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July 31, 2023 | Local, Aerospace, Security

Q&A with Boeing Canada's Charles “Duff” Sullivan - Skies Mag

Skies sat down with Charles “Duff” Sullivan, managing director and president of Boeing Canada Operations Ltd., to discuss a variety of topics.

https://skiesmag.com/features/qa-charles-duff-sullivan-managing-director-president-boeing-canada/

On the same subject

  • Leonardo’s AW139 supporting COVID-19 operations in Canada

    May 28, 2020 | Local, Security

    Leonardo’s AW139 supporting COVID-19 operations in Canada

    Posted on May 28, 2020; by Leonardo Helicopters During the spread of COVID-19, Leonardo has seen operators of its aircraft adapt, react and overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic across geographies. Air ambulance operators Ornge and STARS have managed to continue conducting life-saving missions across Canada throughout the emergency. Both of these healthcare organizations have shared with Leonardo how they were adapting to the ‘new normal' and how the Leonardo AW139 helicopter has been supporting their patient transportation missions during these difficult times. STARS serves Western Canada, catering to remote areas and communities as well as highways and passenger transportation. The provinces STARS operates in includes Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The air ambulance operator is seeing around 12 per cent of its missions involve patients with influenza-like illnesses, which may include COVID-19. “Our team has adapted very well to the challenges posed by COVID-19. We have undertaken significant efforts to develop and train crews on enhanced procedures and secure supplies of critical equipment to protect our crews,” said Mike Haska, director of marketing and communications at STARS. Ornge also shared similar sentiments and emphasized how the great people behind these organizations are ensuring it is business as usual despite these trying times. “Like every healthcare organization, the health and safety of Ornge staff and patients is our top priority. Ornge staff have adapted to the pandemic and helped implement a number of innovative solutions including enhanced telemedicine support, an expanded critical care land ambulance program and more,” said Joshua McNamara, public relations officer at Ornge. Ornge is a vital lifeline to the people of Ontario and its AW139 fleet, comprising of a dozen helicopters alongside aircraft and land ambulances, performs duties from one of 12 bases across the province. Both operators are adhering to guidelines and directives from the provinces' health authorities as well as Transport Canada regulations. The twin-engine AW139 is operated around the world and, in September 2019, the 1,000th helicopter of the type was delivered. The helicopter is an ideal EMS platform with its spacious and configurable cabin which can accommodate up to 15 people. “The AW139 is a state of the art aircraft allowing Ornge to access patients in remote locations. Additionally, the AW139 travels faster and allows our crews to transport patients safely due to state of the art navigation and on board technology,” added McNamara. “The range, speed, and versatility of the aircraft allow us to respond to a variety of types of patient transports, which is critical as we respond to COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients across the province.” Within the STARS fleet portfolio are three AW139s, alongside other aircraft, which enable the air ambulance operator to operate 24-7. “The AW139 is a modern and capable helicopter for EMS operations. We continue to see steady mission volumes across our bases so ensuring we are ready to respond to patients in need, whether their medical circumstances involve COVID-19 or not, is crucial,” Haska commented. The AW139 has been adapted to the challenges posed by the pandemic — not only are the crew more adept and learned with wearing PPE but they have adapted the helicopter's configuration and equipment placement within each aircraft to suit the mission, Haska explained. He continued that “select equipment or supplies [can] be off-loaded prior to responding to a COVID-19 positive or suspected patient to reduce the amount of decontamination required post-mission.” STARS' air medical crews are extremely experienced and highly trained to deal with many types of infectious diseases, so the team's existing processes were able to deal with the COVID-19 threat well. However, the frequency has increased by which the crews use PPE such as masks, gowns and gloves on all types of missions during this time. “This is to ensure our staff are not required to self-isolate in the event a patient is later found to have been COVID-positive. This helps us ensure we can maintain 24-7 operations across our bases,” explained Haska. This approach is similar to Ornge which has enhanced its cleaning to high touch areas. “Leonardo has provided Ornge with instruction for approved methods of disinfection in the cockpit and cabin for the AW139. The company remains supportive and responsive and continues to provide seamless support for maintenance activities since the onset of COVID-19,” said McNamara. “We're also grateful that, as the world faces a strain on the supply chain due to numerous requests and organizational shutdowns, Leonardo's supply chain remains uninterrupted and Ornge continues to receive the necessary parts to maintain our aircraft.” As operators like STARS and Ornge continue to meet the threat of COVID-19 head-on, Leonardo plays a key role in the work of the air ambulance services and the crucial role they play in transporting people by providing and supporting helicopters which undertake life-saving missions around the world, day after day. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/leonardos-aw139-supporting-covid-19-operations-in-canada/

  • Macfab Will Support the Launch Canada Challenge Rocketry Competition

    August 6, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Macfab Will Support the Launch Canada Challenge Rocketry Competition

    Macfab, a manufacturer of components and sub-assemblies, has announced it will support the Launch Canada Challenge. The Launch Canada Challenge is an industry-partnered student rocket competition that was created as a result of university student rocketry programs across the country excelling in international competitions and to fill a gap that government doesn't seem interested in filling. Macfab will provide $5,000 in funding. Joe Magyar, Macfab's Business Development Director is a big believer in the Challenge and what organizer Adam Trumpour is trying to achieve. “We first met Adam Trumpour at a space industry conference. We were so impressed by his enthusiasm for Canada's space sector, we featured him in a Macfab video profile. When we heard about Launch Canada, we immediately wanted to be part of this exciting venture.” He told SpaceQ he hopes this will spur on other companies to get involved. Adam Trumpour said “industry support is critical to Launch Canada's success. We are delighted that Macfab recognized the value of nurturing Canada's future space leaders. Thank you, Team Macfab!” http://spaceq.ca/macfab-will-support-the-launch-canada-challenge-rocketry-competition/

  • Here’s why Canada’s defence industry is such an innovation powerhouse

    September 14, 2018 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

    Here’s why Canada’s defence industry is such an innovation powerhouse

    Christyn (Chris) Cianfarani In late 2011, the Department of National Defence decided that the rafts it was using to carry out search and rescue operations in open water were due for an update. Part of DND's sea rescue kit, the new rafts needed to be compact and durable, but they also had to inflate reliably at temperatures as low as -50 C in the frozen expanses of Canada's North. If they didn't, lives could hang in the balance. Enter Benoit Corbeil and his team at Tulmar Safety Systems, who found a way to create a light, durable raft that could be safely airdropped, and would inflate manually on the ice or automatically in water. With a fully enclosed canopy, those rescued can now be immediately sheltered from the cold wind and freezing ocean spray. The responsibility to save lives is what drives people like Benoit and thousands of other Canadians working in the defence and security industries to continue creating innovative solutions to complex problems. In my role as the head of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), I'm often struck by the sheer level of creativity and talent in our sector. But it shouldn't come as a surprise because we've been gathering evidence on this for a few years now. Flexible, collaborative and fruitful In May, CADSI – in partnership with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and Statistics Canada – released the latest State of Canada's Defence Industry report. We found that defence and security companies were behind $400 million worth of research and development (R&D) in 2016, resulting in an R&D intensity close to 4.5 times higher than the Canadian manufacturing average. Our members – now more than 900 of them across Canada – aren't doing this work in a vacuum, of course. They are collaborating with partners in academia, government and supply chains to push boundaries and develop brand new technologies. DND's new Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Program will help encourage even more of this type of cooperation, allocating $1.6 -billion over two decades to innovative solutions that address Canada's defence and security challenges. Sixteen initial challenges have been identified, and start-ups, SMEs, corporations and academics have all been invited to apply. The first contracts were awarded in August, with more coming in fall 2018. But our industry's work is already having tangible, real-world impacts for average Canadians. In July, for instance, global satellite operator Telesat – a company headquartered right in Ottawa – launched the Telstar 19 VANTAGE. This powerful satellite will connect communities across Nunavut with faster and more reliable broadband, opening the territory to the world. We featured Telesat vice-president Michele Beck's contributions to this project in our My North, My Home campaign. Full article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-why-canadas-defence-industry-innovation-cianfarani/

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