The New Building
In total, the new building offers 4,600 m² of floor space, which houses painting booths, three areas dedicated to the manufacture of composite parts, a blade repair shop, a workshop for helicopters and, finally, stores for spare parts. A large part of the new building is also reserved for aircraft repair and overhaul: More than 20 helicopters will be fully overhauled in 2008. In addition, well-equipped, modern classrooms will be built for technician and pilot training.

The Assembly Hall
This hall will accommodate aircraft arriving from France or Germany. The helicopters notch up two or three flight hours in Europe before they are dismantled and shipped by boat or plane (depending on how urgently they are required). The aircraft are then reassembled in Fort Erie, where any optional equipment requested by the client is also installed. It takes ten to 14 weeks of work to finalize an aircraft, depending on the amount of equipment to be fitted.

The Acceptance Hall
This is where the aircraft are made ready for their test flights and acceptance by the customer. The singleengine helicopter rules the roost in Canada, where aerial work takes place almost exclusively outside the towns and cities. Of the 500 Eurocopter aircraft in the country, more than 400 come from the Ecureuil/AStar range of single-engine helicopters (AS350 B to B4). The corporate transport market is also starting to grow, and the EC120 is increasingly becoming the aircraft of choice for this type of work. Eurocopter will deliver 31 helicopters in 2008, almost twice as many as in 2005.

The Design Office
Thirteen engineers currently work in the design office. In the near future, the number of staff will rise to 20 with the recruitment of specialists in aerostructures and avionics. The Eurocopter Canada design office has developed a very high level of expertise in terms of optional equipment, which it adapts to the local market. Among its notable innovations are “squirrel cheeks” (1), which increase the available volume in the Ecureuil/AStar cargo compartment by 40%. Another innovation is the fuel heating system installed next to the MGB, which equips the helicopter for the rigors of the far North.

Composite Manufacturing
One of the special features of the Eurocopter Canada subsidiary is its high level of industrial activity. Since it began manufacturing composite components in 1998, this activity has mushroomed. The premises in the new building contain a furnace and an autoclave, which will help the company handle the 60% increase in production from 2007 to 2008. Eurocopter Canada is the sole source of EC130 engine cowlings, for example, and it is also involved in the manufacturing of the EC135 and EC145. Last year, the company was selected to supply engine cowlings for the EC145 and UH-72, and 59 kits are expected to be delivered this year.

Repair & Overhaul
Eurocopter Canada overhauls MGBs, TGBs and rotor heads. The rise in the number of Eurocopter aircraft flying in Canada has led to a 15-percent increase in repair & overhaul (R&O) activities over the last two years. The blade repair activity has experience even more spectacular growth, doubling over the same period. Finally, Fort Erie is certified by Eurocopter to overhaul the hydraulic units on BO105s and BK117s.

THREE QUESTIONS FOR MARIE-AGNÈS VÈVE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF EUROCOPTER CANADA.

Can you describe the Canadian helicopter market for us?
Marie-Agnès Vève: Demand at the moment is very strong, driven by the needs of the industry and the renewal of the fleet that is on average more than 25 years old. In Canada, 90% of helicopters are used as utility vehicles: In areas that are very hard to access, Canadians actually use their aircraft like tractors or trucks! The demand is so high that manpower sometimes struggles to keep up. Canada needs more pilots and technicians.

What is Eurocopter’s share of this market?
M.-A. Vève: Roughly one-third of the 1,600 turbinepowered helicopters in service in Canada were manufactured by Eurocopter. This market share is set to grow: Our civil market penetration in new fields such as law enforcement, EMS and the corporate sector was 60% in 2007. 55 additional aircraft were sold in the same year.

What are your ambitions for Eurocopter Canada?
M.-A. Vève: We want to stay number one in this market and successfully introduce our EC135 and EC145 twin-engine aircraft. We are working hard to improve our customer support, and the opening this summer of a new service and logistics center on the west coast will help us to do just that. Finally, we aim to be a driving force behind the Group’s industrial policy, thanks to our production and engineering capacities and the fact that we can source products and services in dollars. Just as the U.S. and Australia, we would also like to use our success in the civil market to position our products and our Group as a company that must be contended with for large, upcoming call for tenders in the military market.