By KELLY LOUISEIZE
Thunder Bay – Twin Otter planes are made to fly in frigid weather, but when South Pole meteorologists report an average of -60 to -85 degrees Fahrenheit, maintenance, repair and mechanic crew know they are pushing the limits.
Two pilots from Kenn Borek Air Ltd. out of Alberta made a trip in 2001 to evacuate a South Pole physician, Dr. Ron Shemenski, who was suffering from pacreatitus. Strong winds and 24-hour winter darkness made the trip risky.
Parts from Thunder Bay Aviation Ltd. were used in the trip as Capt. Sean Loutitt and First Officer Mark Cary repositioned the aircraft during five long flights from Calgary to Punta Arenas, Chile, then to the British Antarctic Survey base at Rothera.
The plane was equipped with polar navigation hardware and the crew patiently waited in Rothera for a weather break to fly over nine hours at 10,000 feet at around 269 kilometres per hour to their destination. Upon arrival the weather was -90 degree Fahrenheit.
Staff at the National Science Foundation marked the landing strip with burning wood in oil drums. After over 10 hours of layover, the crew used heaters to warm the plane’s interior and engines for flight. After a difficult takeoff the crew and patient were coming home.
“Kenn Borek has approximately 40 Twin Otters and is a customer of ours,” says Judi Wood of Thunder Bay Aviation Ltd.
She and her husband, Carl, a maintenance aircraft engineer, started their business in 1987 after a Thunder Bay businessman encouraged them to come home.
In 1988, de Havilland Aircraft stopped making Twin Otters on a regular basis.
Subsequently, Thunder Bay Aviation had a difficult time trying to find parts, so they began positioning themselves as a parts manufacturer.
“We have probably have just under 200 parts now that have our name on it,” Judi Wood says.
As the years passed, the scarcity of parts became more evident, however, Thunder Bay Aviation makes it a point to purchase used parts from five companies that no longer operate Twin Otters.
“Our customers let us know what we should be working on.”
Today a staff of 14 ranging from sales people to engineers deal with over 300 Otter owners, brokers and operators.
“There is probably only five or six business in the world we are really competing with,” Judi says.
Indirectly, Thunder Bay Aviation has made their mark by distributing their parts to international aviation businesses, increasing their client list
An upholstery division was added on to the business and is now headed up by Nigel Jackson, who is certified by the Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council as specializing in aircraft interiors.
Thunder Bay Aviation is working on a Design Approval Organization license from Transport Canada. It takes approximately six to seven years to obtain this accreditation, but once approved it means the business has the freedom to re-design and repair portions of the aircraft.
Thunder Bay Aviation is located at the Thunder Bay International Airport in hanger one.
