Four leading New Zealand aviation companies – Salus Aviation, Spidertracks/Air Maestro, TracPlus and Eye in the Sky – will be showcasing their products and services at the Helicopter Association of Canada (HAC) Annual Conference and Trade Show. Hundreds of aviation companies, operators and executives will attend the largest annual gathering of the Canadian helicopter industry from November 8 to 10, 2023 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“This is the first time the New Zealand aerospace industry has had such a strong presence at the HAC Annual Conference and Trade Show,” said Rod McDonald, Business Development Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Technology at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, the New Zealand government’s international business development agency, which is hosting the New Zealand contingent attending HAC. “New Zealand and Canada have many things in common, one of which is our love of helicopters. New Zealand has one of the highest per capita use of helicopters in the world, and our wider aviation industry is known for being internationally competitive with very high standards of quality and innovation, as the New Zealand companies attending HAC demonstrate.”

Building stronger ties with Canadian helicopter operators

HAC 2023 is a great opportunity for New Zealand aerospace organizations to strengthen their relationships with Canadian operators and customers. “Canada is a growing market for New Zealand and being at HAC this year is a direct reflection of this. The participating companies are growing rapidly and are keen to increase their international presence. All are already active in Canada and this event is an excellent opportunity for them to strengthen relationships with existing and new Canadian customers, showcase their products and services, and increase brand awareness,” said Rod McDonald.

Salus Aviation, a global leader in helicopter MRO and sales and leasing of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, will take advantage of the show to introduce its new branding and expanded capabilities to the North American aviation community. The organization, which acquired the helicopter division of Airwork Holdings Limited (NZ) in December 2022, also includes two strong brand names in its portfolio, namely Oceania Aviation (NZ) and Heli Parts Network (USA). “We look forward to meeting with Canadian helicopter operators and updating them on our latest innovations and expanded service and product portfolio. Recently, our multi-purpose dual hook for the BK117 helicopter has been approved by Transport Canada, providing greater ease of use and versatility for external human cargo operators,” said Greg Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer of Salus Aviation.

Spidertracks and Air Maestro will join forces for the first time during HAC 2023. The recent merger, announced in June 2023 under the Arcadea Group, positions both companies as leading global players in general aviation. Together, they offer a comprehensive and customizable solution that links safety, operations and fleet management. “The unity of Spidertracks and Air Maestro will build on the strengths of each company and provide aircraft owners and operators with enhanced safety through an effective management system, reliable connectivity, accurate recording of critical flight data and information, optimal file and data management, and improved visibility of vital resources,” said Aleks Banas, Chief Executive Officer of the newly-merged company combining Spidertracks and Air Maestro.

TracPlus will showcase its robust platform that seamlessly integrates multiple data streams to provide a single, real-time operational view. From firefighting, aerial construction, emergency services to search and rescue operations, TracPlus is committed to providing a reliable, efficient and straightforward solution to support Canadian operators in their mission-critical tasks, while ensuring the highest levels of safety and operational efficiency. “We look forward to strengthening our relationships with our Canadian partners and customers to ensure that our innovative, reliable, and user-centric solutions not only meet but exceed their operational and safety requirements,” said Wayne Oxenham, VP Global Sales of TracPlus Global.

Eye in the Sky is ready to meet with Canadian operators and customers during HAC 2023. Designed primarily as an investigation tool, Eye in the Sky’s high-definition video, audio and data, along with userfriendly playback software, helps to close incidents, resolve maintenance anomalies, review training flights and route checks, and raise the bar on aviation safety when used as a part of the operator’s safety management system. “Eye in the Sky is the most efficient and cost-effective aviation certified cockpit video, audio and flight data recorder on the market today. Hundreds of Canadian aircraft are already equipped with Eye in the Sky, which can be easily retrofitted to fleets to help prevent accidents, improve pilot skills and drastically reduce operational and diagnostic costs,” said Karen Wake, Product Coordinator of Eye in the Sky