Cormorant Outpaces Lab In Busy Summer Rescue Season

442 Squadron's five new Cormorant helicopters have completed their first full search and rescue season on the West Coast in style, shattering the pace set by their 35-year-old predecessor.

In a period stretching from Victoria Day to Labour Day -– the traditional rescue season in both B.C. and the Yukon -– 442 Squadron’s fleet of five Cormorants logged 810 flying hours. That easily surpasses the seasonal high-time mark of 750 hours flown over the last decade by the Labrador, the helicopter it replaced.

Got the new ones just in time:

The record comes in the wake of the busiest SAR season in a decade. Three major searches over the summer helped push the Cormorant to the mark, while also taking 442’s Buffalo fleet 200 hours beyond forecast.

"It’s staggering what’s been done," says IMP Site Manager Andy Giblin, who leads the civilian team responsible for maintaining Cormorants at 19 Wing Comox on Vancouver Island. "We merged a brand new aircraft and a brand new maintenance system into an unprecedented pace of operations and came out on top. We’ve certainly proven this helicopter is up to the task."

Canada purchased 15 Cormorants in 1998. They first entered service here at 19 Wing last year. Since then, rescue units in Gander (Newfoundland) and Greenwood (Nova Scotia) have become operational with the new aircraft, retiring their Labrador helicopters in the process. Trenton Ontario’s 424 Squadron, the last unit to receive the Cormorant, is expected to begin rescue missions with the Cormorant next spring.

Statistics comparing the new fleet with other military operators of the EH-101 tell the story of the Cormorant’s rapid introduction to Canadian skies. Britain’s Royal Navy, which began flying its 44-strong fleet in 1997, has so far logged 18,000 hours. In less than three years, Canada’s 15 aircraft have already flown over 8,000 hours.

"We’ve had it just half the time and we’re flying it at nearly twice the rate," Giblin said. "We are by far the most successful military 101 fleet in the world. I think a lot of that is due to the capabilities of our technicians and the cooperation among IMP, EHI and the Canadian Forces." Giblin says one Comox-based chopper, tail number 901, is just weeks away from becoming the world’s high-time military EH-101.

Lt.Col. Colin Goodman, commanding officer of 442 Squadron, says the statistics back up what he and his crews have come to expect of the Cormorant. "Despite the challenges of introducing a brand new aircraft, including a stiff maintenance regime and ongoing spare parts issues, once the aircraft are on the line the reliability rate has been excellent," he says. "When we strap in, we know we’re going flying. And that’s what it’s all about."

FMI: www.airforce.dnd.ca/index_e.htm