018 Bombardier sold the RJ to China… I think the CRJ line was sold to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) who already manufactured a good part of the aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Longview Aviation Corp. is headquartered in Newman IL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 39 minutes ago, Falken said: Longview Aviation Corp. is headquartered in Newman IL. Are you sure about that? Corporate structures can often weave a tangled web, but there seems to be no mention of Newman, IL, whose businesses of note appear to be Dollar General, Pizza Man and the Corn Crib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 The Twin Otter -400 Is in production now. Not everything was destroyed. Boeing raped DH of some gtreat intellectual property that they then incorporated on some new designs. Boeing was not good for DH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 11 minutes ago, boestar said: Boeing was not good for DH I think recent events have shown that Boeing is "not good" for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Airband - my search came up with 116 S Broadway Newman IL. 61942. What address did you come up with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 My search came up with: Longview Aviation Capital (lvav.ca) About Us About Longview Aviation Capital Corp. Longview Aviation Capital Corp. is a prominent Canadian investment firm established in 2016 to manage a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry. Longview includes the assets of Viking Air Limited, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (owner of the Dash 8 program including Series 100, 200, 300 and in-production 400 program), Longview Aviation Training and Longview Aviation Services. Longview, through its subsidiaries, holds the Type Certificates for the entire product line of the original De Havilland Canada Aircraft Company, and together these companies continue to make strides in modernizing versatile, fuel efficient and environmentally responsible turboprop aircraft for use by operators around the world. Longview has a workforce of approximately 2,200 full-time employees in manufacturing and aircraft service support in locations across Canada, including Victoria, Calgary, and Toronto. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, Falken said: Airband - my search came up with 116 S Broadway Newman IL. 61942. What address did you come up with? What a difference a word makes: Longview Capital Corporation - Newman IL (a small town bank) Longview Aviation Capital Corporation - Sidney, BC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFG Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Oh dear ... doing 'your own research' bites again In any case 11 hours ago, boestar said: .... Boeing was not good for DH Perhaps a little selective recollection? My recall is that DHC had been hemorrhaging money, and if buyers weren't found, the Government might have shut it down altogether; that customer airlines were very skittish to make the capital commitments of ordering DH-8's, and that large orders did follow the take-over. I haven't been able to dig up any order-book history to substantiate that, so of course open to correction. Boeing no doubt acted more in their own narrower interests than DHC's (& Canada's), but we also sometimes compare past (or speculative future) outcomes with a rose-tinted rather than realistic alternative. The government had poured hundreds of millions into DHC, back when $100M was real money. The uncertainty about the future was a definite drag on sales (IIRC?) Cheers, IFG - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specs Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 15 minutes ago, IFG said: The uncertainty about the future was a definite drag on sales (IIRC?) I was there - that was my recollection. as well. Boeing came in and made a bunch of sales but they never could get production rates up high enough to break even. Big layoffs ensued to help facilitate the sale to Bombardier and they certainly did breath new life into the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 29 minutes ago, IFG said: Oh dear ... doing 'your own research' bites again In any case Perhaps a little selective recollection? My recall is that DHC had been hemorrhaging money, and if buyers weren't found, the Government might have shut it down altogether; that customer airlines were very skittish to make the capital commitments of ordering DH-8's, and that large orders did follow the take-over. I haven't been able to dig up any order-book history to substantiate that, so of course open to correction. Boeing no doubt acted more in their own narrower interests than DHC's (& Canada's), but we also sometimes compare past (or speculative future) outcomes with a rose-tinted rather than realistic alternative. The government had poured hundreds of millions into DHC, back when $100M was real money. The uncertainty about the future was a definite drag on sales (IIRC?) Cheers, IFG - Can not find any mention of the Government giving DHC any money but In the 1980s, the government of Canada under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney privatized DHC and in 1986 sold the aircraft company to then Seattle-based Boeing.[7] DHC was eventually acquired by Montreal-based Bombardier Aerospace in 1992[8] after cumulative losses of US$ 636 million over five years under the helm of Boeing.[9] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFG Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 2 hours ago, Malcolm said: Can not find any mention of the Government giving DHC any money but .... Drat! I saw a reference to $700M in something about the Boeing sale, but can't quickly find it. All I've got now is a Fraser Institute report from 2013 ("De Havilland was third on the list, having received just under $1.1 billion in 35 separate disbursements between 1972 and 1996."), which isn't too satisfying. My recollection, tho', is pretty strong that DHC was regarded as on shaky ground, and the Boeing sale was seen as a bit of a reprieve, with a bunch of tentative sales closed after the deal. Cheers, IFG - 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I have a similar recollection of events. The term "circling the drain" was frequently used when talking about DHC in the 1980's. The Dash 8 was an excellent development that was dragged down by the inefficiencies of the crown corporation. Boeing definitely helped to resuscitate it, but never to the point where they could make a profit. One thing is for sure, the Boeing that bought DHC at the time was not the same Boeing of today. I often wonder if Boeing would have been better off if it had been acquired by McDonalds instead of McDonnell Douglas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Pulman Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 On 2/14/2024 at 11:41 AM, J.O. said: I often wonder if Boeing would have been better off if it had been acquired by McDonalds instead of McDonnell Douglas. Big Macs in the cafeteria or big Max problems in the boardroom. Hellova choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 7 hours ago, Rich Pulman said: Big Macs in the cafeteria or big Max problems in the boardroom. Hellova choice. At least when you buy a Big Mac you know you're getting a low quality product assembled by underpaid, dis-interested employees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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