VAI Member Spotlight: Chinook Helicopters, Canada

Flight school uses Bell and Robinson helicopters and flight simulators to train 75% of all helicopter IFR students in Canada.

Founded in 1982 with a single Bell 47, Chinook Helicopters of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, has become one of the largest flight schools in Canada. Situated on a corner lot at Abbotsford International Airport (CYXX) with ample ramp space, the company’s two modern hangars house 6 Bell 47G-2s (the largest such fleet in Canada), 6 Robinson R44s, 2 Bell 206s, and 2 Bell 505s, in addition to 14 fixed-wing aircraft and a collection of flight simulators.

Chinook Helicopters trains about 30% of all Canadian helicopter pilot students annually and 75% of all helicopter IFR students in the country. In all, the company enrolls an average of 200 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter students per year.

Company Expands under Trailblazer
VAI’s 2024 W.A. “Dub” Blessing Flight Instructor of the Year Award winner, Cathy Press, built Chinook Helicopters into what it is today. A history maker already by the time she purchased the company from her father in 1998, Press had earned her helicopter flight instructor rating in 1997, becoming the first female helicopter flight instructor in Canada. She made history again in 2002, when she became Canada’s first female helicopter pilot examiner.

With more than 14,000 hours of flight time and a mind for business and finance, Press runs Chinook Helicopters with a deep focus on safety. The company promotes aviation safety as part of its daily culture by focusing on high-quality aircraft maintenance and care, operational procedures, and pilot training.

Chinook Helicopters has always been a flight training facility first and foremost. Students who attend training courses can earn their Transport Canada private, commercial, and instrument ratings. In Canada, pilots need endorsements for each aircraft they fly. Chinook Helicopters offers type endorsements in the Bell 47, Bell 206, and Bell 505, as well as the Robinson R44 and R66.

Scenario-Based Training
Based in the Fraser Valley, a short flight from the towering Coast Mountains and 20 miles from the Strait of Georgia and its abundant islands, Chinook Helicopters provides a variety of training locations for students. For example, a pilot can train in the mountains practicing high-density altitude and confined areas one day, and then in overwater operations the next day. Nearby Vancouver offers students the chance to practice in congested airspace, while the US border a mile south of CYXX provides experience with international airspace transitions.

In addition to flight training, Chinook performs all maintenance and repair services for its fleet. The company is an OEM-approved Robinson and Bell service center, as well as a Diamond fixed-wing aircraft service center and a Robinson and Bell 505 dealership.