Discovery Air
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | TSX: DA.A |
| Industry | Specialized Aviation |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Key people | David A. Jennings, CEO Andy Min, CFO |
| Website | www.discoveryair.com |
Discovery Air Incorporated ("DA"), founded and Incorporated in 2004,[1] is a specialized aviation company that operates primarily in Canada. Through its five subsidiary companies, Discovery Air provides aviation and aviation related services for both corporate customers as well as the Federal and Provincial governments of Canada. The Discovery Air operating units provide both fixed-wing and rotary-wing services as well as logistics and remote operations management services. This includes cargo and passenger air charter services throughout Canada, vital air ambulance services in the North and utility flying for mining exploration. The Discovery Air business units also provide specialized searvices to provincial governments with forest fire detection and suppression as well as providing airborne training and special mission services to the Canadian Land Force Command, Maritime Command and Air Command. Discovery Air also provides a range of maintenance, repair and overhaul solutions to airline customers through Discovery Air Technical Services Inc., based in Quebec City.[2]
Headquartered in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and traded publicly on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol DA.A, Discovery Air's subsidiary companies have bases all across Canada.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Corporate history
- 2004 - Discovery Air is incorporated by the Pacific & Western Bank of Canada
- 2004 - Discovery Air acquires Hicks & Lawrence Limited[4]
- 2006 - Discovery Air completes an initial public offering of $3.85 million[5]
- 2006 - Discovery Air acquires Great Slave Helicopters Limited[6]
- 2006 - Discovery Air acquires Air Tindi Limited
- 2007 - Discovery Air purchases Wheel Division Assets of Walsten Air Service[7]
- 2007 - Discovery Air acquires Top Aces Incorporated[8]
- 2008 - Discovery Air acquires Discovery Mining Services[9]
- 2009 - Discovery Air announces new Chief Executive Officer, David A. Jennings[10]
- 2010 - Discovery Air announces commencement of operations at Discovery Air Technical Services Inc.
- 2011 - Discovery Air announces the opening of a new business unit, Discovery Air Innovations Inc.
- August - Discovery Air Innovations sign a provisional deal with Hybrid Air Vehicles to purchase hybrid airships for use in Northern Canada. The deal, which the companies hope to have finalised by 2012, could involve up to 45 airships at $40 million per craft, with the first being delivered in 2014.[11][12]
[edit] Operating units
Discovery Air provides specialized aviation services through two operating segments: the Northern Services and the Government Services.[13]
[edit] Northern Services
The Northern Services segment consists of three operating units: Great Slave Helicopters Limited ("GSHL"), Air Tindi Limited ("Tindi") and Discovery Mining Services ("DMS.") Together, these three operating units have a customer base servicing companies and government entities in the business of mineral, base and precious metal exploration and production, wildlife services, forest fire suppression, oil and gas exploration, power line construction and maintenance, aerial surveys, seismic, air ambulance, scheduled charters and tourism.[14]
Founded in 1984, Great Slave Helicopters is the second-largest VFR operator in Canada with 68 helicopters in its fleet.[15][16] It provides, alone and along with several First Nations and Inuit groups in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, scheduled and chartered passenger and air cargo services to private sector companies and governments.[17] Under the name Northlinx, Great Slave Helicopters has partnerships with Akaitcho Helicopters, Dehcho Regional Helicopters, Denendeh Helicopters, (49%, Evergreen Forestry Management Limited has 51%), Gwich'in Helicopters, Havgun Helicopters, Hudson Bay Helicopters (100%), K'ahsho Got'ine Helicopters (majority First Nations owned), Kitikmeot Helicopters (49%, Bill and Jessie Lyall own 51% ) Kivallingmiut/Kivalliq Aviation (majority Inuit owned, Air Tindi is also a minority share holder), Sahtu Helicopters (49%, various land corporations have 51%), Superior Helicopters and Tlicho Helicopters.[18]
Air Tindi, founded in 1988, is a charter airline based in Yellowknife, NT. With their main base as the Yellowknife Airport, they provide scheduled and on demand charter services throughout Northern and Western Canada. With 24 fixed-wing airplanes in their fleet, they are capable of transporting 46 passengers or 10,000 pounds of cargo. Tindi has the largest Medivac fleet in Northern Canada.[19]
Founded in 1991, Discovery Mining Services is a NWT-based company that provides remote exploration camps, expediting, logistics and staking services to primarily diamond and mineral exploration companies.[20]
[edit] Government Services
The Government Services segment consists of two operating units: Discovery Air Fire Services and Top Aces Incorporated ("TA"). These two operating units provide niche services primarily aimed at government entities.[21]
Discovery Air Fire Services (formerly Hicks and Lawrence), a company that has been in operation since 1947, is a fixed-wing company based in Ontario. In addition to providing air charter services through their turbine division, DAFS' piston division also provides services to the Government of Ontario as part of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources forest fire management program.[22]
Founded in 2000 by three former CF-18 pilots, Top Aces is a Quebec-based fixed wing aviation company that acts as the prime supplier of Airborne Training Services to the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force.[23] Flying their 16 Alpha Jets and 4 Westwind Aircraft are former fighter pilots.[24]
[edit] Discovery Air Technical Services
Discovery Air also provides a range of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to airline customers through Discovery Air Technical Services Inc., which was created in 2010 through the acquisition of the former ExelTech Aerospace MRO facility in Quebec City.[2] Discovery Air Technical Services is an airframe MRO with extensive in-house shop capabilities - welding, avionics, engineering, machining, heat treatment, composite and sheet metal repairs - that offers repair services for Saab 340, Dash 8 and Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft.
[edit] Fleet
[edit] Great Slave Helicopters
As per the Civil Aircraft Register, the Great Slave fleet consists of 68 helicopters[15][25]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astar 350 | 24 | AS350 B2, AS350 B3, AS350 BA | |
| Bell 205 | 4 | 205-1 | The Great Slave Helicopters website lists 205A1+ and 205A1++ |
| Bell 206 | 24 | 206B, 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, 206L-4 | The 206L-1 is not listed at the Great Slave Helicopters website |
| Bell 407 | 2 | ||
| Bell 212 | 9 | 212 Single, 212/212HP | |
| Bell 412 | 1 | 412EP | |
| Eurocopter EC130 | 1 | EC130 B4 | |
| MD 500 | 2 | Listed by Transport Canada as Hughes 369D | |
| Schweizer 269 | 1 | 269C | Not listed at the Great Slave Helicopters website |
[edit] Northern Air Support
Great Slave Helicopters acquired Northern Air Support on February 21,2012 which is based in Kelowna, British Columbia with a base in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.[26]
As per the Civil Aircraft Register, the Northern Air Support fleet consists of 10 aircraft.[27][28]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astar 350 | 5 | AS350 B2 | |
| Bell 206 | 2 | 206B | |
| Bell 407 | 2 | ||
| MD 500 | 1 | Listed by Transport Canada as Hughes 369D |
[edit] Air Tindi
The fleet consists of 26[29] or 21[30] aircraft
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft (TC list) |
No. of Aircraft (AT list) |
Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft 1900 | 1 | 1 | 1900D | |
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 6 | 5 | Model 200, Model 200C, Model 300 | |
| Canadair CL600 | 1 | 0 | CL-600 | Not listed at the Air Tindi website |
| Cessna 185 | 2 | 2 | A185 F Skywagon | |
| Cessna 208 | 4 | 4 | 208 Caravan, 208B Grand Caravan | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | 1 | 0 | Not listed at the Air Tindi website | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 6 | 6 | Series 200, Series 300 | |
| Dash 7 | 3 | 3 | DHC-7-102, DHC-7-103 | |
| Learjet 35 | 2 | 0 | Not listed at the Air Tindi website |
[edit] Discovery Air Fire Services
The fleet consists of 34 aircraft[31]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwell Twin Commander 500 | 7 | 500B, 500S | Listed by Transport Canada as Aero Commander 500 |
| Beechcraft King Air | 2 | Model C90, Model C90A | |
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 3 | Model 200 | |
| Cessna 172 | 1 | 172M | |
| Cessna 208 | 1 | Caravan | |
| Cessna Skymaster | 19 | 337B, 337D, 337G, 337H | |
| Piper PA-36 Pawnee Brave | 1 | PA-36-375 |
[edit] Top Aces
The fleet consists of 26 aircraft[32]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 2 | Model 300 | Not listed at the Top Aces website |
| Canadair CL-600 | 3 | 2A12 | |
| Alpha Jet | 17 | Model A | |
| IAI Westwind | 3 | 1124 | Listed by Transport Canada as the Israel 1124 |
| Learjet 35 | 1 | Not listed at the Top Aces website |
[edit] Locations
- Discovery Air Head Office[33] - Yellowknife
- Great Slave Helicopters - Kapuskasing • Dryden • Churchill • Calgary • Rankin Inlet • Fort Simpson • Cambridge Bay • Inuvik • Norman Wells • Fort Liard • Hay River • Yellowknife
- Air Tindi - Fort Simpson • Yellowknife • Cambridge Bay
- Discovery Mining Service - Yellowknife • Nunavut
- Discovery Air Fire Services - Dryden • Kenora • Sudbury • Timmins • Geraldton • Chapleau
- Top Aces - Halifax (CFB Halifax) • Pointe-Claire (CFB Montreal) • Bagotville (CFB Bagotville) • Cold Lake (CFB Cold Lake) • Victoria (CFB Esquimalt)
- Discovery Air Technical Services - Quebec City • Toronto • Saguenay
- Discovery Air Innovations - Montreal
- Discovery Air International - Calgary
- Discovery Aviation Academy - Sudbury
[edit] References
- ^ The Little Bank That Did
- ^ a b Discovery Air Announces Commencement of Operations at Discovery Air Technical Services Inc.
- ^ Company Profile
- ^ Discover Air acquires 100% of Hicks & Lawrence
- ^ Discovery Air Completes $3.85 Million Initial Public Offering
- ^ Discovery Air Buys Great Slave Helicopters
- ^ Hicks & Lawrence Ltd. acquires Walsten Air Service
- ^ Discovery Air acquires Top Aces Inc
- ^ Discovery Air acquires Discovery Mining Services
- ^ People: Discovery Air Names David Jennings Permanent CEO
- ^ Futuristic 'airships' planned for North at CBC.
- ^ UK group secures commercial airship deal at the Financial Times
- ^ Discovery Air (DAA: TSX)
- ^ Google Finance: DA.A TSE
- ^ a b Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Great Slave Helicopters". Enter "Great Slave Helicopters" in the "Owner Name" box.
- ^ Great Slave Helicopters
- ^ Great Slave Helicopters Ltd
- ^ Great Slave Helicopters - Partnerships
- ^ Air Tindi Ltd. - Complete Profile
- ^ Discovery Mining Services
- ^ Discovery Air Inc. - Company Profile Snapshot
- ^ Discovery Air Fire Services
- ^ Top Aces Inc. Overview
- ^ Top Aces - Our Team
- ^ Great Slave Helicopters - Fleet
- ^ Discovery Air subsidiary Great Slave Helicopters acquires Northern Air Support
- ^ Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Northern Air Support". Enter "Northern Air Support" in the "Owner Name" box.
- ^ Northern Air Support’s Helicopters
- ^ Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Air Tindi". Enter "Air Tindi" in the "Owner Name" box.
- ^ Our Aircraft Fleet
- ^ Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Hicks & Lawrence". Enter "Hicks & Lawrence" in the "Owner Name" box.
- ^ Transport Canada listing of aircraft owned by "Top Aces". Enter "Top Aces" in the "Owner Name" box.
- ^ Discovery Air Inc
