Eurocopter has given its approval to the mountain training program of the operator Canadian Helicopters.

With a fleet of more than 130 helicopters, Canadian Helicopters is currently the largest operator in Canada. The lion’s share of its activities focuses on three areas: IFR flights (EMS, oil and gas, infrastructure maintenance), aerial work in VFR, and aircraft maintenance/pilot training (from ab initio to advanced training).
“Our flight school in Penticton is specialized in advanced pilot training and mountain flights,” explains the President of Canadian Helicopters, Jean Pierre Blais. “We use five helicopters for these flights, including two EC120s. But over the long term, we’d like to have a fleet made up entirely of EC120s. It’s a lighter aircraft, which forces our students to really nail down the techniques. Plus the EC120 has been officially recognized as an optimum training tool for mountain flying.”
Since 1951, Canadian Helicopters has trained more than 1,000 pilots for mountain flying in a special two-week course, which is world-renowned for the caliber of its training. Didier Delsalle, the Eurocopter test pilot who is the only pilot to have landed on the summit of Mount Everest in a helicopter, has confirmed the course’s reputation.
Mr. Blais talked about his visit: “Didier Delsalle spent four days with us performing an informal audit. He went over our course contents, met with our instructors and participated in several training flights. He was fully satisfied with our program, and his and Eurocopter’s stamp of approval are further proof of the high quality training provided by our team.”
Eurocopter has always had a very productive relationship with Canadian Helicopters. Since it first introduced the AStar in Quebec more than thirty years ago, the operator has always remained a faithful Eurocopter customer.