 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1957,Portland, OR |
| Headquarters | Aurora,Oregon,U.S. |
Key people | Wes Lematta, founder Stan Wilson, Chairman of the Board Steve Bandy,former President & CEO Michael Tremlett,current President & CEO[1] |
| Products | Commercial helicopters |
| Subsidiaries | Helifor Columbia Helicopters, New Zealand, LTD |
| Website | ColHeli.com |
Columbia Helicopters, Incorporated (CHI) is anaircraft manufacturing and operator company based inAurora, Oregon,United States. It is known for operating tandem rotor helicopters; in present times, exclusively theBoeing Vertol 107 andBoeing Vertol 234. These helicopters are used instream restoration and forestry, includingheli-logging,aerial firefighting,oil exploration, construction, government support, film production, disaster response, and many other activities. In addition, the company operates a large FAA repair station supporting customers worldwide.
Columbia Helicopters was founded on April 24, 1957, by Wes Lematta with a singleHiller 12B helicopter. With help from his brothers, he supported his young company with many odd jobs, such as carrying Santa Claus to trapeze acts. He performed most of his flying on the weekends while still working as a truck driver during the week.
Lematta gained notoriety on September 15, 1957, by rescuing 15 sailors from a sinkingdredge nearCoos Bay, Oregon. For his actions, theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded him theArmy Air Medal.[2][3]
After purchasing the more powerfulHiller 12E, Lematta began to operate more lift jobs. One of these large jobs was working on theJohn Day Dam on his company's namesake, theColumbia River. Here Lematta began performing precision lift jobs by using a longer-than-average cable. The concept was that the pilot could lean out the side of the aircraft and see directly where the load would be placed rather than relying on visual instructions from the ground crew or a mirror. A few years later, Wes' brother, Jim, was flying aSikorsky S-61 in the Colorado Rockies. He was so cold that he was forced to land. Columbia developed the first pilot bubble window to fill the need for an enclosed cockpit.[2][3]
Jack Erickson, ofErickson Air-Crane fame, and Lematta were able to demonstrate the first financially successful run of helicopterlogging, or "heli-logging", in 1971. This was done with Lematta'sSikorsky S-61 registration number N318Y on a U.S. Forest Service log sale nearTaylorsville, California, in thePlumas National Forest. The following year, the 107s were used.[4] Since the project used Lematta's helicopter and Erickson had purchased the timber, both Columbia Helicopters and Erikson's Air-Crane claim to be the first successful "heli-loggers". Another unusual feat was pulling ahoverbarge on snow, ice, and water in 1982.[2][5]
As of December 15, 2006 Columbia Helicopters had purchased thetype certificate of the Model 107[6] and Model 234[7] from Boeing. Currently[when?] the company is seeking FAA issuance of a production certificate (PC) to produce parts, with eventual issuance of a PC to produce both aircraft.
Columbia Helicopters aircraft have appeared in severalmotion pictures:
Columbia currently operates eightBoeing-Vertol Model 234s and 14Boeing-Vertol 107-IIs tandem rotor helicopters. Many of the latter were obtained fromNew York Airways. In addition to the flying fleet, in 2005, CHI purchased eight surplusCanadian ForcesCH-113 Labrador helicopters for fleet expansion.[9] For fleet support CHI operates aBeechcraft 200C Super King Air.[10] When the 234s operate internationally, five containers are used for support tasks.[11]
Columbia's past fleet includes theHiller 12B,Bell 47-G2,Hiller 12E,MD 500,Sikorsky S-58,Sikorsky S-61 andSikorsky CH-54.[12]
In October 1991, Columbia Helicopters bought four Boeing Vertol 107II-14s from the Swedish Government, formerly operated by the Swedish Air Force as theHKP 4A.
In December 2012, Columbia bought four Boeing Vertol 107II-14s (originally Swedish Air Force HKP 4As, modified from 1988 to 1991 to Swedish Navy standards as HKP 4Ds), two Boeing Vertol 107II-15s (HKP 4Bs), and four Kawasaki KV-107IIA-16s (HKP 4Cs) from the Swedish Government, all ten formerly operated by theSwedish Navy.
In 2014, Columbia bought fiveUS Army Chinooks for utility service, as they are not allowed to carry passengers.[13]
On May 26, 2009, theOregon State Legislature passed a resolution identifying Columbia's home airport asWes Lematta Field at Aurora State Airport.[14][15]
