TRACKS - Cougar Helicopters · 1 TRACKS Volume 2 March 2014 ... an Offshore Helicopter Safety...

TRACKS Volume 2 March 20141

MessageFrom the General Manager By Hank Williams, General Manager

warm welcome back to Cougar Tracks! Having been out of circulation for awhile, I am pleased to see it reintroduced. The purpose of Cougar

Tracks remains the same, specifically to communicate with all employees, regardless of your geographic location, about our various operations and initiatives. It is a vehicle to introduce you to new employees, and to let you know about events and milestones in the lives of our employees and our company. This is your newsletter and we welcome your input. I encourage each of you to submit articles, information and photographs about your department, your base of operations and your accomplishments.

Another method of communicating with our employees on an ongoing basis has been the establishment over the past year of regularly scheduled quarterly town hall meetings. Sessions were held in May, September and December in both Halifax and St. John’s with each location displaying good attendance and support. The next town hall meetings are scheduled for April. I look forward to seeing you at these meetings and don’t be shy about asking questions!

Another development within Cougar’s employee communications is the implementation of Cougar e-mail accounts for all employees. In the past some employees utilized non-Cougar e-mail accounts such as hotmail, g-mail, etc. I am happy to report that over the past month, the IT Department completed the implementation process and all employees now hold Cougar e-mail accounts thereby ensuring consistency in the dissemination of information.

When we introduced Cougar Track s some years ago, I said that my commitment to you and to our customers was to strive for continuous i m p r ov e m e n t i n a l l a reas : s a fe ty, g rowth opportunities, earnings and pride in this company. Today I reaffirm that commitment.

Cougar’s core values as set forth by our owner, Mr. Ken Norie, state:

* Maintain and demonstrate the highest of safety values* Safeguard the health and safety of all employees and those related with our activities* Deliver quality services* Seek minimal harm to the environment* Be competitive, just and commercial* Continually seek improvement

If you have ideas and suggestions that you feel will support these core values or if you feel there is an impediment to working within these core values, we want to hear from you. Never hesitate to speak to your supervisor or any member of the management team. Cougar’s open door policy is intended to encourage open communication.

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Hank Williams

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new year always brings new goals, fresh starts and perspectives, new initiatives and challenges. Cougar Tracks is one of those fresh starts! Cougar

Tracks is your newsletter that was published some years ago and which has been reinstated with fresh perspective. The goal of this publication is to communicate information that is of benefit to all employees; to share interesting, informative and sometimes funny news; to include features and articles that has something for everyone at Cougar; to be a publication that you can share with your family and friends! Sound like a tall order – you betcha’ it is! A volunteer Editorial Board has been formed comprised of Candace Moakler; Sherry Pardy; Lisa Efford; Susan Payne; Chris Dillon; Don Roche; Cindy Pike; Marsha Blackwood and Rob Griffiths. This team will assist in the collection of articles and submissions for the newsletter and we want to hear from you! Please contact us with ideas, pictures and/or suggestions for stories! One new idea that has already been put forth (thank you Donnie MacNeill!) was the suggestion of asking employees for their response to a specific question. This great idea has been implemented

By Candace Moakler, Public Affairs Officer

New YearNew Initiative

in this first edition, and I encourage you to check it out under the heading “You Respond!” Maybe you might have an idea for a question to be asked in a future edition! If so, be sure to send me an e-mail with your idea.

This first edition is a year in review. It’s a recap of news within and about Cougar during 2013 which will form the foundation as we go forward in 2014. It is the plan to publish Cougar Tracks three times annually. I encourage each you to get involved with Cougar Tracks to ensure it’s a regular, informative and interesting publication. Articles, ideas and feedback are welcome! Please email me [email protected]

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Candace Moakler

Cougar SARProfessional and expertly-

delivered search and rescue — but this time, it’s not from

the military. Cougar Helicopters opens the door to a new

model of SAR off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Story by Oliver Johnson | Photos by Mike Reyno

Reprinted with the permission of Vertical Magazine


The following is a reprint of a story that appeared in the November/December 2013 edition of Canadian Skies magazine.

imes are changing in offshore oil and gas transportation. Today, the booming market is held under the microscope of public scrutiny to a

greater degree than almost any other aviation sector. Multi-million dollar contracts grab industry headlines – and attention – around the globe, while the potential rewards offered by the sector’s continued growth have encouraged almost all the major helicopter manufacturers to develop a new generation of aircraft targeted directly at offshore transportation. At the same time, several high-profile helicopter ditchings over in the North Sea have thrown the industry back under the spotlight — resulting in unsympathetic (and, occasionally, misinformed) coverage from the mainstream media. Safety, quite rightly, is the key word, and as the industry continues to grow, the importance of cutting-edge safety management systems — including the very best search and rescue (SAR) aircraft, crew, and equipment, could not be understated.

Here in Canada, the tipping point for a rethink of offshore safety was the fatal crash of Cougar flight 491, on March 12, 2009, off the coast of Newfoundland. Following the accident, an Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry was established, headed by former Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Justice Robert Wells. Soon after the inquiry began hearing evidence, Wells felt compelled to write to the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) — ahead of the filing his official report — with an interim recommendation that he felt could save lives. He saw an urgent need for a SAR operation dedicated to the offshore industry; one that could crucially reach people in an emergency situation in a drastically-reduced time.

“The speed of response is especially important in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore because our distances are great, and the North Atlantic over which we fly is perhaps the most hostile offshore helicopter environment,” Wells wrote in his letter to the C-NLOPB. “If a helicopter is forced to ditch in our waters, the life expectancy of survivors is limited, even with the best immersion or flotation suits and the best training. . . . I have no doubts about the skills of Cougar’s pilots and rescue specialists; however a fulltime, dedicated and fully equipped response helicopter ready to go in 15 or 20 minutes is what is needed in St. John’s, and needed as quickly as possible. It should be equipped with a forward looking infrared camera mounted externally . . . [and] it requires to be mounted on a fulltime

T dedicated helicopter [that] is also equipped with auto-hover and a double winch.”

The contents of that letter were set in stone as the first of 29 recommendations in the inquiry’s final report; but, armed with Wells’ wish list, as well as decades of experience in the search and rescue role, Cougar Helicopters, together with the C-NLOPB, wasted no time in realizing the vision. A Sikorsky S-92, dedicated to — and fully equipped for — the SAR mission, was quickly added to Cougar’s fleet (making Cougar the first operator — civilian or military — to utilize the S-92 in a SAR role), and additional pilots and rescue specialists were brought on board.

The “wheels-up” time for a SAR mission out towards the offshore platforms was almost immediately cut in half — from 60 minutes, to just 30. The creation of a new 27,500-square-foot hangar at St. John’s International Airport in Newfoundland, built specifically to house Cougar’s SAR operation, has resulted in that time being further reduced; when a call comes in, the team now expects to be in the air within 15 minutes — well inside the time specified by Wells. But a visit to the hangar quickly reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of exceptional performance. Utilizing the very best in personnel, equipment, training and facilities, Cougar, through its partnership with the offshore oil companies, has created a SAR operation that it sees as complementary and equal in overall capability to that provided by the military.

A Cougar rescue specialist is hoisted down from the company’s specially configured Sikorsky S-92 to the deck of a ship during a training mission.

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In addition to this, it carries two survival kits that can be deployed from the air, each consisting of a 10-man life raft, and 250-feet of floating polypropylene rope connected to a supply bundle.

The team uses a Goodrich dual rescue hoist, with 300 feet of usable cable and a maximum weight of 600 pounds — but with an overload capacity of 1,100 pounds. The rescue slings have a built-in strop to prevent a person slipping through, while a rescue basket and Stokes litter complete the recovery equipment carried.

Two auxiliary fuel tanks allow the SAR team to take an extra 1,000 pounds of fuel, and provide the S-92 with an operating range of 290 nautical miles, with 30 minutes on-scene. Offshore refueling can increase this range if necessary.

But the aircraft, like the program itself, is constantly evolving, with new capabilities added over time. Over the last few months, two key developments have added a whole new level to Cougar’s SAR offering — crew hover control and night vision goggle (NVG) use.

The crew hover control function enables the hoist operator to make minor adjustments to the aircraft’s position, once it’s in the hover. Using a small control arm situated by the cabin door, the hoist operator can move the aircraft to an optimal position over a target to complete the hoist.

Finally, the aircraft is fully night vision goggle (NVG) compatible, with Cougar’s SAR crews recently completing extensive training, facilitated by night vision specialist

A New Type of SARAlthough the service now provided by Cougar is relatively new, the company has been active in SAR since 1991. At that time, it was using an S-76 from its base in Halifax, but a partial SAR system soon developed at its St. John’s location. Although this became more elaborate over time, it still required the aircraft — most recently an S-61 — to be reconfigured for the SAR mission once a call for assistance came in (a process that could take about an hour to complete).

Walking into Cougar’s SAR hangar today, it’s hard to imagine a more dramatic shift in capability. Sitting proudly in its own dedicated place in the spotless facility, the dedicated SAR S-92, highly customized for its crucial mission, is ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The list of equipment on the aircraft is impressive, and goes above and beyond that requested by Wells in the inquiry report. There is, of course, the forward looking infrared camera, which in this case is a FLIR Ultra 8500XRT, mounted under the aircraft’s nose. Inside, a custom-built FLIR station allows a crewmember to work both the FLIR and a 30-million candle power Spectrolab Nightsun searchlight, although the two are not slaved together. The station also serves as a communications hub, allowing all satellite calls to be handled in the back.

The aircraft has full triage, oxygen air, respiratory distress, burn and hypothermic treatment kits, as well as tools for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a defibrillator.


All cougar flights are scheduled, planned and dispatched from the company’s state-of-the-art Operational Control Centre (OCC) in St. John’s.L – R: Selena Cole, Flight Follower/Radio Operator; Jason Warren, Flight Dispatcher; Carl Lynch, Maintenance Control Chief; Steve Gibbons, Flight Dispatcher

Night Flight Concepts, to enable the use of NVGs in its operations.

“Obviously we want to prepare for the worst case scenario, and the most challenging conditions,” Wayne Timbury, Cougar’s SAR chief pilot told Canadian Skies. “Right now, the guys don’t fly offshore at night, but in future it may happen, so you need to have the capability to pick people out of the water. The two aircraft we have configured now with the SAR AFCS — the auto transition, auto hover capability — both those aircraft are also fitted with the NVG cockpit. So, we basically combine the two using the auto transition to get down, and then use the goggles to assist us with the hoisting.”

Rick Banks, Cougar’s search and rescue program manager (and a former SAR Tech with the Royal Canadian Air Force), said the support of the company’s offshore customers was crucial in allowing the aircraft to become specialized to such a degree. “Our customers have helped elevate our SAR capabilities and equipment in an instrumental manner through joint funding assistance,” he said. “They’re enabling us to move in a very innovative and proactive direction with all these new elaborate tools, especially with this airframe — and there’s no doubt, no question in my mind, that the S-92 is the aircraft for this work. All the crew members that have been using it, having come from a variety of backgrounds with experience in different airframes, they just love it.”

A Specialized TeamEvan Sturge has been a pilot at Cougar for six years, but has been flying offshore for much of the last 30 years. Like all Cougar SAR pilots, he works three weeks on, three weeks off. Within that working shift, he flies a week on the line (the regular scheduled flights between St. John’s and the offshore platforms), followed by a week of the day SAR,

Sitting proudly in its own dedicated place in the spotless facility, the

dedicated SAR S-92, highly customized for its crucial mission, is ready to be

deployed at a moment’s notice — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

and finally a week on the night SAR shift. He said the North Atlantic provides some of the world’s most challenging flying conditions.

“Icing, restricted visibility, and wind are probably the three big elements that make this the harshest environment around,” he said. “But exposure to it dictates whether or not you feel comfortable, and I’ve spent my working life here, as have many others.”

The unpredictable nature of SAR flying was in itself a challenge, he said. “You have to think on your feet. You come in in the morning, and based on how the day unfolds, you could be doing an offshore rescue scenario with a boat, or something on land… you just don’t know the nature of what you’re going to be doing.”

When Cougar started completing SAR missions, its aircraft were manned by a crew of four — the two pilots would be joined by a rescue specialist and a hoist operator. But today, when the S-92 flies out on a SAR mission, it’s carrying two rescue specialists in its cabin, alongside the hoist operator. “There are a lot of operations globally that work with the one [rescue specialist] approach, but given our remote location and mission tasking distance, a backup rescue specialist is deemed vital to the operation. For example, if the first man on the cable is inadvertently cut away and injured, the second rescue specialist can assist him and carry out mission completeness. For us, that second man is an essential team element that provides not only backup, but advanced

Cougar’s pilots perform their work in some of the world’s most challenging conditions, over the inhospitable North Atlantic. After recently receiving Transport Canada approval for the use of night vision goggles in its operations, the company’s SAR crews now have increased capability at night.

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Skies. He said any differences were largely due to the Civil Aviation Regulations under which Cougar operated.

“There are minor limitations” he said. “We can’t actually open our ramp in the air — it’s not certified to open in flight. So, we don’t have that ability. . . . [And] the military has lower weather limits than ours.” On the flip side, the S-92 has the FLIR (which the Cormorant has yet to receive), and the dual auxiliary tanks provide the aircraft with a slightly greater range.

Ready for the CallCougar’s constant reach for excellence in its SAR operations can be seen in its huge commitment to training. Typically, the SAR crews are expected to complete 80 hours of training flights each month, with each shift flying between one to two hours of training.

A simulated mission is selected at random each day; but, once a month, the team also undergoes a no-notice full SAR drill. “We want to test the SAR launch process every month, adjusting it where required to ensure the delivery of wheels up in 20 minutes is maintained at all times,” said

medical skills and overall assistance to the team during all missions. Fundamentally, it’s the way to go.”

It’s perhaps no great surprise that many of the highly trained and highly skilled professionals who comprise Cougar’s SAR crews have a military search and rescue background.

According to Banks, the SAR personnel at Cougar have a total of over 500 years of SAR experience — many arriving at the company with an extensive search and rescue background. Banks said this history of performing such a demanding mission in some of the harshest climates on earth was invaluable. “There are times when you go out that Plan A goes to Plan B really quickly,” he said. “It’s having that experience level to adjust the plan while on scene that makes a world of difference.”

According to Steve Pettie, a hoist operator for Cougar’s SAR operation (and previously a flight engineer in the military), the transition into the S-92 from the AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is very smooth. “It’s almost seamless for a hoist operator or a rescueman, because the equipment is very similar, the terminology is almost identical and the procedures are almost identical,” he told Canadian

Cougar has 85 AMEs and apprentices working across its regular and SAR operations in St. John’s and Halifax.L – R: Andrew Kenway; Ed Howell; Rob Spear; Dave Vincent; Jason Coffin; Michael Watton


Banks. “The more we can practice it, drill it, the better it’s going to be . . . [and] we’re averaging 14, 15 [minutes to wheels up] every drill that we have.”

Banks said the majority of training missions focus on working with life rafts, vessels and recovering people from the water. “There’s no doubt that the aircraft ditching scenario is a very important aspect we must train for, to ensure all variables are covered in a professional manner,” he said, adding that most exercises serve to ensure that all processes and procedures are in place to cope with such an event.

The service is funded by the oil companies through a pool. Due to C-NLOPB regulations, all offshore contracts in Newfoundland and Labrador require the customer to contribute towards the cost of the SAR service. The regulations also stipulate that the aircraft must be available 24/7 — and that if the SAR aircraft is down at any time, for any reason, the C-NLOPB must be notified immediately, and any line flights grounded. For this reason, Cougar has a backup S-92 that can be configured to the exact same specification as the full-time SAR aircraft. According to Bob Pardy, Cougar’s director of maintenance, this process can be completed in about two hours.

Pardy said the process of creating the S-92 in its final Cougar SAR configuration took between 18 to 24 months, from inception, through gaining supplemental type certificates (STCs) for various items, through building a prototype, to creating the finished aircraft. The STCs — required for the FLIR station, Nightsun mount, auxiliary tanks, and bubble window, amongst others — were completed in conjunction with VIH Aerospace.

He said the SAR S-92 has a team of two aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) dedicated to it during the day, while at night a larger crew comes in to complete any heavier maintenance (current C-NLOPB regulations restrict offshore flying in the region to daylight-only, so a regular line aircraft is used for any medevac call that comes in at night.)

A Model for SuccessIn October 2013, the National SAR Secretariat presented Cougar with the Excellence in SAR Innovation award at the National SARSCENE awards banquet in Chilliwack, B.C. The prestigious recognition showed that as the capabilities

of Cougar’s civil SAR program and aircraft increase, so too is its reputation amongst SAR agencies on a national level.

But, while the company’s privately-funded program is considered an asset that can be utilized by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Halifax, to help with government SAR missions, Cougar must ask the oil companies for permission through the C-NLOPB to respond, if a call does come in for assistance. However, “there’s never been an issue with approval,” said Banks.

Indeed, a response to a tasking beyond its original mission is something the company is happy to provide when possible. In recent years, it has provided privately-funded SAR across North America and Greenland, including operations in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.; Barrow, Alaska; and Galliano, La.

“With some of these remote areas, once you set up an operation, you become a tangible asset, able to provide humanitarian assistance when requested,” said Banks.

For now, the company is focusing on honing its capabilities and expertise in serving the mission for which it was created, while its rapid evolution will continue to see new layers of cutting-edge service added over the coming years. Canada may not have been the first to welcome civil SAR to its offshore region, but with Cougar’s new program, it’s now home to a service that’s setting the international standard.

Cougar’s constant reach for excellence in its SAR operations can be seen in its

huge commitment to training.

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THANK YOU! Cougar Helicopters expresses thanks and appreciation to all employees who assisted and participated in the production of this feature story published by Canadian Skies. The magazine staff were in St. John’s in early August to gather material for the story and numerous employees participated – thank you!

n March of 2013, we took a proactive step forward with respect to HR. It was at this time that we introduced an addition to our Human Resources

Team, our Director of Human Resources and Employee Relations, Mark Broderick. In conjunction with our Human Resources Manager, Renee Paddock, this dynamic duo says they have a vision for the delivery of HR services within Cougar.

Cougar Tracks (CT) sat down with Mark and Renee to discuss the structure of HR going forward as well as their vision for service delivery.

CT: Renee, can you tell us what the expansion of the HR team means to you?

Renee: “For me personally, I think the expansion of the HR team will give Cougar the ability to better meet the needs of our employees. Putting processes, policies and procedures in place or fine tuning the ones we have, along with training for the employees, will give each employee the ability to be well informed and better equipped to do their job. Cougar, I feel, is a family and the expansion

of the HR team is just another way of taking care of the family!”

CT: Renee, what role do you continue to play in the delivery of HR services within Cougar?

Renee: “Mark and I have spent a lot of time reviewing the structure of HR and we have successfully identified our respective roles as related to the HR function. For me, I continue to support the delivery of various HR initiatives such as: recruitment and selection; new hire orientation; administration of benefits and retirement savings plan; administration of HR policies and procedures; and performance management. I look forward to being able to offer an increased level of service and focus in these areas.”

CT: Mark, can you tell us what the expansion of the HR team means to you?

Mark: “Well for me, I believe that an expansion of the HR department represents just another example of how we value our people. All too often the HR function is overlooked and understaffed in companies. The consequence of such action can be dramatic, especially when it comes to supporting staff. Human resources and employee relations is a far reaching function that touches all employees. A well-structured HR function, clear policies and procedures, and appropriate support systems are critical ingredients in any company’s recipe for success.”

CT: Mark, what role do you play in the delivery of HR services within Cougar?

Mark: “The role that I play is to oversee the continued development and application of our human resources and employee relations function in its entirety. This involves identifying areas for improvement within our existing HR model, policies, procedures, compensation systems, as well as HR support systems. From there we will endeavor to

Human Resources... 2013/2014

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Mark Broderick Renee Paddock

put forth recommendations and solutions with continuous improvement in mind.”

CT: Mark, what is your vision for HR at Cougar?

Mark: “My vision is rather simple. I believe in the simple approach to HR. I envision building fair, consistent, clear and innovative HR solutions and maintaining a focus on continuous improvement. I see us providing strategic leadership to the organization and also modeling excellence through industry benchmarking, all the while maintaining a high level of integrity in the things that we do.”

CT: Mark, does our HR team have any goals for 2014?

Mark: We are actively working on a number of initiatives including:

• a review and re-launch of the Cougar Employee Handbook;

• leveraging our connection with our Bristow HR colleagues in an effort to share best practices;

• improving upon our recruitment, selection, and new hire orientation procedures;

• conducting a review of our performance management process;

• continuing our review of our total compensation structure; and

• implementing a supervisory/managerial skills training initiative.

There are many things on which we could focus. However, it will take time to address all matters. To that point, we would like to say that we appreciate the level of patience and cooperation that we have received from all employees as we attempt to drive improvement.

n April 19 St. John’s based Cougar employees were treated to lunch compliments of Husky Energy. Pizza was delivered to Cougar as a token

of Husky’s appreciation for the day to day dedication each department at Cougar provides to Husky’s flying program. While Husky is aware that some days can be frustrating due to weather delays or maintenance issues, they wanted all employees to know that they appreciate everything

Husky Shows Appreciation

Cougar’s employees do to allow them to complete their flying program each day in a safe and efficient manner. In expressing his thanks to Cougar, Ed Antle, Husky’s Logistics Lead said “We wanted to include all rather than single out a few. It takes the complete team to deliver the end product. Your contributions do not go unnoticed at Husky”. Thank you Husky Energy!

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Cougar Tracks thanks Mark and Renee for taking the time to chat with us. We look forward to hearing more from our HR team and sharing additional HR news with you in future editions.

n November 3, Cougar Helicopter’s quality assurance team was up bright and early as they headed to Calgary, Alberta, for safety management

system and quality assurance training.

Cougar’s quality assurance team, consisting of Bruce Lundrigan (QA Manager), Morris Kendell (QA Inspector), Susan Payne (QA Auditor), Gary Dickson (Director, QA SMS) Don Roche (Manager, Flt. OPS QA) and Glyn Mugford (Auditor, Flt. OPS QA) attended a four day training course in Calgary.

DTI Training Consortium International conducted the training at the Air Tindi, Discovery Air Training Facility in Calgary, Alberta. DTI is the same group that has helped the Canadian regulators develop the QA and surveillance portions of the SMS system and has spent the last four years facilitating the implementation of this new process to transport inspectors.

The course enabled the quality assurance team to further familiarize themselves with the basic aspects of quality assurance and specifically SMS from a Canadian civil

By Susan Payne, QA Auditor

aviation point of view.

The course topics included operational control; safety management systems; quality assurance; building manuals; basic auditing; root cause analysis; and corrective action plan. The course helped broaden the team’s knowledge of Transport Canada’s SMS system requirements, what Transport would look for during audits, how to audit and answer audit findings, as well as insight for Cougar as we continue to implement and improve our SMS system.

The course was interesting and informative, and we all had a great time while learning new initiatives and continuing to strenghten our skills. I have to personally thank Bruce for taking the time to make sure I got to “Lululemon”. He heard me talk about it so much. My twin girls thank you too!

Safety ManagementSystem & Quality Assurance Training

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SAFETY AWARENESS “Reverse Parking Program” – Effective December 01, 2013, Cougar’s Safety Department rolled out a new “reverse parking program”. All employees should now be backing into parking spaces as opposed to parking front on. Please be aware of the new “reverse parking only” signs that will be located in all employee parking areas. For the safety of all personnel in Cougar’s parking areas, please obey the signs and back it up for safety!


Susan Payne

he company Operations Manual, Chapter 2, Section 8 describes the responsibilities of the Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) Manager.

In there you will find a responsibility which states; “Tasked to provide oversight of company flight operations through an internal evaluation program…” The internal evaluation program is a series of internal audits.

Currently we are constantly collecting data through the flight data recorder which is used to produce up to two different monthly audits. As well, we audit flight operations training records on pilots, dispatchers and rescue specialists. Recently we have added two additional internal audits to the mix, flight crew pre-flight and flight crew post flight.

The latest internal audits focus on the roles and responsibilities of fight crew as outlined primarily in the COM Chapter 2, and Chapter 3; and SOP Chapter 2 and Chapter 6. The audits will enable us to assess how well our

Flight Ops Quality AssuranceAn Audit From me to YOU!

flight crews are prepared for their flights and how they complete a flight after shut-down, both operationally and administratively.

With the addit ion of the two latest internal a u d i t s w e c a n n o w measure the compliance and effectiveness of our flight operations from the moment our flight crew report for duty until the completion of their flight or series of flights for any given period of duty time.

Prior to the introduction of these pre and post flight internal audits, FOQA monitored the in-flight compliance with data from the helicopter flight data recorders. FOQA will be taking the internal auditing on the road to Halifax. Commencing in 2014, FOQA will be visiting our base in Halifax to conduct periodic internal audits of flight operations activities. See you soon, Halifax!

By Don Roche, Flight Operations Quality Assurance Manager

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Don Roche

Lets introduce the Finance Team! The function of the finance department is to track and monitor incoming and outgoing monies and to analyze this information to ensure appropriate financial decisions are made with both the company’s and employee’s best interest in mind. The Finance Department team and their duties (in broad terms) is outlined below:

Brian Dillon, Director of Finance – Brian oversees the Finance, IT and Facilities departments. This position was created during the Bristow transaction, to alleviate work that was being completed by Charlie Hodgins, Chief Financial Officer of VIH Aviation Group.

FinanceJonathan Mahoney, Accounting Manager - Jonathan was hired in February 2013 to manage the finance team, and to complete much of the everyday work that Brian Dillon was completing in this role (prior to the creation of the Director of Finance), such as financial analysis and budgeting.

Sherry Pardy, Controller – Sherry, along with Jonathan, overseas the finance department and works closely with the team on a daily basis. Sherry completes month end close each month and works on projects to ensure that processes are as efficient as possible.

Wanda Stuckless and Joanie Power, Accounts Payable - Wanda and Joanie verify, enter and pay all of the incoming bills from vendors, as well as all company credit cards and employee expense claims.

Annette Pierce, Accounts Receivable – Annette was hired on a temporary maternity leave replacement in Accounts Payable, but became full-time in Accounts Receivable in April 2013. Annette handles all of the billings to Cougar customers.

Sheila Blake, Payroll – For many employees, this is the most important function in the finance department! Sheila ensures that payroll is completed and that all employees are paid on schedule. Sheila also ensures all payroll related government remittances are paid on schedule.

FUN FACTSabout Finance Department

– Between January and December 2013, the Finance department processed and paid 1,850 employee expense claims

and 5,000 payments to Vendors!

In each edition of Cougar Tracks we plan to present individual departments within the company – the submission will outline what the department does, the individuals within the department, new initiatives or projects, etc. In this edition, we are pleased to present the Finance Department!


ougar is pleased to advise that in 2013 it implemented regularly scheduled town hall meetings on a quarterly basis. In the past, Cougar

held town hall sessions from time to time in order to inform employees of various activities and initiatives within the organization. However, these sessions are now scheduled as an ongoing quarterly event in both St. John’s and Halifax. To date, we have hosted three sessions. The first of these took place on May 13 in Halifax and May 14 in St. John’s and both were well attended. In addition to an operational and general update from Hank Williams, Gary Dickson, Director of Quality Assurance presented a safety update and overview, and Mark Broderick, Director of Human Resources presented HR goals and objectives for the year ahead.

The second town hall session was held September 9 in St. John’s and September 10 in Halifax. In order to try to accommodate as many employees as possible, two sessions were held at each location. In addition to a general update from Hank, Bob Pardy, Director of Maintenance and JJ

Town Hall Sessions C Gerber, Director of Flight Operations provided updates on

their respective departments.

The third set of meetings were held on December 13 in St. John’s and December 16 in Halifax. Presenters were Hank Williams, Mark Broderick and Gary Dickson. The company also took the time at these meetings to distribute a gift of thanks in appreciation of employees’ support and dedication over the past year.

These town hall meetings are viewed as an important communications tool in updating employees on items that are of interest and benefit to all. Thank you to everyone who attended both in person and via teleconference and thank you for your feedback. The dates for the first 2014 meetings will be announced shortly. Please continue to let us know how we can improve these sessions and if there are specific topics you would like to hear about in the future. Please email your feedback directly to Mark Broderick at [email protected]

od Caines has been an AME for 28 years having worked on eight different types of aircraft. However, did you know that Rod is also an

accomplished musician? Rod taught himself how to play the guitar as a young teenager and he hasn’t looked back. Growing up in Stephenville in a large family, Rod says that music was an integral part of everyday family life. Rod’s father and some of his siblings are also musicians. In the early 1980’s, while pursuing his career as an AME, Rod performed as a solo act singing and playing in local pubs across Newfoundland & Labrador. Throughout his

life Rod has enjoyed writing his own music, but only recently decided to produce his original songs. Reflective of real life experiences, Rod’s lyrics offer a unique perspective on life’s journey. Just over a year ago Rod released his debut album Crazy When the Sun Goes Down with ten original songs. The music was recorded at Stagehouse Recording Studio in St. Philip’s. Click on the link to listen to Rod perform! Congratulations Rod – you are wished every success with your performing endeavours! Check out Rod’s music at: www.rodcaines.com

TRACKS 14

Rod CainesAircraft Maintenance Engineer and Singer/Songwriter!

R

New Hires Cougar welcomes the following staff hired in 2013 ST. JOHN’S Jason Lake Stores AssistantJonathan Mahoney Accounting Manager Krista Engram Safety & Quality Administrative Assistant Zach Mitchell Immersion Suit Technician - AVC Pax FacilityAnthony Vaandering Immersion Suit Technician Roger Pope Safety Equipment Coordinator Jennifer Furey Travel Coordinator Mark Broderick Director of Human ResourcesStephanie Campbell Human Resources Business Partner Selena Cole DispatchLesley Waterman Check-in Agent Gerard Dalton Line Service Technician Jonathan Inkpen AME Apprentice Ji He Programmer Leah Howlett Maintenance Assistant Scott Dockery IFR Pilot Marten Sachsse IFR Pilot Gabriel Rogers Ramp Security Agent Adrianne Cotter Ramp Security Agent Nicholette Walshe Ramp Security Agent Robert Sullivan Ramp Security Agent


Cougar Helicopters St. John’s base has a monthly “Non Declared Items Award.” This award was put in place as a incentive for Ramp/Security staff to be diligent in their daily checks of personnel and baggage. NDI (Non Declared Items) are prohibited items that passengers are required to declare and/or check-in prior to traveling offshore. The items range from non declared medications, cell phones, cameras as well as items that passengers do not realize are hazardous. Security is a very important component of the passenger screening process and safety is Cougar’s top priority.

Kelly Dawe Traffic AgentTony Poirier Stores AssistantPaul Lightle Ramp Security AgentCindy Pike Ramp Security AgentJoanne Lee Traffic AgentMark Harvey Facilities Assistant

J Michael Martin Ramp Security Agent ason Sharpe Ramp Security Agent John Fully Ramp Security Agent Shane Lahey Ramp Security AgentKen Wiseman Ramp Security AgentTyler Moore Ramp Security AgentJordan Caines Ramp Security Agent David Hickey Dispatch Andrew Eaton IFR Pilot Yann Ehouarne IFR Pilot Steven Moore Area Operations & Service Delivery Manager Dana Aitken IFR Pilot Walter Workman IFR Pilot

HALIFAX

NON-DECLAREDITEMS AWARDS

NDI winners for 2013 are:Jason Nichols - January Robin Crane - February Robin Crane - March Patrick Hatfield - April Anthony Vaandering - May Anthony Vaandering and Tyler Smith - June Lucas Rogers - July Anthony Vaandering - August Jordan Caines - September Robert Sullivan – October Jordan Caines - November Robert Sullivan - December

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

2013 Service Awards

David Johnston IFR Pilot

Michelle Sheppard AME Norma Young Flight Operations Assistant Stephen LeMessurier Rescue Specialist

Sheri Hickey Traffic LeadRobert Steenweg AME

TRACKS 16

J Michael Martin Ramp Security Agent ason Sharpe Ramp Security Agent John Fully Ramp Security Agent Shane Lahey Ramp Security AgentKen Wiseman Ramp Security AgentTyler Moore Ramp Security AgentJordan Caines Ramp Security Agent David Hickey Dispatch Andrew Eaton IFR Pilot Yann Ehouarne IFR Pilot Steven Moore Area Operations & Service Delivery Manager Dana Aitken IFR Pilot Walter Workman IFR Pilot

Brad Barry AME Catriona MacFarlene-Reed Helicopter Flight Data Manager Chris Gillingham Weather Observer Chris Thompson Ramp Security Agent - Shift Lead Craig Howell AME Evan Sturge IFR Pilot Jason Shears AME Jason Sheppard Software Developer Jason Warren Dispatch Joanne Butler Buyer Jonathan Hayden AME Kevin Lackey AME Mark Evans Purchasing Manager Mike Bourdages Rescue Specialist Morris Kendall Quality Assurance Inspector Patrick Hatfield Ramp Security Agent - Shift Lead Richard Lavallee IFR Pilot/BFOM Rod Mullins Dispatch Ryan Greeley System Administrator Scott Davidson IFR Pilot Sean Matthews IFR Pilot Shane McLennon AME Stephen Dwyer AME Trevor Stacey AMEGary Cherwonick IFR Pilot Grant Mills IFR PilotJames Anderson AMEPaul Traversy IFR PilotRandy Baker AME

RetirementLorne Stratton - IFR Pilot Hired - November 15, 1999 Retired- March 22, 2013 Jim Cox - IFR Pilot Hired - June 18, 2001 Retired - December 24, 2013 Congratulations to all on a job well done! Congratulations to all of you!

Babies Born Cougar Helicopters welcomes the following additions to its extended family! January 11, Baby boy Nicholas Rodney, born to Jeanine & Rodney Rowsell. Rodney is an AME, St. John’s Base. April 2nd, Baby Boy, Zavier Noam, born to Mathieu & Kim Belanger. Mathieu is an IFR Pilot St. John’s Base. May 5th, Baby Boy, Declan, born to Andrew and Ashley Kenway. Andrew is an AME St. John’s Base. June 28th, Baby Boy, Blake, born to Donnie & Charmaine Mercer. Donnie is an Stores Assistant St. John’s Base. June 29th, Baby Girl, Carly Paige, born to Trevor and Melanie Stacey. Trevor is an AME St. John’s Base. August 1st, Baby Girl, Megan, born to Sean & Brianna Simms. Sean is a Maintenance Controller St. John’s Base August 13th, Baby Girl, Emily Alexis, born to Kris & Catherine Chatham. Kris is an AME Halifax base.

Baby Boy, Declan, born to Andrew and Ashley Kenway

Baby Boy, Jake, born to Amanda Hurley

and Jason Power


August 16th, Baby Boy, Jake, born to Amanda Hurley & Jason Power. Amanda Hurley is a Flight Ops Assistant St. John’s Base August 18th, Baby Boy, Nathaniel George, born to Steve Gibbons and Colleen Dobbin. Steve is a Dispatcher St. John’s Base September 18th, Baby Boy, Connor Irving, born to Colin and Elizabeth Moss. Colin is an IFR Pilot St. John’s Base. September 28th, Baby Boy, Liam Oliver, born to Henri and Denise Paris. Henri is an IFR Pilot Halifax Base. October 14th, Baby Boy, Cohen John Andrew, born to Amy Moxsom, Dewayne Miller and big brothers Jacob and Bryson. Amy is a Ramp/Security Agent Halifax Base. November 19th, Baby Girl, Addyson Rylynn, born to Amanda and Alexander Dunn. Amanda is a Traffic Agent Halifax Base

t must be Friday because I hear a voice approaching calling out “50/50 tickets”! Better dig out your change! 50/50 ticket sales is but one of numerous

activities organized by Cougar’s Social Committee whose members include:• Sheila Blake • Chris Dillon• April Morgan • Mark Nolan• Renee Paddock • Sherry Pardy• Annette Pierce • Michelle Sheppard• Wanda Squires

Throughout 2013 the committee was busy organizing various activities for all employees. The year kicked off with a St. Patrick’s Day party for employees and friends on March 16 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Pleasantville. Later in the year on Friday, October 25 a Halloween party took place at the Legion for employees and friends. The Children’s Christmas party took place on Sunday, December 8 at the Johnson GEO Centre and was well attended by approximately 120 children and parents. To the delight of all children, Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance! The Annual Employee Christmas Dinner & Dance was held on Friday, December 13 at the Legion in Pleasantville. Long service awards were presented at the event and the 2013 annual “Cougar Video” created by Chris Dillon was revealed! Approximately 215 people attended and a good time was had by all! For those unable to attend the party because of the work schedule, meals from the Legion were sent to both Cougar facilities for employees to enjoy. Throughout the year there were 40 Friday 50/50 ticket sales! And in 2013, donation’s were made to:• Pyjama Drive in support of Gathering Place, Iris Kirby House and Single Parents Association• Conrad Fitzgerald Academy – Playground Project, English Harbour West• Community Food Sharing Association• Ronald McDonald House in Memory of Roxanne Burton• Royal Canadian Legion – Chair Lift Project

• Cystic Fibrosis Canada – NL Chapter• Turnings – St. John’s Drug Outreach Program

The Social Committee has advised that they have started planning for 2014 events and that they are looking for new members. Currently there are reps from all departments except Flight Operations and Passenger Movements. It would be great to have each department represented. If you are interested in being part of the Social Committee, please contact Renee Paddock at [email protected] or 758-4852. Also advise if you have suggestions for upcoming events you would like to see held!

Special thanks to the Social Committee for your time and support in organizing activites for all employees.

Social Committee I

TRACKS 18

he Cougar Helicopters Inc. Corporate Quality Policy states that safety is one of our core commitments. To ensure we maintain a safe operation, processes

have been established and implemented in every facet of our company to assure our customers are delivered a quality product in a consistently safe manner. A process approach to management is a key aspect of modern quality systems and everyone plays a vital role within it.

Throughout 2013 Cougar proved that it is more than worthy to meet any and all of its customers’ requirements. This has been noted within the statistics that relate to a decrease in external audit findings and zero lost time injuries. The ability to consistently achieve those results is essentially a measure of quality. All these parameters must be

considered collectively when processes are established and implemented in order to assure our business is safe, compliant, effective and competitive.

The key to success is the predictability of a well-established process, wherein outputs for a given set of inputs can be assured through adequate design and control of the inputs and activities. Such predictability prevents or reduces errors, rework and inefficiencies, and is essential to both safety and business success.

The Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) incorporates reactive and proactive means of assessing and


By Gary Dickson, Director of Safety & Quality Assurance

Safety ManagementCougar Quality

• Leading Indicators are equally important as Lagging Indicators in reporting safety statistics.

• Hazards – includes all hazards reported in the Cougar Safety Reporting System, as well as Non Disclosed Items.

T managing risk and identifying areas where continuous improvement is required. This means not only correcting weaknesses or errors, but identifying preventive measures to address potential gaps before problems occur. All of this then provides valuable information for management to direct efforts to design and adjust the activities within a process, and potentially adjustment of the inputs (from suppliers) may be required as well. This is where it is vital for all internal and external parties to realize the importance of their relationships within a given process.

This is the critical nature of the interdependencies of a process based organization, and accentuates the importance of good process management. The ISMS has provided Cougar with an opportunity to stretch beyond the

Gary Dickson

TRACKS 20

uring the National SAR Secretariat’s (NSS) SARScene 2013 Convention held in Chilliwack, British Columbia in October, Cougar Helicopters

was awarded the prestigious “Award of Excellence – SAR Innovation”. In notifying Cougar of its award, the NSS stated “Cougar Helicopters’ strength, perseverance and commitment to search and rescue are exceptional”.

Guidelines for the award state that “The Award of Excellence for Innovation recognizes those who have solved a problem or successfully leveraged an opportunity that has served to enhance SAR. Such innovation may involve technology or equipment, but may also include innovative approaches or techniques. The nomination must highlight the special or exceptional quality of the innovation.”

Cougar’s eight page nomination provided a detailed description of its accomplishments and outlined how it has continually challenged itself and its employees to improve performance through innovation. These innovative efforts have enabled the company to become a recognized lead-the-industry practitioner of commercial SAR and a significant contributor to Canada’s national SAR program.

(Pictured left) Geraldine Underwood, Director of National Search and Rescue Secretariat presenting Cougar with “Award of Excellence – SAR Innovation

D

Prestigious“Award of Excellence - SAR Innovation”

traditional approach to simply managing compliance, and begin to shift toward modern quality management. Our process based approach to managing the business is a cornerstone within these concepts, and in a complex world of operations the only means by which true continuous improvement can be achieved. Thank you to all employees for your contributions to a continued safe operation. Be Safe!!

FLYING STATISTICSSt. John’s 2013 Annual Stats:Passengers Moved: 38,583 Flights Flown: 1717

Halifax 2013 Annual Stats:Passengers Moved: 15,203 Flights Flown: 811

ougar Helicopters undertook a fun new initiative in early November! A couple of employees thought it would be a good idea to enter a Cougar float in

the Christmas parade and after running it through the appropriate channels and getting the necessary approvals, an enthusiastic group of employees created and constructed a float in less than three weeks for the Annual St. John’s Christmas parade which took place on November 24.

In keeping with the parade’s theme of Christmas Around the World, Cougar Helicopters’ float depicted three distinct geographic locations: Grand Banks, Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. The offshore oil and gas industry was the common denominator of these three regions. Towns with houses, churches, businesses, kids playing in the snow, and the like were incorporated surrounding these regions, as well as offshore installations and vessels. Topping it off was Cougar Helicopters` S92 pulling Santa’s sleigh and bags of toys to children of all ages in communities and to those working offshore! Walking alongside the float were snowmen (and women!) bringing Merry Christmas wishes and dressed in theme according to various countries around the world!

Cougar in Christmas Parades!


November 24 boasted clear blue skies and sunshine but frigid cold temperatures! The cold, however, did not chill the pride and enthusiasm displayed by Cougar volunteers as they paraded from the Fort William Building to Springdale Street in St. John`s. The city reported that some 65,000 spectators lined the streets to take in the annual event and the spectators loved the Cougar float! Many pictures were taken and the most overheard comments were:

“Wow, look at the detail!”

“Cougar is towing Santa’s sleigh!” “The boats and offshore platform are so realistic!`

The float made encore appearances in parades taking place in Shea Heights, Conception Bay South and Torbay (a night-light parade) and won first place in the St. John`s and Torbay parades!

A huge and special THANK YOU to the enthusiastic and talented group of volunteers who worked tirelessly in creating and constructing this float and looking after parade logistics at the various locations: Quinton Benson; Claude Cross; Mark Evans; Maurice Gillingham; John Hayden; Morris Kendell; Andrew Kenway; Sam Lee; Brian Loder; Candace Moakler; Sherry Pardy; Andrea Rumsey; Wanda Squires; Wanda Stuckless. Some of these employees also enlisted family members to volunteer! It really was spectacular!

Congratulations Team Cougar!

C

Cougar in Christmas Parades!

TRACKS 22

epublic of Doyle, CBC’s highly successful comedy-drama tv series set in St. John’s completed filming of its fifth season in late November.

On November 19, a scene was shot on the ramp just outside Cougar’s SAR facility. To assist in the filming and production, Cougar was asked to help by providing secure ground space for trailers/vehicles and building access for cast and crew - a warm place for a hot cup of coffee on a bitterly cold November night! Special thanks to all Cougar staff who assisted the production team in particular Lucas Rogers who provided building escort/ security. While keeping warm at Cougar’s SAR hangar, Allan Hawco and Sean McGinley (a.k.a Jake Doyle and Malachy Doyle) took a tour of the hangar and posed for a picture with the engineering night crew! Oh yeah!

reakfast was served on Monday, December 23 for all St. John’s based Cougar Employees in the cafeteria of the Craig Dobbin’s Way facility! Hot and hearty

servings of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, pancakes

and toast as well as fresh fruit and yogurt started at 6:00 a.m. and ran until 9:00. The breakfast was well attended and everyone left with a full belly! Stay tuned for the date of the next Cougar breakfast coming up in the spring!

Breakfast was Served!

BChefs from L-R: Renee Paddock; Lisa Efford; Barry Scott; Maurice Gillingham; Mark Nolan

Barry was on bacon prep!

OH YEAH!

L – R: Sean McGinley (Malachy Doyle); Andrew Kenway; Michael Watton; Sheldon Higdon; Allan Hawco (Jake Doyle); Quinton Benson

R

n July 18 & 19 Cougar in partnership with Sikorsky hosted an information roundtable for Cougar’s customers at The Wilds at Salmonier

River. Key members of Sikorsky’s leadership team included Carey Bond, President; David Martin, Global Account Executive; Dan Hunter, Director Programs; and John Johnson, Director Commercial Support. The presentation provided a complete update on the S92 and initiatives going forward followed by a discussion and Q&A session. Feedback from both St. John’s and Halifax customers was very positive. Following two days with customers, Sikorsky hosted a BBQ for Cougar St. John’s employees. The event took place on July 19 at the St. John’s Shrine Club.


Cougar & Sikorsky Partnerto present customer and employee events

Employees and their guests enjoyed a BBQ steak dinner catered by Wedgwood Catering and dancing to Billy & The Bruisers! The only complaint was that the band didn’t play late enough! Cougar is in discussion with Sikorsky with the hope of scheduling the second annual customer roundtable and second annual Cougar employee event this coming summer. Stay tuned for further details!

O

ougar hosted a staff & guests BBQ for its Halifax operations on August 24. A BBQ was held at the Dartmouth Yacht Club and a delicious dinner was

catered by Certainly Cinnamon. Dancing took place to the sounds of Corey Tetford (with some of Cougar’s own joining in on a number!). Heads up that we are looking at potential dates in July or August for a repeat performance!

Halifax BBQC

L – R: Eilish Elliott, Guest; Matt Farrell, Ramp/Security Agent; Aidan Chisholm, Ramp/Security Agent; Alexandra Barry, Guest;Shawn Barry, Ramp/Security Agent; Clayton Hickey, Passenger Movements (Ramp); Linda Hickey, Guest

L – R: Bob Pardy, Director of Maintenance; Evan Schofield, AME; Ellie Veinotte, Avionics; Rob Steenweg, Avionics; Jenny Veinotte, Guest; Jason Al-Molky, Rescue Specialist; Donnie McNeil, Halifax Base Operations Manager

L – R: Cougar’s own Kelly Jamieson, BFOM, joins forces with the Cory Tetford Group and surprises everyone with his singing talent which was previously unknown!

TRACKS 24

Lucas Rogers, Ramp/Security Agent

To get a job flying!

Wanda Stuckless, Accounts Payable

I wish for a successful, healthy and happy great year ahead.

Ronnie Moores, Pilot

Successful award of RFP to Cougar

Lucina Hearn; Steve Dwyer; Ken Parsons - AMEs (a group response!)

A fireplace and a hot tub for the Engineering department!

YOU Respond!I

Tim Burrill, Pilot

More time off to sail my boat in Florida!

Chris Orser, Receptionist

To become debt free!

Maurice Gillingham, Ramp/Security Supervisor

To lose weight and get fit!

Lucas Rogers, Ramp/Security Agent

To get a job flying!

WHAT IS YOUR FONDEST WISH OR

RESOLUTION FOR 2014?

n each edition of Cougar Tracks, we will ask employees for their response or opinion to a question. This question could be professional or personal and responses can range from serious to silly. Employees who respond are selected at random.


n November 18 and November 20 Cougar participated in a live emergency response exercise. The collaborative effort was undertaken

by Cougar Helicopters, Joint Rescue and Coordination Center (JRCC) in Halifax, 103 Rescue Squadron (RS) in Gander, CASARA and Eastern Health Authority, for the purpose of developing a joint agency response to simulated emergencies in the offshore environment.

Although the initial thrust of the exercise involved search and rescue aircraft response to aid those in distress offshore, valuable contributions by onshore response agencies is an essential element to ensure post rescue care and treatment to those affected and their families.

In carrying out the exercise, Rick Banks noted: “In order to achieve operational excellence in command and control communications during emergency situations, each individual agency must test its procedures and processes, evaluate the effectiveness of response teams, provide feedback and adjust emergency response plans wherever necessary to avert future shortfalls or gaps within the systems”.

The exercise included two scenarios, one during the day on November 18 which included all agencies activating their respective emergency response teams independently during a daytime simulated aircraft ditching offshore.

SAREX

The second scenario, conducted at night on November 20 entailed responding to a simulated vessel fire that required the evacuation of multiple casualties suffering from smoke inhalation. Participating agencies for this scenario included Cougar’s SAR and Dispatch, 103 RS and JRCC.

These proactive, joint participation exercises proved instrumental, if not vital, to all agencies involved as it had been some time since all agencies collectively joined forces in a live element emergency response atmosphere. Granted, many tabletop and mini exercises had been performed in the past, but given the magnitude of players involved for these particular scenarios, many lessons learned were afforded to each group.

A debrief was held with external agencies as well as a Cougar internal debriefing. Cougar’s internal observations have since been incorporated into its Emergency Response Manual.

OCougar Rescue Specialists and Eastern Health

Eastern Health Cougar Helicopters & 103 RS

TRACKS 26

lay was born in Grand Le Pierre, a small remote community on the northeastern shore at the head of Fortune Bay in Newfoundland & Labrador.

Clay moved to Nova Scotia in 1964 where he was involved in deep sea fishing for many years. He met the love of his life in Nova Scotia and at that point made it his new home! Clay started working with Cougar on July 1, 2010 in the Passenger Movements Department (Ramp), and has been a dedicated and valued employee ever since.

In 1974 C l ay b e c ame involved in martial arts by enrolling in uechi ryu karate lessons and has not looked back – in fact, Clay holds the second highest ranking in Canada! Clay told Cougar Tracks that uechi ryu is a form of self-defence karate. It is an excellent form of physical fitness that revolves around martial arts. In training uechi ryu combines body, mind and spirit and is represented by three animals:

* Tiger representing speed and agility* Crane representing stance* Dragon representing strength

In case you are wondering why Clay got involved in the martial arts, he told us that at one time he was involved in the bar industry. In conversation with a customer of his, the customer figured out that he was new to the business

Clay Hickeyis Cougar’s Newfie Ninja!

and suggested that he might want to take up some form of self-defence! After some research, Clay signed up for uechi ryu lessons and quickly learned that it was a great form of physical fitness as well as a great outlet for stress ensuring he stayed calm and cool if any of his customers got a little out of hand!

There are ten beginner ranks or belts in karate with the highest being the Black Belt or tenth level. Within the Black Belt level there are ten additional ranks also known as Dan rankings. In uechi ryu Clay has his 8th Dan, making him the second highest ranking individual in Canada – congratulations on this accomplishment and commitment! As a matter of note, Clay is second only to his instructor. Clay is a teacher of uechi ryu karate and a self defence instructor at Dartmouth ueuchi rhyu Dojo. He is also responsible for three other dojo that he visits on

a monthly basis providing instructions in the Halifax area. Clay has travelled extensively to both the United States and throughout Canada for competitions, to be tested for ranking and for teaching seminars.

Anyone interested in taking lessons or learning more about this form of martial art, Clay would be more than happy to talk with you.

C

Clay Hickey at work and at uechi ryu


ne of the snowy owls that was spotted on the offshore drilling vessel Terra Nova made it back to dry land Tuesday, although not under its own

wing power. It had the luxury of being flown the several hundred kilometres back to shore on a Cougar helicopter. The two owls were spotted last weekend and captured on camera on the heli-deck of the Terra Nova FPSO, but that wasn’t the only vessel they visited, it turns out. The

One Offshore Owl back on land

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November 28, 2013 - The Telegram

Following is an extract from Telegram reporter Josh Pennell covering a story about a snowy owl lost offshore.

pair were making their way between that offshore drilling vessel and the SeaRose FPSO about 50 kilometres away. Colleen McConnell, senior communications adviser with Husky Energy, says one of the owls was recovered Tuesday on the SeaRose, brought back to shore on a chopper and handed over to the care of the Salmonier Nature Park. “My understanding is that it was doing well,” McConnell said.

There is a regular bird-monitoring program on the offshore vessels and rigs, and personnel are trained in how to handle birds properly in order to minimize stress and risk of injury. In the case of the owl, McConnell said, they waited until daylight and trapped the bird in a net. They then used a milk crate as a makeshift kennel. “They got the bird into that and secured it in there with some rags and stuff to keep it warm and managed to bring it in on the helicopter.” Bird enthusiast Bruce Mactavish told The Telegram there is a large influx of snowy owls into Newfoundland now as young from the Arctic breeding grounds head south looking for food.

On February 13 Cougar received the good news that Salmonier Nature Park had released the snowy owl that flew by helicopter back into its natural habitat.

Thank you Cougar employees for all you dothat goes beyond your daily work requirements!

Thank you Cougar employees for all you dothat goes beyond your daily work requirements!

Cougar in the News!Young visitor gets “Royal Treatment” at Cougar Helicopters October 29, 2013 The Telegram

Following is an extract from reporter Ashley Fitzpatrick’s coverage of a young boy’s visit to Cougar Helicopters.

S

was helped into the cockpit, where the pilots spoke to him about the helicopter’s controls. He was given a headset to wear and was buckled into a seat, asking questions of the pilots while the helicopter was dragged from the hangar. “Sometimes my son is a little hard to understand,” Ryan’s mother said. “But they took the time to talk to him. ... It was just fantastic.”

“Ryan will never know that we got more out of it than he did,” said Capt. Ferguson.

On November 10 Ryan and his family dropped by Cougar again to present a special thank you plaque to Cougar staff!

even-year-old Ryan Downey has had a hard go of it in his short years. Since he was born four months premature and weighing in at just two pounds, six

ounces at birth, Downey has been through four surgeries. “He is a miracle child,” said his mother, Maria Downey, who explained her son lives with various challenges, in terms of hearing and vision, but is also full of energy and curiosity — particularly when you raise the subject of pilots, airplanes and helicopters.

One weekend in October Ryan, his mother and his father, Phillip Downey, went to the St. John’s International Airport for what has become a common stop, watching planes and having a plate of chips. This time around though, the young man was also given a special tour. Ryan took interest in the helicopters he spotted and, on the way out from the airport, the Downeys stopped at the Cougar Helicopters office and hangar building, to see if Ryan could get a closer look. “Phillip went in and he asked the girl on the front desk, ‘What does a dad have to do to get his seven-year-old son close to a helicopter?’” his mother recalled. The response was more than the Downeys ever expected, she said.

Ryan was welcomed inside the aircraft hangar for a look at Cougar’s aircraft. Once inside, Capt. Scott Ferguson, first officer Mathieu Belanger, vessel facilitator Kayla Mullett, ramp security officer Mike Martin and maintenance control planner Doug Vincent all offered the family a warm welcome.

“It was a fantastic day,” said Maria Downey. “We just walked in off the street and were given the Royal treatment.” Ryan

TRACKS 28

n Thursday October 17, Transport Canada (TC) Atlantic Region approved the application for an “all-weather” NVG capable SAR operation for

Cougar Helicopters which provides greater enhancement for Cougar’s already advanced SAR capability. This approval was a major milestone and subsequent to a thorough review was recommended for final approval by both TC Head Office in Ottawa and the Department of National Defense. Final signing authority rested with TC Atlantic Region and was signed on October 17.

Work on this submission started more than 18 months ago, however Cougar had approval to train in actual conditions since August 2012. Once final approval was received, appropriate amendments were

Cougar SARAchieves Major Milestone

placed in the various manuals and then it was placed in the operational users’ hands!

This achievement was the result of a huge effort and commitment from everyone at Cougar. The list of

contributors includes customer management, logistics, aviation advisors and auditors and from Cougar it included simply everyone in all disciplines all the way from executive to floor level. JJ Gerber summed it up the best when he said: “this is what can be achieved when we all face in the same direction and see the goal together”.

Cougar is the only operator in Canada with an approved SAR Operations Manual encompassing all weather SAR maritime operations.

O

L-R: Wayne Timbury, SAR Chief Pilot; Cody Neal, Rescue Specialist; Ronnie Moores, Pilot

NEXT EDITION! We hope you enjoyed this edition of CougarTracks. Your feedback and submissions are welcome at [email protected]

In the next edition:• A flying career that spans 40 years• The making of a conference


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