The 2021 Aerial Firefighting Directory is a new resource for the North American aviation market, with an emphasis on Canadian companies. The Guide features more than 125 fixed- and rotary-wing operators, wildfire agencies and technology suppliers, including the following sector leaders:
CONAIR GROUP, Abbotsford, BC, conair.ca
Founded in 1969, Conair is a global leader in aerial firefighting, operating the largest privately-owned fixed-wing fleet of specialty aircraft in the world. It operates in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia and beyond. Conair’s fleet of around 70 aircraft includes Bird Dogs, land-based Airtankers and Amphibious Aircraft, including the Q400AT, CL215T, CL415 and AT802 Fire Boss. Flying up to 12,000 flight hours per year, the company has developed more than 15 new aircraft types and over 175 individual aircraft for the airtanker and firefighting markets.
GUARDIAN MOBILITY, Ottawa, ON, guardianmobility.com
Guardian Mobility develops technology and solutions to empower aircraft fleet managers and owner-operators with fundamental operational data for making timely decisions. Established in Ottawa in 2002, its flight tracking solutions include hardware, airtime, software and support. The technology is leveraged for mission critical environments like fire suppression, EMS, utilities and law enforcement. The Guardian Mobility ATU solution provides a complete end-to-end system supporting ATU, AFF, text messaging and more all in a single box. The company is backed by parent Metro Aviation, a world leader in EMS and related aircraft modification.
MAG AEROSPACE CANADA, Dryden, ON, magaero.ca
Founded in 1950, MAG operates, deploys and maintains fixed-wing and RPAS aircraft for fire surveillance (detection and mapping) and airspace management (air attack/lead plane) services. It provides civilian operators with a spectrum of aerial fire services: pilots and mission systems operators; maintenance for the aircraft, sensors and mission equipment; logistics and support; and site and program management. The company’s multi-intelligence data collection and processing/exploitation/dissemination services include electro-optical infra-red (EO/IR) full motion video (FMV), multispectral imagery (MSI), and satellite data downlink.
SKYTRAC SYSTEMS, Kelowna, BC, Skytrac.com
SKYTRAC Systems is a leading provider of satellite communications and intelligent connectivity. It develops cost-effective technology to provide operators with real-time information for fast-moving wildfires. This includes SDL-350 and IMS-350 satellite communication terminals, working with recently launched Iridium Certus, allowing aircrews to send live video transmission, EO/IR imaging data, and more, directly to the ground.
TAE AEROSPACE, Queensland, Australia, taeaerospace.com
TAE Aerospace operates facilities throughout Asia-Pacific and the Americas to service a worldwide customer base, providing a range of aerial firefighting products and services for both fixed- and rotary-wing applications. The company specializes in OEM-backed fuel controls, power turbine and overspeed governor and starter generator services.
VALHALLA HELICOPTERS, Kelowna, BC, valhallahelicopters.com
Valhalla has more than 20 years of experience supporting ground forces in fire suppression. The company leverages SEI water buckets that are Aqualaunch/Powerfill foam equipped. Valhalla explains its retardant delivery system can be used for a variety of fire applications, and allows us to deliver short-term gel retardant without requiring traditional mix-tank support.
VIKING AIR, Victoria, BC, vikingair.com
Viking Air, a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital, is a global leader in building utility aircraft, including the Canadair CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415 amphibious aerial firefighters. Viking Air supports global operators with factory spare parts, in-service engineering and technical support. The CL-415EAF (Enhanced Aerial Firefighter) is a limited-edition upgrade of select CL-215 Series V airframes chosen due to their low times and outstanding maintenance history. The CL-515 is the next generation of purpose-built aerial firefighter and multi-role amphibious aircraft currently under development, designed to hold a tank capacity of 7,000 litres.
