Aircraft Will Operate Mainly In Northern Quebec

The 600th Eurocopter aircraft for the Canadian market has been delivered by Eurocopter Canada Limited (ECL) to Héli-Inter Inc., a helicopter charter company headquartered in St- Hubert, Quebec. The Eurocopter AS350 B3 light helicopter will be flown primarily in Northern Quebec, supporting mineral exploration and development programs.

Image Courtesy Eurocopter Canada

"The delivery of this dual hydraulics AS350 B3 to Héli-Inter is also another milestone in our long term relationship with Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc., the Quebec-based aviation holding company that is parent to Héli-Inter and five other companies, flying a total of 86 helicopters - Canada's second largest fleet. "We added the AS350 B3 as the next logical step in the development of our helicopter business," said Benoît Allard, owner of Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc. "Our companies already have 49 AS350 helicopters in their fleet and we have acquired considerable expertise with these helicopters, thus re-enforcing the safety and reliability of our operations."

With the new Eurocopter AS350 B3 delivery, Héli-Inter will operate a fleet of 44 helicopters, including 23 single-engine Eurocopter AStars/Ecureuils and two twin-engine AS355 TwinStars/Ecureuils. The company has two operating bases located in Malartic in the Abitibi region of Northwest Quebec, and Radisson, Quebec, two well-known mining regions. Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc. subsidiaries include Helicraft, Héli-Excel, Héli-Wask, and Héli- Inter which service Quebec, Ontario and the Eastern Arctic; Coast to Coast Helicopters Inc. and Mustang Helicopters based in Alberta; and Heli-Can in Latin America. The group also owns Exact Air, a fixed-wing flying school and scheduled and charter service.

"With the introduction to our fleet of this new and more powerful aircraft, we can further fulfill all our customers' expectations," said Denis Simard, CEO of Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc. "This acquisition complements our existing fleet and will allow us more flexibility with what we can offer to our customers."

A pre-owned AS350 B3 was recently acquired by the group to work in Chile from a base serving the local mining and forestry industry working in the Andes Mountains.

Image Courtesy Eurocopter Canada

The AS350 B3's is powered by a 847-shp Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 turbo shaft engine. It is equipped with a number of Eurocopter Canada designed options, easing operations to perform the most demanding utility missions. These options include the enlarged long lining floor window, the aft cargo door hinge kit and the left hand and right hand cargo pods that increase the cargo compartments by 80% over the standard AS350 compartment.

Eurocopter Canada is also delivering proximity training solutions to Héli-Inter in supplying Aircraft Maintenance Engineer training at Saint-Hubert, QC École nationale d'aérotechnique and dedicated onsite pilot training.

The engine features a dual FADEC (Full-Authority Digital Engine Control) and a dual hydraulic system for power management. In the cockpit, the AS350 B3 provides enhanced safety and reduced workload with the Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) for pilots.

FMI: www.eurocopter.ca