Victoria, British Columbia, 3 October 2016 — Further to the preliminary announcement made earlier this year, Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia, has now completed the acquisition of the Amphibious Aircraft program from Bombardier, including transfer of the Type Certificates for the CL-215, CL-215T, CL-415 aircraft and all variants to Viking Air.
Upon completion of the Type Certificate transfer, Viking is designated as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the legacy famous amphibious aircraft fleet, including full manufacturing design rights for all variants. Viking also assumes responsibility for in-service product support for the fleet of 170 water bombers currently in operation in 11 countries worldwide. “The completion of this acquisition is a significant milestone, and now allows us to fully engage withthe operator group to understand their requirements,” said David Curtis, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of Viking and Chairman of Longview Aviation Capital. “Aerial firefighting capability is becoming increasingly important, and with our leadership in supporting utility aircraft, we look forward to working with operators to ensure these vital aircraft remain ready to perform to their full potential protecting communities and critical infrastructure.”
Viking has over 40 years’ experience supporting a wide-range of utility aircraft, and will extend this pertinent industry knowledge to supporting the well-known former-Canadair CL-215, CL-215T, and CL-415 amphibious aircraft types. After saving the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter from disappearance in the late 1990s, Viking Air is now the savior of the legacy Canadair amphibious firefighters?
Only type of the original “Canadairs” still in production, the CL-415 is the aviation industry’s benchmark amphibious water-bombing aircraft and the backbone of aerial attack firefighting missions around the globe. The aircraft is a key strategic asset for government and community firefighting efforts both nationally and internationally, and its multi mission capability also allows it to perform in a variety of roles including maritime patrol and search and rescue. Originally launched in 1969, the CL-215 water bomber forms a key part of Canada’s rich aerospace heritage and led the way for further development of the design. The CL-415 variant was introduced in 1994, and has since built a reputation as the best aerial firefighting aircraft in the world, earning the nickname “SuperScooper” due to its ability to scoop a 6,137-litre load in 12 seconds while skimming at high speed over the water. France’s Sécurité Civile is one of the prime users of the CL-415, uniformly dubbed “Canadair” by all French people where it is certainly one of the most familiar aircraft around due to its seasonal accomplishments in fighting large forest fires along the Mediterranean coast.
