Universal Helicopters

Universal Helicopters was a commercial helicopter company located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.[4]

Universal Helicopters Group
Founded1963
Ceased operations2020
AOC #18146[1]
Operating basesHappy Valley-Goose Bay, St. John's, Pasadena, Gander, Lakelse Air Bases in Terrace, Dease Lake, Prince Rupert, Hazelton, Universal Helicopters (USA) LLC base in Enid
Fleet size21,[2] 35[3]
HeadquartersSt. John's, Newfoundland
Key peopleShane Cyr, President and COO
Websitehttp://www.uhgroup.ca/
An Enstrom F-28F used by Universal Helicopters for training, 1988

While operating primarily in Newfoundland and Labrador with operations sometimes extending into the Ungava Peninsula and the Arctic, Universal Helicopters held an International Operating Certificate and completed several contracts in Greenland.[4]

The company started operations in 1963 and was a subsidiary of Okanagan Helicopters.[5] It was last owned by a partnership of companies formed by Nunatsiavt Group of Companies, Tasiujatsoak Trust and CAPE Fund.[6]

On September 10, 2018 the company announced it had finalized the purchase of Lakelse Air[7], as part of plan to double their revenue. Based in Northwest British Columbia, Lakelse Air had been seen as a strategic purchase to build and strengthen Indigenous relations across Canada for future job prospects. Shortly after acquiring Lakelse Air, Universal Helicopters began shifting its focus to work internationally and overseas. Pushing for Global growth along with their September 6th, 2018 investment in South Coast Helicopters[8] proved to be unsustainable, leading to their eventual financial difficulty.

The company announced its sudden closure due to financial insolvency on May 27, 2020.[9]

Bases

Universal Helicopters corporate head office, main stores and accounting services were situated in Goose Bay, Labrador with other bases situated at St. John's, Pasadena and Gander. Each location had permanent base personnel and hangar support facilities for year-round operations and maintenance.[4]

Fleet

Universal Helicopters had the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada:[2][3]

AircraftNo. of aircraftVariantsNotes
Aerospatiale AS3505AS350B, AS350 B2, AS350 B3, AS350 BAListed at Universal as Airbus
Bell 20610LongRangerNine Bell 206L LongRanger and one Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV
Bell 2121Bell 212Not listed at the Universal site
Bell 4075-

The Transport Canada list also shows that they once had a Bell 407.[10]

Customer reception

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador had had extensive contracts with the company, using them for medical evacuation, clinic support, forest fire surveillance and suppression, aerial searching, survey and mapping and personnel transport.[11]

References
  1. Transport Canada (2019-09-08), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
  2. "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Universal Helicopters". Transport Canada. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  3. Profile
  4. Universal Helicopters (2003). "Universal Helicopters Profile". Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  5. Endres, Gunter G (1982). World Airline Fleets 1983. Feltham: Aviation Data Centre. p. 66. ISBN 0946141029.
  6. "Universal Helicopters Signs Agreement with Nunatsiavut Group Of Companies". uhnl.nf.ca. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  7. Release, ; Universal Helicopters Press. "Universal Helicopters announces purchase of Lakelse Air". Skies Mag. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  8. Release, ; Universal Helicopters Press. "Universal Helicopters invests in U.S. company". Skies Mag. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  9. CBC News (27 May 2020). "Universal Helicopters shuts down after almost 60 years in N.L." cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details C-FMEL
  11. Salter, Dave (March 2006). "Government extends contract with Universal Helicopters Newfoundland Limited". Retrieved 2009-01-13.
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