Founded in 1957, Columbia Helicopters is a US-based aviation services company which specializes in the use of twin-rotor helicopters to provide a range of services. This includes aerial firefighting and emergency response, as well as providing support to the forestry, oil and gas, infrastructure, and defense sectors.

The company operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 107-IIs and 234 twin-rotor helicopters – commercial variants of the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-47 Chinook respectively.

“Right now, we have 21 operational aircraft in the operating fleet,” said Mike Tremlett, President and CEO of Columbia Helicopters. “We probably have an additional 40-plus aircraft that can be rapidly returned to operational status. That includes an additional fleet of seven military CH-47s, as well as four additional military CH-46 platforms.”

While the company covers a broad range of operations, Tremlett explained that no aircraft are ringfenced for specific roles – instead being drawn from a “general pool”.

As the holder of the type certificate for the 107-II and 234, Columbia also has the relatively unique ability to produce new aircraft when needed.

The benefits of heavy-lift rotorcraft

Tremlett explained that when it came to Columbia Helicopters’ role as a provider of aerial firefighting services, using a fleet of twin-rotor heavy-lift helicopters offers a number of benefits.

“Rotary-wing plays an essential part in surgically going after the fire to suppress it,” he said. “Our speeds are slower than a fixed-wing aircraft, but our ability to hold on-station is definitely an advantage. As is our ability to get the aircraft to a lower altitude and lower speed to really get where those specific drops need to be.”

Our speeds are slower than a fixed-wing aircraft, but our ability to hold on-station is definitely an advantage. As is our ability to get the aircraft to a lower altitude and lower speed to really get where those specific drops need to be

Columbia Helicopters also estimates that its helicopters can drop around five times as much water as a fixed-wing airtanker on the same fuel cycle, due primarily to its ability to stay on-scene and obtain water close to the fire.

Despite this, Tremlett acknowledged that, under most circumstances, “you really need both [fixed-wing and rotary-wing] to get control of a fire”.

Buckets versus tanks

When fighting fires, Columbia’s fleet are equipped to carry payloads using either a Simplex Model 347 Fire Attack System internal water tank, or an external Bambi Bucket. Tremlett explained that, ultimately, which option is used comes down to customer preference.

“For the contract we have with CAL FIRE, there was a requirement for internal tanks. Whereas other customers, for example in Turkey, actually prefer the bucket on a long line,” he said.

Often, the choice of how to transport water or retardant depends on the specific environment that clients foresee Columbia Helicopters’ aircraft flying in. More urban regions tend to prefer the use of tanks due to the risks that a bucket may be dropped over populated areas. Meanwhile, buckets are in greater demand deeper into the forest, given their potential to be more precise, as well as their ability to access water sources more easily in wooded areas.

Building strong partnerships

Columbia Helicopters works with federal and state organizations within the USA, such as the US Forest Service, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

Further afield, Columbia is also in the final year of a three-year firefighting contract with the Turkish government. “They’re looking for a longer-term contract going forward,” said Tremlett. “They’re extremely satisfied with the aircraft, so they’re very interested in an additional five-year contract.”

Columbia will make sure we have a crewmember who is fluent in the language” of the country they are in

Tremlett explained that, when operating overseas, his company will “make sure we have a crewmember who is fluent in the language” of the country they are in. He argues that it is “very critical for communication with ground crews, air traffic control, and any interaction with civil aviation authorities in those countries”.

Columbia is also notable in the firefighting sector for being both an operator in its own right and an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplying 107-II and 234 aircraft to other aviation service providers.

Tremlett continued: “It was very nice in 2023 to see a 107-II fighting fires in France – we sold an aircraft to Heliswiss, and they were able to take that aircraft into France on a firefighting contract there.”

The company sold another 107-II to South Korean operator Daejin Air in 2023, and also secured a further contract for the supply of a 234 Chinook to the Korean fire service.

Maintaining the fleet

Columbia Helicopters maintains its aircraft through a “continuous phase approach”, explained Tremlett, where “you’re doing the maintenance that’s required within the annual period for phased maintenance” to ensure that aircraft have the “highest availability possible”.

This is facilitated through the use of health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) – Tremlett mentioned that GPMS supplies systems of this type to the company, while Genesys Aerosystems provides glass cockpits.

Tremlett explained that Columbia tries to use similar systems on both the 107-II and the 234 rotorcraft, with the aim of reducing the complexity needed for maintenance. He added: “Some of our customers will want mixed fleets, so having a standard configuration for both platforms, for cockpits, HUMS, and other systems, is very important.”

In its role as a rotorcraft OEM, Columbia also provides similar maintenance services to third-party operators flying its aircraft, with the aim of “ensuring that customers have the highest readiness possible”.

The way that we provide support to our own aerial firefighting organization is to treat them like an external customer, just like any other agency or company that needs our support. That way, we ensure that it is fair and balanced

Maintenance is carried out at Columbia Helicopters’ facility in Aurora, in the US state of Oregon.

“We do all of our depot-level maintenance and support there, not only for our fleet, but also for customers who have recently bought aircraft from us,” said Tremlett. “One of the reasons why it’s centralized is that we had been the only operator of this type of aircraft for quite some time, and so we do all our heavy maintenance at the facility, all the resets.”

While the idea of balancing the needs of the company’s own fleet with the demands of third parties might seem like a daunting task, this is not the case, explained Tremlett.

“It’s actually pretty easy,” he said. “The way that we provide support to our own aerial firefighting organization is to treat them like an external customer, just like any other agency or company that needs our support. That way, we ensure that it is fair and balanced.”

Night vision and Lidar

To enhance crews’ abilities to operate in poor or degraded visual environments – such as when dealing with smoke or nighttime conditions – Columbia Helicopters utilizes equipment such as night vision goggles (NVG) and lidar systems.

Lidar, Tremlett explained, allows pilots to “look through fog, smoke, and other visual obstructions, as well as being very beneficial when you’re in a landing situation with whiteout or brownout”. NVG, meanwhile, allow Columbia to respond to a fire without having to wait for daylight hours – something Tremlett described as “key and critical” to preventing loss of life and damage to property on the ground. Both technologies also provide a greater degree of safety to crew.