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Cascade – Cascade Aerospace Re-visited

October 27, 2008

Photo Credit: Cascade Aerospace and F22 Photography


Cascade Aerospace Inc. began as a vision to build a world-class aircraft repair facility. The dream that inspired that vision began with Barry Marsden, a Cascade co-founder who, starting with a pilot’s license at age 17, embarked on a lifelong relationship with the illustrious flying machines. Barry’s love of flying led him to co-found Conair Group, a specialty aviation services firm, in 1969. The initial focus of Conair was aerial forest fire control, and the knowledge gained in the development of specialty aviation products to serve this industry, along with the experience of operating and maintaining a fleet of 90 aircraft, provided Conair with the expertise needed to successfully offer third-party maintenance and modifications of aircraft to others. By 1993, Barry envisioned a new enterprise, one dedicated specifically to providing third-party aircraft maintenance. This vision became a reality when Conair moved into a new, state-of-the-art, 250,000-square-foot facility in December of 2000. In the spring of 2001, the third-party maintenance division of Conair became a separate company with a new name: Cascade Aerospace.

Hit rewind, back to the fall of 1999, at the Colony office in Vancouver, B.C. David Thompson, Shawn Lochbaum, and Jim Peacey are preparing for a meeting with the Conair Group, including Barry Marsden and their representatives, to discuss Colony’s proposal to supply and install a Behlen steel building for a new Aircraft Maintenance Facility at the Abbotsford Airport. The project is a challenging one-not only has the competition been strong, but the building itself and its requirements presented their own demands. The overall structure was 460 feet wide, consisting of two 220-foot clear span sections divided by a 20-foot multiple-floor tower that housed numerous heavy mechanical units and various pieces of related equipment. The large 220-foot span rafters also needed to support the loads from suspended cranes, smoke curtains, and a multitude of specialized equipment. The building end wall facing the runway was to house two very large custom fabric Mega Doors, each 210-feet wide and 77-feet tall at their highest point, to allow the passage of a Boeing 757. Supply and installation of the custom doors was also to form a part of the final contract. The building was designed to simultaneously fit eight Boeing 737 aircraft for major overhauling. Then there was the schedule: this monstrous undertaking had to be up and running by the end of the following year. Fortunately, for all involved, the proposal was accepted and Colony went on to successfully complete what has come to be known as the centerpiece of the Abbotsford Airport, the Cascade Aerospace Heavy Maintenance and Modification Hangar.

Fast forward to now, the present. In May of this year, one of Canada’s premier airlines, Westjet, had contracted Cascade Aerospace Inc. as a heavy maintenance provider, as Westjet’s Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft fleet comes due for their “six-year heavy check.” Bret Burnside, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations for Cascade Aerospace, explained, “We currently run just about a million hours a year through the facility; we’ll do everything from a light check which could be four hundred to five hundred hours up to checks as large as one hundred and five thousand hours on an individual aircraft. A check on an aircraft could be anything from checking the oil and the air in the tires to a total disassembly, taking the wings off, the tail off, taking all of the interior components and pieces out, taking the engines off of the aircraft, the landing gear etc., and do inspections on everything, fix any discrepancies found, and then completely re-assemble the aircraft and deliver it back to the customer.” Westjet is Canada’s leading high-value low-fare airline offering scheduled service to 47 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, as well as the Caribbean, with a current fleet of 75 Boeing 737 NG aircraft. “We had a number of reasons why we eyed Cascade Aerospace for our maintenance provider, and one of those reasons, of course, is the building and its infrastructure,” commented Dave Robertson, Westjet’s Manager of Heavy Maintenance. “It’s a purpose built facility, specially designed for what we need our maintenance provider to do for us.”

Dave has a unique perspective on the building, as he worked for Conair when the building was first being built. “I was over at Conair watching it go up from across the field. I’m in kind of a unique position because I’ve had a lot of history with Cascade, because of my position there originally and now with my position with Westjet.” When asked further about the building, Dave added, “It’s one of the most advanced buildings that we’ve seen anywhere in our travels around.” Mike Pastro, the Abbotsford Airport General Manager, was just as enthusiastic. “It’s very impressive to look out my window and see that massive hangar with Mount Baker in the background. I’ve had the privilege of being in the building on a number of occasions and it is a remarkable facility; you’re in awe when you go inside and see just how big it really is.” Mike was also very complimentary in regards to Cascade Aerospace. “They are a very good corporate citizen and one of the biggest and best employers in the area in terms of hiring skilled technicians. We have a good working relationship with Cascade, and we are very pleased that they are here at the Abbotsford Airport.”

Bret offered further input about the building. “It’s working very, very well. Everybody is generally very impressed; it’s very nice and very well put together. Our customers are very happy to come and work out of a nice new facility.” That’s an interesting comment considering that the building is almost 10 years old. Mike Pastro concurred-”It helps to put the Abbotsford Airport on the map because it is a world-class facility. It’s recognized around North America and abroad as a first-rate aircraft maintenance facility, and that contributes to the Airport’s overall credibility.”

The dream continues. According to Bret, Cascade Aviation is looking ahead to the future. “We’re a full service AMO (Approved Maintenance Organization) and we employ over 700 people out here and a million plus hours a year, at this point, and that’s pretty much at capacity. We’re expanding our business into the US and different parts of Canada as well. We also have an operation branch that we run for the French Government, and our sister company, Conair Aerospace, owns and operates fifty-five aerial firefighter aircraft.” We thank you Bret, Dave, and Mike, as well as all of the others who contributed, for your comments as well as your candor. And Bret, if you need us once again down the road, hey, we’ll be there!

© 2008, Colony Management Inc..
www.colonybuildings.com

Cascade – Cascade Aerospace Re-visited
Posted by Colony Management on Monday, October 27th, 2008


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