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Jun 19, 2015 - purchased new aircraft, to service our new contracts with the Governments of the Northwest Territories an
June ‘15

Newsletter

www.discoveryair.com

President’s Message:

Discovery Air Team,

Our operations are in full swing throughout Canada, the US and Europe as we are taking advantage of the summer season to ensure our customer’s requirements are being met and their satisfaction exceeded. One of the focus areas of the leadership team is to advance the safety culture across the organization and we are making progress. Our DA Safety Committee is very active in building awareness, and sharing lessons learned. Air Tindi celebrated a one year without injuries milestone in May – congratulations to all and keep up the good work. You will have noticed many changes within the organization over the past several months; we have purchased new aircraft, to service our new contracts with the Governments of the Northwest Territories and Ontario, we have sold certain aircraft of the fleet that were underutilized, we have optimized the team and are making tremendous progress toward our strategy. While change can be challenging, it is necessary to our success, and I urge you to embrace the transformations taking place across the company. Our team at Technical Services has some exciting changes ahead, as Premier Aviation Overhaul Centre is offering to purchase the assets and take on the DATS workforce, making it part of Canada’s largest MRO. The DATS team is recognized for their commitment, talent and training and have given excellent customer service to both their internal and external customers. This is a very good opportunity for the team members to become part of a larger specialty MRO business. Forest fires have been very active in western and northern Canada. I urge all of our crews who have been involved in the fire fighting and fire observation efforts to be cautious and also, I would like to thank you for the work you have done in making the communities safe. This work is inherently dangerous, and your efforts are very much appreciated.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication Jacob (Koby) Shavit

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Discovery Air Safety – When Two Worlds Join as One and technicians) at all of our locations. The excellent two-way interaction between our FS System, the PMO FSO and DFS has been paramount in ensuring timely occurrence reporting and appropriate Supplementary Report follow-ups. As an example, our tool control program is based on the already established RCAF tool control program and was initiated from a Preventative Measure – we have virtually eliminated tool control occurrences.

On behalf of the Discovery Air Safety and Environment Committee (DASEC), we welcome you to read an article written by DA Defence ALSE Centre Support Technician, Anne Lawrence, called “When Two Worlds Join as One.”This article was also featured in the RCAF Flight Comment magazine recently, circulated amongst all Canadian Forces and worldwide amongst our allies.

fighter experience, holding all the signatures in a fighter world, I did not know what to expect.

The message of Anne’s article can be paralleled for DA Safety as “When Six Worlds Combine As One.”Working together in the name of safety, all of our operating units can share and enhance best practices and lessons in order to ensure we truly and proudly can proclaim that we are Safely Making Ideas Fly!

Well, this civilian company had the foresight to take the best of both worlds and combine

We look forward to sharing additional lessons and tidbits on safety in each Flight Plan and welcome you to submit your stories through your DASEC representative. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future stories, please contact the Discovery Air Director of Safety, Paul “Pitch” Molnar. After 28 years of military aviation experience, I did not know what to expect when I began working for DA Defence. Being brought up in the Flight Safety mentality my entire career and having heard how different the “civvies’ world” worked, I was a little cautious in my expectations. I had never worked with Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) before and to see civilian maintenance personnel, with no

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At first I wondered how this teaming of two worlds, similar, but very different, would work. I was used to working in a military “safety first” environment with a Chain of Command that always stressed safety as the most important thing.

them to create a team comprised of a dedicated group of individuals, doing as unique a job as you could find in the civilian industry. We have retired RCAF pilots, maintainers and civilian trained employees joining together to provide the flying resources that enable military establishments around the world to train with the realism that real air assets add to their training. DA Defence is an active and required participant in the RCAF Flight Safety (FS) Program and the Transport Canada / ISO 9001 mandated Quality Management System, both working in parallel company-wide, ensuring 100% safety compliance, education and awareness. We have a dedicated Flight Safety Officer and representatives (pilots, engineers



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Our Ground Crew Duty Day / Crew Rest Guidelines were also initiated from a Preventative Measure and these guidelines are strictly adhered to, providing additional protection against personnel fatigue. These rules were also initiated as a result of information shared with military flight safety personnel, regarding ground crew fatigue, at the 2009 Annual DFS Meeting in Ottawa. We follow a well-established and proven RCAF system verbatim, allowing us to utilize the mentality and the successes of the RCAF system and to thus exceed the requirements of the civilian regulations we also need to adhere to. While non-punitive flight safety investigation is not new to the retired RCAF personnel, it is a little different for some of our non-military background employees. They seem to quickly

adapt to the Flight Safety way of thinking. With our strong and pro-active reporting system, which we all take very seriously, we try to learn from any errors, continuously striving to make things better, altogether. Our strong Flight Safety Program is fully supported and recognized by the highest levels of our management. It really has been a big eye opener for me and sometimes when two worlds join, they can become one!



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Mark Stone Award On June 19, 2015 Greg Barton, a Discovery Aviation Academy (DAA) student, was awarded with the Mark Stone Memorial Award. The Mark Stone award is an annual award that is awarded to a student who has achieved a minimum average of 70% on their Transport Canada written examination. The recipient will have demonstrated the qualities of congeniality, generosity in mentoring fellow aviation students, and commitment to excellence in aviation training, for which Mark Stone was known. Pictured here is Sudbury Base Manager, Jason Fogg, presenting the award to Greg Barton. Congratulations Greg and keep up the great work!

GSH assists in Nunavut Rescue On June 12, 2015 GSH received a call from the Department of Emergency Services in Nunavut that two hunters were stranded. They had been out on the land with snow machines and the ice melted a bit too fast and they were not able to get back, so they called in for airlift.

GSH worked with our client, TMAC Resources, to use our L3 out of Doris Camp, which was the nearest available aircraft. GSH pilot, Zachary Dippo, launched to Cambridge Bay first for fuel and kegs before heading out to meet the hunters. After only a few

short hours from the time of the call, the two hunters were rescued and happily reunited with their families. Great work Zach and the team!

Pictured here is one of the hunters being reunited with his family after the rescue in Nunavut.

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École Nationale d’ Aérotechnique fête ses 50 ans

École Nationale d’Aérotechnique celebrates 50 years

L’École nationale d’aérotechnique (ÉNA) de Saint-Hubert accueille cette année, de manière spectaculaire, certains de ses futurs élèves. Elle a décidé de faire une tournée des régions du Québec qui l’a amenée à se poser le dimanche 31 mai à l’Aéroport Jean-Lesage, où l’équipe de DATS a accepté avec plaisir de les recevoir. Il s’agissait pour l’ENA d’une première initiative du genre, soulignant ainsi de manière spéciale le 50ème anniversaire du plus important institut d’aérotechnique en Amérique du Nord.

The 2015-2016 school year marks the 50th Anniversary for l’École Nationale d’Aérotechnique (ÉNA), an institute of Aeronautics. To mark such an important milestone, the school decided to welcome its new students with a field trip on May 31, 2015 to the DA Technical Services (DATS) hangar at the Jean-Lesage Airport. While visiting DATS, prospective students had the opportunity to take a flight aboard a small airplane, the RV6, built at the ÉNA. “The RV6 is the first aircraft built entirely by a school and almost 1200 students have contributed as part of their courses. It became the symbol of ÉNA’s exceptional expertise,” said Carl Garneau, one of the teachers responsible for this ambitious project.

Les futurs étudiants ont ainsi eu la chance de prendre leur envol à bord d’un petit avion RV6 construit à l’ÉNA. « Le RV6 est le premier avion entièrement construit par une école et près de 1200 étudiants y ont contribué dans le cadre de leurs cours. Il est ainsi devenu l’emblème du savoir-faire exceptionnel de l’ÉNA », a expliqué Carl Garneau, l’un des enseignants à l’origine de ce projet audacieux.

After the flight, DATS HR Advisor, Andréann Gagnon, and DATS Customer Service Administrator, Daniel Thiboutot led the future students around the hangar and production workshops, in order to present the realities of maintenance. With the tour of the facilities and the high quality of Daniel’s presentation, they had the chance to learn about our company as well as aircraft maintenance.

Dans le but de présenter la réalité du travail de maintenance à ces futurs étudiants de l’ÉNA, Ils ont parcouru l’hangar et les ateliers de production avec Andréann Gagnon de Ressources Humaines et Daniel Thiboutot de Service à la Clientèle. Grâce à cette visite de nos installations et à la qualité de la présentation de Daniel, ils ont eu la chance d’apprendre sur la maintenance d’aéronefs ainsi que sur notre organisation.

For DATS, it was important to support this event because the collaboration between our two organizations is essential to the promotion and recruitment of our workforce. The ÉNA is indeed, the only school in Québec to offer Aircraft Maintenance technical programs, Avionics technology and Aerospace Engineering Technology.

Pour DATS, il était important d’appuyer cet évènement puisque la collaboration entre nos deux organisations est primordiale à la promotion et au recrutement de notre main d’œuvre. L’ENA est en effet, la seule école québécoise à offrir les programmes de Techniques de maintenance d’aéronefs, Techniques d’avionique et Techniques de génie aérospatial.

For more information on this event or the school, please visit the Facebook page of the l’École nationale d’aérotechnique. Pictured here from left to right are: ENA Communications Advisor, Frédéric Busseau, DATS’ HR Advisor, Andréann Gagnon, 3 future ENA students, and DATS’ Customer Service Administator, Daniel Thiboutot.

Pour plus d’informations sur cet évènement, n’hésitez pas à consulter la page Facebook de l’École nationale d’aérotechnique qui explique en détail l’exclusivité de la visite effectuée lors de cette tournée des regions. Photo, de gauche à droite: Frédéric Busseau, Conseiller en communication à l’ÉNA, Andréann Gagnon, Conseillère en ressources humaine DATS, 3 futurs étudiants de l’ENA et Daniel Thiboutot, Administrateur Service a la clientèle DATS.

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Discovery Air Fire Services awarded 7 year contract with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Discovery Air Employee Travel Perks Did you know that as a Discovery Air employee there are several travel perks that you can take advantage of for personal travel? Discovery Air has agreements in place with various airlines, car rental companies and hotels that you can use, including: • Airlines: Air Canada, WestJet, Canadian North and Air North. o As an example, you could save on an Air Canada flight from Calgary to Toronto through our corporate agreement.

On April 2, 2015 Discovery Air Fire Services (DAFS) announced that they signed a new agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) to provide Birddog Aircraft Services and Detection Aircraft Services (including Detection Observers) in support of the OMNRF’s forest fire management requirements. This new agreement will provide the firefighting teams in Ontario with enhanced capabilities and technology. On average, Ontario experiences more than 1,000 forest fires and 111,000 hectares burned annually and having the Birddog and detection services

assists the OMNRF in achieving its fire management goals. The President of DAFS, Mark Hill indicated that “We are very proud to have been selected as the service provider for this contract. Our commitment to excellent service and the upgrades to our fleet will allow us to continue our dedicated and professional approach to fire management for the people and resources of Northern Ontario. We are very much looking forward to the provision of services to the OMNRF throughout the next 7 years of the contract period.”

Did you know??? Did you know that as a Discovery Air Pilot you are eligible for Loss of License Insurance? The program is optional and the premiums are paid by the individual. This Loss of License would be paid in a lump sum after a 12 month waiting period resulting in a permanent loss of license. This extended insurance does not affect the benefits from Sunlife, and you can use the lump sum for whatever you wish. While the program is designed for Canadian pilots, our pilots of other nationalities can apply.

o As a Discovery Air pilot, you can take advantage of our Reciprocal Jumpseat Agreement on Air Canada flights. • Car Rental Companies: Budget, Avis, Enterprise and National. o If you were to rent a Chevrolet Cruze at the Las Vegas Airport for 5 days in April, you would save using the Discovery Air plan versus booking through Avis on your own. You always get best price, so if Avis has a deal on that beats our agreement, you will get the deal. • Hotels: We have agreements with local hotels in all of our business locations as well as many other frequented areas. For more information about these programs and how you can take advantage of them for your personal travel, please contact your local travel administrator.

For more information about your current coverage, this extended Loss of License coverage and how to apply, please consult Sheila Venman or your unit Human Resources representative .

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Achieving a Milestone at DA Defence On March 27, Paul “Pitch” Molnar completed his 2,000th hour flying in the Alpha Jet. He achieved this while flying with Brad “Bear” Dolan in support of JTAC training in Petawawa. Pitch joined the company as an Alpha Jet pilot in April 2005 and is the eighth pilot to accomplish this impressive feat. On May 4, Sean “Hootch” Penney completed his 1,000th hour flying in the

Alpha Jet. He achieved this milestone while flying with Mike “Tiny” Watt during a JTAC training mission in Petawawa. Hootch joined the company as an Alpha Jet pilot in July 2011. On May 5, Chris “Stitch” Erdos completed his 3,000th hour in the A-4 during a PMCF flight in Mesa. The mission was in support of readying CFGZS (337) for deployment to Germany. Stitch is a retired USMC A-4

MAWTS-1 (Weapons School) graduate and has been with ATSI since 2009. DA Defence would like to congratulate Pitch, Hootch and Stitch for their achievements and thank them for their lasting commitment to the program. Their commitment and skills have been essential to our success. Experience Matters.

Pictured here is Brad “Bear” Dolan (right) welcoming Paul “Pitch” Molnar (left) into the 2,000 hour Alpha Jet ‘club.’ Cheers to that!

Pictured here from left to right are: Francis Theriault, Mike “Tiny” Watt, Sean “Hootch” Penney and Jerome Ouellet. Tiny presented Hootch with his shiny new 1,000 hour patch after the completion of the mission. Jerome and Francis, two Discovery Air Defence Technicians, were pleased to be deployed to Ottawa to support this mission.

Did you know??? Did you know that following a power plant fire this spring in the remote Nunavut community of Pangnirtung, Air Tindi helped get power back online by transporting two generators from Arviat and Iqaluit two days later?

Pictured here is Chris “Stich” Erdos who has successfully completed 3,000 hours in the A-4.

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Helicopter Foundation International 2016 Scholarships Helicopters Foundation International (HFI) has long recognized the need for qualified commercial helicopter pilots and maintenance technicians. The current

shortage is very real and many of our experienced pilots and maintenance technicians are nearing retirement age. HFI annually offers up to 19 scholarships to help

support students studying to become part of tomorrow’s vertical aviation industry. To learn more about these scholarships and application details, please click here.

DA Defence signs Agreement with APS for Jet Upset Training On May 13, DA Defence and Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS), an Arizona-based flight training organization, announced at the Flight Safety Foundation’s 60th Annual Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) 2015, an agreement for highperformance Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT). DA Defence is integrating its A-4 Skyhawks with APS’ cutting edge UPRT solutions. The arrangement reaffirms APS as the leading UPRT provider of comprehensive loss of control in flight (LOC-I) training solutions for high-performance civilian jet pilots worldwide. According to the August 2014 report published by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team, LOC-I is the leading cause of fatalities in business and commercial aviation. APS’s Advanced Jet Pilot Integrated Upset Training program comprehensively prepares pilots operating high-performance aircraft with the critical skills to prevent, and recover from, LOC-I conditions. The 4-day training consists of app-based preparatory academics,

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instructor-led classroom instruction, four UPRT sessions in an aerobatic-certified Extra 300L aircraft, a two-hour session in an advanced multiengine glass cockpit simulator, and a final flight on a DA Defence A-4 Skyhawk. The A-4 flight focuses on highMach, high-altitude UPRT to include highaltitude stalls. This advanced course is part of the Leading Edge program, an initiative of Bombardier Business Aircraft’s renowned Safety Standdown program. “DA Defence is the world’s leading commercial provider of military jet training services, and is well suited to support APS’s leadership in jet upset training with our unique assets,” said Paul Bouchard, President of DA Defence. “The use of high-performance all-attitude jet aircraft is unprecedented in



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upset prevention and recovery training for business and commercial aircraft today. Our A-4 Skyhawks allow pilots to train and safely investigate with confidence a wide variety of stall and upset recovery scenarios to prevent loss of control in-flight.” “DA Defence is a global team of aviation experts focused on the leading advancements in aviation training and solutions,” said Paul Ransbury, President of APS. “It is an honor for APS to continue its high-altitude, high-Mach jet UPRT services with A-4 Skyhawks backed by DA Defence’s highest technical and airworthiness standards.”



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Bringing Headquarters to the Mission For many DA Defence employees located at the main Montreal office, the concept of an Alpha Jet, manned by seasoned fighter pilots, soaring towards its target in support of a sizeable Canadian Army operation is an experience few get to witness. Through an effort to connect HQ staff with the aircraft and personnel they work tirelessly to support, a few employees from Montreal were given the opportunity to experience what our pilots and maintainers do every

day. During a recent deployment in Ottawa, in support of the Canadian Army’s Forward Air Controllers, a handful of DA Defence employees were given the opportunity to be on the front lines of an actual mission being conducted with two of our Alpha Jets and accompanying pilots. Marc “Nato” Taillefer, an Alpha Jet pilot with over 3,000 hours in the cockpit, gave our staff a briefing on the aircraft, its capabilities and even allowed them to sit in the cockpit

for a memorable photo opportunity. Anne Lawrence, the Aviation Life Support Equipment expert offered everyone a tour of her shop and the chance to see exactly what a pilot must bring with them before every mission. The experience was an outstanding success and everyone involved was in high spirits when the jets took off to support the Army operation.

Marc “Nato” Taillefer, a DA Defence Alpha Jet pilot with over 3,000 hours in the cockpit, gave our staff a briefing on the aircraft at the hangar in Ottawa.

Employees were given the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the Alpha Jet for a memorable photo. Pictured here is DA Defence Assistant Manager of Administration, Nicola Hart, taking full advantage of this occasion.

DA Defence pilots raise personal donations for V-42 Foundation In early March 2015, Canadian Sergeant Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed during an incident as part of the U.S.-led coalition’s war on the extremist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group. At the time of his death, Sergeant Doiron was an adviser with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, based in Petawawa. He was also part of a

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69-member team assisting Iraqi Kurdish forces in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. After hearing the news, Discovery Air Defence pilots, who often train with Sergeant Dorion’s home unit in Petawawa, decided to raise personal donations to be contributed



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to the V-42 Foundation, which specifically supports CANSOF personnel and their families. DA Defence pilots raised $1,305 on their own and DA Defence matched the employee donations for a total of $2,610 to go to the military fund as a tribute to Sergeant Dorion and his family.



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CATS, Cupcakes and a Cockpit Demonstrator: DA Defence at CANSEC 2015 “Is that a cockpit demonstrator behind the glass?” asked a passersby at CANSEC 2015 in Ottawa on May 27-28. At CANSEC 2015, DA Defence showcased its Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) market leadership in Canada, U.S. and Germany. Members of the business development team hosted senior Canadian and international air force leaders, including the DND Director of Air Requirements, the German ambassador to Canada, the U.S. and Danish defence attachés, as well as other senior officials. CANSEC also marked a very important DA Defence milestone – 50,000 hours flown accident-free. A unique “cake cutting” ceremony celebrated the milestone on May 27. Chocolate cupcakes topped with blue frosting and edible Alpha Jet toppers were served to the delight of many at CANSEC. They were definitely a hit.

Pictured here enjoying the cupcakes at CANSEC 2015 are (from left to right): Dania Mandzy, Brittany Ezard, Koby Shavit, Paul Bernards and Sheila Venman.

“CANSEC is an excellent venue to highlight how we have the right capabilities, people and experience in a highly-competitive landscape,” explained Garrick Ngai, Director of Marketing at DA Defence. “We’re debuting the new Discovery Air Defence brand, celebrating a new CATS milestone and talking about our gamechanging adversary capabilities. People are taking notice.” The 600 square foot booth played host to more than 8,800 different visitors and the Next-Gen Alpha Jet Cockpit Demonstrator (NGCD), a high-fidelity flight training device developed with Carleton University’s COGSIM group. The NGCD was demonstrated behind a specially-designed glass enclosure to Canadian and international stakeholders. DA Defence’s Dave “Barney” Reid flew numerous simulated Alpha Jet missions to demonstrate how the NGCD is an important element of DA Defence’s comprehensive military flight training system for future Canadian and international fighter pilots.

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Photo by Joey Attariwala Visitors to the DA Defence booth. Cockpit demonstrator behind glass enclosure.

Pictured here from left to right are Dania Mandzy and Garrick Ngai at the DA Defence booth.



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Discovery Air Business Development Teams Hard at Work Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) exhibited at the 40th Annual Regional Airline Association (RAA) Convention in Cleveland, Ohio on May 11-14, 2015. The RAA represents North American regional airlines, and the manufacturers of products and services supporting the regional airline industry before the Congress, DOT, FAA and other federal agencies. The Annual Convention is the ideal setting for DATS to reconnect with existing customers and develop new business relationships. Pictured here from left to right are: Richard Pourde, Michel Belanger, JP Bastien and JC Tewfik.

GSH attended the 2015 Annual Global Petroleum Show (GPS) in Calgary, Alberta on June 9-11, 2015. Since 1968, GPS has been heralded as one of the largest energy events that brings together global producers, service companies and suppliers. Held in the heart of the energy capital of Canada, the event plays host to 95 countries, 63,000 attendees, and 2,000 exhibiting companies. It is a great forum for GSH to build relationships in the industry and expand their network within the international energy community. Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) attended the MRO Americas conference in Miami, Florida on April 14-16, 2015. This year’s conference was the largest to date with nearly 15,000 people registered, representatives from 87 countries and more than 800 exhibiting companies. The conference, which featured over 160 speakers representing the airlines and industry, is a great venue for DATS to learn about trends and upcoming breakthroughs in the industry.

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Career Fair at the National School of Aeronautics On March 25, 2015, Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) and DA Defence attended a career fair at The National School of Aeronautics (ENA) in Saint-Hubert, QC. It was the second year in a row that both business units attended, and had booths next to each other. The event was a great opportunity to meet with students who will be graduating from the different programs at the school, including Aircraft Maintenance and Avionics. Many of DATS and DA Defence technicians are graduates from ENA, which demonstrates the quality of the program. It was also a great forum to demonstrate the different operating units at Discovery Air! Discovery Air Services Techniques (DATS) et DA Defence ont tous les deux pris part le 25 mars dernier à la journée carrière de l’École Nationale d’Aéronautique (ENA) à St-Subert, QC. C’était la seconde année consécutive que les deux unités d’affaire participent à l’évènement en ayant leur présentoir l’un à côté de l’autre. Cette journée était une belle opportunité de rencontrer les futurs gradués des différents programmes de

l’école, incluant la technique en avionique ainsi que la technique en maintenance d’aéronefs. Plusieurs employés sont des anciens étudiants, de ENA ce qui démontre la qualité de l’enseignement et de ce

Pictured here at the Career Fair from left to right are: Sophie Mercier, Andreann Gagnon, Yanick Veillette, Brigitte Legault and Andrea Kunz.

Supporting Our Community In keeping with DA Defence’s commitment to supporting the community and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, several employees have involved themselves with the Primary Reserves or local Air

programme d’études. Cet évènement était d’autant plus une belle opportunité pour présenter les différentes filiales de Discovery Air !

Cadet Squadrons around their area. Ryan Kenick, a DA Defence employee based out of Montreal, has been involved with 690 Lakeshore Squadron for the past two years helping to train the Air Cadets in effective speaking. Through an affiliation with

Toastmasters International, the effective speaking course helps to develop selfconfidence and leadership skills within the squadron. The course is run year round and encompasses many elements of public speaking and speech preparation. Though the National Effective Speaking Competition is an annual occurrence within the Air Cadet League of Canada, few squadrons have a dedicated course to build these crucial life skills. During the recently held final parade of 690 Lakeshore Squadron, Ryan Kenick, alongside the course lead and fellow member of his Toastmasters Club, Francine Turgeon, is seen presenting the Effective Speaking Award to FCpl Sarnai Bisaillon. Having belonged to the same squadron as a youth, Ryan Kenick saw this as an opportunity to give back to the unit that taught him crucial life skills and further his company’s commitment to those who wear a uniform.

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The Lunch and Learn - Sharing Expertise within the Company For the past few months, the DA Defence Social Committee, based out of the Montreal office, has been testing out a new initiative called “Lunch & Learns.” This activity, occurs once or twice a month, involves having DA Defence employees present on a topic they have expertise in and which can help contribute towards the professional development of their colleagues. The presentations run for one hour on a Thursday and often involve pizza provided by the company. The topics have range from Microsoft Outlook to Public Speaking and have been delivered by employees from Information Technology, Business Development, Human Resources and Aircrew.

flight suit, Nato delivered a mock mission briefing to a group of eager listeners. While the host only had enough time to deliver the preliminaries of an actual mission briefing, the crowd was attentive and eager to attend the second part of the series. These Lunch & Learns enable employees to share their interests and skills with colleagues in an informal yet educational environment. With a wide array of interests

and skills that each person can bring forward, there is never a shortage of new ideas being shared and discussed. Though the presentation hosts have remained internal, efforts are being made to bring in outside subject matter experts to help develop and educate employees at the Montreal office.

While attendance at these Lunch & Learns normally ranges from 15-20 staff, the most recent one, hosted by Marc “Nato” Taillefer, was watched by 31 employees from the Montreal office. Given that the Montreal location houses about 58 permanent staff, including executives, this means over 50% of the office freely gave up their lunch hour to learn from one of their colleagues. Nato’s presentation focused on the specific elements and considerations that go into a mission briefing for air operations. Dressed in full

Upcoming Shows Be sure to stop by to visit a Discovery Air booth at an upcoming tradeshow or conference in your area! Division

Show

Date

Location

DA Defence

Royal International Air Tattoo

July 17-19

RAF Fairford, UK

Top Aces

Tailhook

Sept. 10-13

Reno, Nevada

Top Aces

Air & Space Conference

Sept. 14-16

National Harbor, MD

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Caught Performing Excellently

Mathieu Beaudoin, Camp Operation Manager Mathieu started with Discovery Mining Services in 2005 as a construction laborer on field crew. Over the years he worked his way up to construction lead, and is now the Camp Operations Manager. It is Mathieu’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are ready, packed, shipped to location and are fully-serviceable for the construction crew. He also schedules crew and camp support so that the operation runs smoothly. Mathieu is an essential piece of the puzzle at Discovery Mining Services; he is always willing and able to pitch in with any and all tasks required to get the job done well. Thank you for all that you do Mathieu!

DA Defence Achieves 50,000 Hours of Air Combat Training Excellence DA Defence recently achieved 50,000 hours of air combat training for the Canadian Armed Forces and other international air forces. This new milestone marks DA Defence’s commitment to achieving a reliable and cost effective training solution and increased operational readiness for our customers - no matter when and where they operate. “I’m very proud of this new achievement. It is a testament to the critical capabilities, dedication and professionalism we have as

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a leader in the Canadian defence industry and globally,” said Paul Bouchard, President of DA Defence. “Our 100 per cent accidentfree record, near flawless serviceability rate, and advanced air combat training capabilities are game changers in a fastmoving, fast-growing market worldwide. DA Defence’s excellence in Canada, the United States and Germany is being noticed by our international allies.”

and Government Relations at DA Defence adds, “Canadian and international air forces recognize our value proposition as they move towards 5th generation fighter aircraft. They need a proven adversary service to train for tomorrow’s threats, preserve valuable fleet life and save defence budget dollars.”

Garry Venman, VP of Business Development



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Discovery Air in Pictures

Pictured here is DA Defence’s Alpha Jet 038 flying with a CF-18 Hornet. In late March DA Defence flew in the Bagotville Military flying areas in support of NORAD intercept training for a new wingman. On voit ici l’Alpha Jet 038 de Discovery Air Defence (DA Defence) volant avec un Hornet. En fin de mars, DA Defence ont volé dans les zones de vol militiares à Bagotville à l’appui de l’entraînement d’interception NORAD pour un nouveau ailier.

On March 25, 2015 DA Defence’s Director, Business Development, Stephen “Fig” Newton, discussed Public Private Partnerships for International Air Forces at the IQPC Military Flight Training Conference in London.

Livraison d’un Dash-8 à YQB dans un mélange de temps ensoleillé et pluvieux. Delivery of a Dash-8 in a mix of sunny and rainy weather in YQB.

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Esta foto tomada a principios de Junio representa a GSH apoyando las iniciativas de extinción de incendios al Sur de Rae Edzo en los Territorios del Norte en Canada. Pictured here from early June is GSH supporting fire suppression initiatives South of Rae Edzo, NT.

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Curso de CRM 2015

Helicopters Chile completes CRM Course

Con éxito se realizó el curso de Manejo de Recursos de la Tripulación (Crew Resources Management), realizado los días 4 y 5 de Junio de 2015, en las instalaciones de la Caja de Compensación Los Andes, en Machalí.

On June 4 and 5, 2015 the Helicopters Chile team completed a Crew Resource Management Course at the Compensation Fund Los Andes in Machalí.

El taller se dictó por Andrea Astorga (psicóloga especialista en Factores Humanos), Claudio Pandolfi (piloto e inspector DGAC), y Patricio Cancino (investigador de accidentes aéreos experto en SMS), todos miembros del área de Prevención de Accidentes (PREVAC) de la DGAC.

The workshop was led by Andrea Astorga, a psychologist specializing in Human Factors, Claudio Pandolfi, a pilot and inspector DGAC, and Patricio Cancino, an air accident investigator expert in SMS. All three are members of the area of Prevention of Accidents (PREVAC) of the DGAC.

Cabe destacar la participación activa tanto del personal de DAI así como de diferentes empresas clientes invitadas por Discovery Air Chile, tales como Barrick, Codelco, Anglo American, Forestal Mininco y Claro Chile, esto con el fin de dar a conocer las medidas de seguridad relativas a los trabajos que con ellos se realizan.

Along with Helicopters Chile, a few companies that we work with also completed the course, such as: Barrick, Codelco, Anglo American, Forestry Mininco and Claro Chile. Through analysis of historical aviation accidents and development of various practical activities, participants were trained in the basic concepts of CRM, so as to promote appropriate decision making in different areas of work.

A través del análisis de casos históricos de accidentes de aviación y el desarrollo de distintas actividades practicas, los participantes fueron entrenados en los conceptos fundamentales de CRM, de manera de fomentar una adecuada toma de decisiones en las distintas áreas de trabajo.

Discovery Air Technical Services signs contract extension with Shuttle America Corporation On May 11, 2015 Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) announced that Shuttle America Corporation, a Republic Airways Company, awarded them with a three-year extension of its heavy maintenance contract for work performed at the Jean Lesage International Airport in the Quebec City facility. DATS will continue to provide airframe maintenance services for Shuttle America’s Embraer fleet under a contract that was initially signed in August 2010.

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DA Defence in the News DA Defence’s domestic and international success continues to garner coverage throughout the aerospace and defence trade press. DA Defence’s Garry Venman, VP Business Development & Government Relations, was interviewed in April by Jane’s International Defence Review’s Robin Hughes on the growth of the contracted “aggressor, missile surrogates and testbed” market worldwide. Venman

notes, “part of dialogue with customers is that you can get all this, you can save yourself a lot of money, increase your training, extend your fleet’s life…using [contracted] services.” Discover the full Robin Hughes article, “Outsourcing: Commercial Operators Consolidate Fast Air” HERE. RCAF Major Aaron Novecosky and

Captain Steve Quinn wrote in the spring edition of The RCAF on the 414 EW Support Squadron, its training, and how DA Defence’s people and aircraft “bring exceptional skills and experience to the fight.” Discover the article, “Bringing the Music” by Major Novecosky and Captain Quinn in The RCAF HERE. Photo credit: Stefan Petersen

Show us Skies through your eyes: 2015 Skies Magazine Photo Contest If you’re an amateur or professional photographer who sits patiently at the end of a runway just to get the perfect shot, then this contest is for you! Grab your camera gear and head to the airport, because Skies Magazine is looking for the best of the best aviation photography in three categories: people at work, plane spotting and airshows. The contest opens on June 1, 2015 and closes at midnight on August 1, 2015. For more information about the contest visit the Skies website.

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Discovery Mining Services sets up Bell Lake Camp

Earlier this spring Discovery Mining Services set up Bell Lake Camp in Northern Saskatchewan, which is located in the Wollaston Lake area of Nortern Saskatchewan. The 20 person camp, which will be used for mineral exploration until fall 2015, took 3 Discovery Mining Services employees and approximately 200 crew hours to set up. Some of the camp features include: first rate food, hot showers and WIFI.

Air Tindi celebrates one year without injury On May 24, 2015 Air Tindi reached the milestone of one year without any injuries requiring medical treatment. This is a remarkable achievement for a workforce of approximately 200 employees who operate in often challenging conditions throughout the North. Achieving this impressive milestone is a testament to our focus on safety at all levels, working safely together and looking after each other. Congratulations – let’s ensure we keep up this focus. Photo caption: Here is an example of the challenging conditions that Air Tindi often works in. Here we are pictured loading a generator at Arviat, NU with wind chill of -47°C.

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DA Defence Deploys A-4 Skyhawks to Support the German Air Force in Italy DA Defence has deployed McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks to Decimomannu Air Base in Sardinia, Italy. The DA Defence Skyhawks are providing Red Air adversary training support to 16 German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Eurofighters on deployment in Italy. DA Defence is providing Red Air mission training embedded with Eurofighters from the Luftwaffe’s Tactical Air Force Wing 73 “Steinhoff.” The training exercise in Decimomannu is scheduled for completion in late June. “This first deployment to Italy demonstrates the confidence and trust by the Luftwaffe for DA Defence to deliver air combat training of the highest order,” said Daniel Gibeau, Chief Operating Officer of DA Defence. “Our modernized McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks are flying dissimilar air combat training missions against the best of the Luftwaffe. Our capabilities, people and experience continue to contribute to the finest combat pilots for Germany and directly to readiness for NATO missions.”

Discovery Air Technical Services awarded ERJ135/145 Heavy Maintenance contract by US Operator On April 14, 2015 Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) was awarded a heavy maintenance contract by Morningstar Air Express Inc., of Edmonton Alberta, for one ATR-72-202 aircraft. The work will be carriedout at DATS’ Heavy Maintenance facility at

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the Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City during the summer of 2015. “We are honored to have been selected by Morningstar Air Express for this important contract” commented Jean-Claude Tewfik, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at



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DATS. He added, “Morningstar is a new client to DATS and we look forward to building on this relationship with them in the years to come.”



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Air Tindi takes delivery of 3 new King Air aircraft for the Stanton Medevac contract of six older aircraft in the process. On April 3, 2015 Air Tindi took delivery of three new King Air 250GT aircraft direct from the Beechcraft factory in Witchita, KS for the recently awarded Stanton Medevac contract, which covers the whole of the Northwest Territories. Air Tindi Chief Pilot Wes Hilton, Assistant Chief Pilot Brett Harris and experienced King Air Captain Darren Willing flew down to Kansas to pick up the jets. Impressed by the aircraft’s full ‘glass cockpit’ avionics the team was able to complete the delivery in one day due to careful planning.

first aircraft due to enter service in midJuly. It is a significant event for Air Tindi to start a 8 -10 year contract with brand new, custom designed aircraft and also allows the final stage of the rationalisation of the Medevac and King Air charter fleet to be completed. At the start of 2015 we had ten such aircraft but by the Fall we will have reduced this to seven and disposed

Thanks to all involved from the start of the contract bid to the point where we are nearing full operation. Particular mention should go to Trevor Wever, VP Business Services, who has been part of the whole process and was also able to secure the registration C-GNWT for one of the aircraft to the great delight of our customer.

The first step in bringing them into service after savouring the ‘new airplane smell’ was to remove the executive leather seating and Proline 21 avionics and replace them with identical two bed medevac layouts and Garmin 1000 avionics more suited to operation north of 60°. This work is progressing with the

Premier Aviation will expand service capability through acquisition of the assets of Discovery Air Technical Services On June 22, 2015 Premier Aviation Overhaul Centre and Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) announced they have executed an offer to purchase pursuant to which Premier intends to acquire substantially all of the assets of DATS. The Offer is conditional upon completion of due diligence by Premier, the satisfaction of certain conditions and the execution of a definitive agreement. Premier Aviation is the industry’s largest Canadian owned airframe MRO currently operating two facilities in Canada and one in the United States. The asset purchase, which is expected to be completed by the end of August 2015, will add muchneeded capacity to Premier’s current 700,000 sq. ft. of hangar and back shop space as well as contribute an additional 200,000 man-hours annually to the

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1,000,000 saleable man-hours currently available. Ronnie Di Bartolo, Premier’s President and CEO commented, “This is one more significant step in our strategic growth plan. This is a tremendous opportunity to expand Premier’s reach, by adding the hangar capacity and tooling required to satisfy Premier’s continuing growth and our growing customer base. The DATS facility’s focus and recognized expertise on regional aircraft will help provide the capacity Premier needs in this growing segment of our market.” Mr. Di Bartolo continued, “Having a highly talented and well-trained workforce is the foundation of Premier. We have the utmost respect for the DATS personnel, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Premier team.” This asset purchase



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represents a continuing commitment to aerospace in Quebec and further strengthens Premier’s commitment to its current and future clientele. The industry can continue to count on the Premier team, its capabilities, flexibility and costeffectiveness. DATS’ President, Jean-Pierre Bastien stated “This transaction, positions Premier as an even stronger player in the Regional aircraft market. With additional capacity within a currently operating facility Premier can hit the ground running in its drive to further expand its regional aircraft business. This transaction if completed, will make Premier an even larger player in regional, narrow-body and wide-body aircraft heavy maintenance and paint.”



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GSH Assists with the Evacuation of Oil Sands Facilities Over the weekend of May 23, 2015 GSH and their Aboriginal Partner, the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation, provided emergency helicopter evacuation services for Cenovus Energy. The oil company evacuated their facilities within the Cold Lake Air Weapons range, close to Alberta’s eastern border, due to an outof-control forest fire in the area. Several intermediate and twin engine aircraft

were dispatched to assist with the swift repositioning of personnel. The first near their Forest Creek facility was threatening the only road out of the facility, which would have made evacuation very difficult. Rhona Delfrari, spokeswoman for the company, said there were approximately 1,800 staff on site before the evacuation started early

Saturday morning. By the afternoon, only a handful of staff were left to shut down the plant before being transported by helicopter. Proceeds from all flight operations in the southern gateway to Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo directly support Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation development initiatives.

Discovery Air Technical Services announces it has added the ATR42 and ATR 72 Series 600 on its AMO Scope of Work and been awarded an exclusive three year contract by Liat (1974) LTD On April 16, 2015 Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS) announced they received their Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) Certificate from Transport Canada for the ATR42 and ATR72 series 600 of aircraft. Liat (1974) Ltd. has also signed a three year exclusive agreement with DATS for their entire fleet. The first aircraft is set to arrive in May 2015. Work will be carried-out at DATS’ Heavy Maintenance facility at the Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City in the coming months. “DATS is pleased to sign this exclusive agreement with Liat and to be one of the first MROs in North America to be certified on the ATR42/ ATR72 600 series. This is an important milestone for DATS and for our customers who are adding more ATRs to their fleet. We are extremely pleased to be able to support Liat and count them as one of our long term customers” said JP Bastien, DATS President.

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Air Tindi participates in Yellowknife’s Long John Jamboree On March 27-29, 2015 Air Tindi participated in Yellowknife’s Long John Jamboree by offering Twin Otter City Tours from the ice strip at the Float Base. Originally we had planned to offer a total of 12 flights over the course of 3 days, but due to popular demand we ended up doing a total of 27 flights. A total of 416

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passengers enjoyed a scenic tour of the city along with a ‘touch and go’ landing on a nearby lake, which was the highlight for many. One of the First Officers, Jason Hart, filmed a number of these flights and put together a great video compilation with



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striking shots all around Yellowknife, which can be viewed HERE. A big thank you to all who volunteered their time – not only did everyone have a great time, but we were also able to raise $800 for local charity.



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Discovery Air Inc. 170 Attwell Drive, Suite 370 Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5Z5 www.discoveryair.com Get in Touch: Comments and contributions to FlightPlan are welcomed and appreciated. We are specifically looking for your stories, pictures and announcements to feature in future editions of FlightPlan! Please contact Sheila Venman at: (514) 694-5565 ext 3259 or email to [email protected]