The history of CHC Helicopter Corporation mirrors the development of the commercial helicopter services industry around the world. CHC's founding companies pioneered commercial helicopter services in North America and Europe in the 1940s and 50s and in Asia, Australia and Africa in the 1960s.

Industry Pioneers

In Canada, Okanagan Helicopters, which would become part of CHC's global operations in 1987, introduced rotor wing crop spraying to British Columbia as early as 1947 and two years later developed the first skid gear for helicopters. Also in 1947, British European Airways set up an experimental helicopter service which would become CHC's first UK subsidiary, BIH. Interestingly enough, CHC's Norwegian entity also dates to 1947, when a man named Hancke Morten was as passionate about flying as Okanagan's Carl Agar. By 1956, Morten had established the Oslo-based helicopter company that would become Helikopter Service Group. And as far back as 1945, a young man named Bob Schreiner opened a business that was involved in the trade of aircraft and aircraft components in the Netherlands.

Founder Craig L. Dobbin

The CHC name was created as a “Canadian Holding Company” by St. John's businessman Craig Dobbin in 1987 when he headed a group that purchased Okanagan Helicopters and Toronto Helicopters, and merged them with his own company Sealand Helicopters. Craig Dobbin (1935-2006) founded Sealand Helicopters with a single helicopter in 1977, realizing the potential of rotorcraft for the offshore and other industries. Over the last dozen years, CHC has welcomed British International Helicopters (1994); Helicopter Services Group of Norway (1999) – which included Bond Helicopters, Helikopter Service AS (both now part of CHC Europe), Lloyd Helicopters of Australia and Court Helicopters of South Africa (both now part of CHC Global Operations) – creating synergies and efficiencies for its offshore customers around the world. In 2004, CHC purchased Schreiner Aviation Group, the leading offshore helicopter services company in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and a key player in the Nigerian offshore industry.

The CHC Brand

In 2000 CHC integrated its operations around the world under one banner, and in so doing, became the first helicopter services company to market it global operations under one brand. By late 2003, several of the world's major multi-national oil companies were demanding one standard of safety and service for all operations around the world. In response to this, and in an effort to improve operational safety and efficiency, CHC began a major restructuring initiative in 2004. This initiative would see the formation of a new Corporate Head Office in Richmond, B.C., Canada, and the creation of three main operating segments: CHC Global Operations, based in Richmond, B.C., CHC European Operations, based in Aberdeen, Scotland, and Heli-One, CHC's leasing and Repair and Overhaul support group, now based in Delta, B.C.