North Bay aircraft refurbisher lands federal aviation contract

North Bay's Voyageur Aviation has been awarded a three-year contract to outfit aircraft fromTransport Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program with new surveillance equipment.

The contract involves making modifications to the program's entire fleet of three Dash 8-100 and one Dash 7 aircraft at Voyageur's 200,000-square-foot maintenance and engineering hangar at Jack Garland Airport. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

Voyageur is a provider of specialized aviation services such as contract flying, and advanced engineering and maintenance capabilities.

The distinctive red-painted maritime patrol aircraft are used to monitor shipping lanes, detect oil spills, spot illegal discharges, and observe endangered wildlife in Canadian waters.

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The upgrades involve the installation of surveillance equipment provisions for an electro-optical and infrared sensor, infrared and ultraviolet scanner for pollution monitoring, observation windows, mission crew seats, and other modifications to existing systems. Additionally, one Dash 8-100 aircraft will receive Voyageur's Long-Range Fuel System installation for missions requiring significant range.

"This contract demonstrates Voyageur's unique engineering capabilities to support customers requiring innovative special mission solutions." said Voyageur president Scott Tapson in an April 29 news release from Chorus Aviation, the Halifax-based parent company of Voyageur.

"We are excited to expand our relationship with Transport Canada and look forward to working together on this project."