A Richmond helicopter engine repair shop is celebrating more than 20 years of supporting the Canadian Air Force with aircraft maintenance needs.
StandardAero is an independent maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider for the aviation industry, including commercial, military and industrial customers across 12 countries.
The business has been in Richmond for 30 years, and specifically 25 years working with the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Cormorant Search and Rescue helicopters.
Before opening the company's current East Richmond facility in 2019, repair and maintenance work had to be completed at separate Richmond locations.
Andy Wong, general manager at StandardAero Richmond, said a big part of his role is supporting the Canadian military's search and rescue helicopters, specifically supplying the engines for the aircraft.
Wong told the Richmond News that StandardAero has a long-standing relationship working with the Canadian military, repairing helicopter engines when the Sea King helicopter was in use — the predecessor of the Cormorant helicopter — and supplied the engine for maintenance and repair for the Griffon aircraft.
He added the company started working on helicopter engines in the late 1990s, specifically on the and PT6T and the CT-58 engines for these particular helicopters.
When asked whether there is specific training needed to repair military helicopters in comparison to commercial aircraft, Wong said there is a certificate you need to get for aircraft maintenance, but also a lot of training is done on the job.
But maintenance training is generally the same for most, if not all, aircrafts.
"The only difference is that with the military, you have to obtain clearance. Some things are considered top secret or proprietary that the public wouldn't see," he said.
"The whole objective is making sure that people get home safely. Safety is always number one, for sure, and no shortcuts will ever be taken."
Wong, who has been with the company for 30 years, said he always enjoyed working with his hands on mechanical systems, which led him to the aviation industry.
"It's just cleaner, and it appealed to my Type A personality, where I think it's exact and it has to be perfect," said the Richmond resident.
"There are a lot of helicopter maintenance and repair organizations in B.C., and I think what sets us apart is really our experience on helicopter engines."
Repair service goes beyond military or helicopter engines, he said, as StandardAero also works on engines for the airlines and business aviation sectors.
To celebrate this milestone, StandardAero is having a private event this month where a Cormorant helicopter from the RCAF 440 Squadron in Comox will fly in, and they'll be joined by dignitaries from the military and GE Aerospace from both Canada and the U.S.
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