Canadian Helicopter Industry Slams Exemptions For Border Patrol Black Hawks

The National Post says Canada’s helicopter industry is up in arms about Transport Canada creating special rules to allow border patrols in Army surplus Black Hawk helicopters that might be a made-for-TV political show of force. There are four privately owned Black Hawks now contracted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to do border surveillance. None of the 40-year-old aircraft have civilian type certificates and they are not approved for civilian use by U.S. authorities. They have been operating under “special airworthiness certificates” that prohibit the carrying of passengers and their use over built-up areas. But when the helicopters were rolled out in a public announcement last January, the RCMP said one of the advantages of the Black Hawk was that it could be “loaded up” with passengers and showed officers getting on the helicopter.

The Post quoted from a letter from Helicopter Association of Canada CEO Trevor Mitchell to Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland urging her to put an end to those flights immediately. “We urge you to direct your department to ensure the safety restrictions attached to these aircraft are strictly enforced for the balance of the RCMP’s contract and that the Force be urged to select a certified aircraft before the contract expires,” Mitchell said. None of the government organizations involved in the operation would comment to the Post and neither would the contractors who fly the helicopters.

The Black Hawks were unveiled shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a series of tariffs on Canadian imports in response to what he said was Canada’s failure to stop illegal drugs from crossing the border. In a separate letter to the RCMP earlier this month, quoted by the Post, Mitchell suggested the Black Hawks may have gotten the special consideration as part of a public relations effort to demonstrate Canada’s resolve to address the border concerns and convince Trump to drop the tariffs. He said the Black Hawks “offer no technological advantage to the mission profile, only an appearance.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection also flies Black Hawks. Mitchell noted that the RCMP already has nine helicopters of its own, all smaller Bell and Airbus types, and there are hundreds of helicopter operators with about 1,700 type certified and fully compliant aircraft across the country that could fly the missions if they need more.

He said that fleet conforms to the myriad regulations, standards and laws that govern the helicopter industry and many are equipped with certified night vision systems that would arguably be more effective in a border patrol mission. He said it’s unfair that the three operators of this specific type of helicopter, two private firms and the government of Alberta, got unprecedented exemptions from so many rules to be allowed to fly in Canada. “Why do some have to follow the rules and some don’t?” he said to the Post.

The Post obtained an internal bulletin between Transport Canada officials that appears to show that they’re aware of the inequity and its potential fallout, including requests for similar consideration from other operators. “This may represent a significant change in the risk environment.” The bulletin told staff to stop taking applications for the “special certificates of airworthiness.” The Army has renewed its Black Hawk fleet with a modernized version and the surplus aircraft go for about $1 million, according to the Post story. Certified helicopters in the Black Hawk’s weight range typically sell for many times that amount.

The helicopter issues have reportedly taken up a lot of time for Transport Canada officials and that has trickled down through other departments. An aircraft owner told AVweb he’s been waiting for months for an inspection of his rebuilt airplane and was told that the Black Hawk controversy was the cause of the backup.