Anywhere, Anytime
When government agencies need fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft to support wildland firefighters, they turn to Conair.
Response for Every Mission
We lease our own fleet of 80+ aircraft on long-term, multi-year agreements to government agencies. These leases include the aircraft itself, skilled firefighting pilots, and experienced aircraft maintenance engineers who travel with mobile support trailers to ensure the aircraft is prepared for daily operations. We also convert our aircraft into specialized units for sale. These are sold to government agencies worldwide, and we also offer training and parts support, along with a team of engineers to provide technical and operational guidance for repairs.
A Full Span of Aircraft Solutions
Airtankers drop retardant around the perimeter of a fire to slow flames, coating the fuel and remaining effective long after its water has evaporated. Amphibious aircraft drop water directly on the fire to cool its heat, remaining effective only until it has evaporated. Retardant and water work together on extreme wildfires, giving firefighters on the ground time to dig containment lines. Air Attack aircraft fly continuously over the wildfire, providing supervision and direction.
Air Attack Aircraft
Command & control birddog lead planes provide strategy and tactics, assigning aircraft, directing drops, and capturing data.
Water Scoopers
Amphibious aircraft reload by skimming water sources, responding on a continuous circuit for hours, often flying in formation, working in groups.
Airtankers
Land-based airtankers drop retardant around the perimeter of a wildfire, reloading from nearby tanker bases at airfields.
Multi Role Aircraft
Multi role emergency response aircraft convert between roles within hours - fighting wildfires, transporting crews, evacuating citizens, shipping cargo, medevacing critically ill patients.
Aircraft Maintenance
With a combination of more than five decades of experience and a team of 75+ aircraft maintenance engineers and mechanics, we ensure aircraft are always ready to respond. We conduct aircraft maintenance under Transport Canada’s delegation and authority as an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO),
offering a comprehensive maintenance program developed to Transport Canada’s stringent standards.
In addition to our team of engineers and mechanics, our maintenance solutions are supported by in-house non-destructive testing professionals, component overhaul experts, planners, quality assurance professionals, parts purchasers, paint specialists, shipping and stores staff, and other support staff. This breadth of expertise ensures we can support agencies worldwide with their
operational challenges.
Aerial Firefighter Pilot Training
At our Training and Tactics Centre, our crews are trained on special missions through a combination of ground school, in-flight, and simulator sessions. Our simulators include the Level D Avro RJ85 Full Motion Simulator and the Air Tractor AT802 Level 5 Flight Training Device (land and amphibious).
We also offer the Mission Training System, the only simulator platform of its kind. Featuring six Flight Training Devices integrated together, pilots can see and hear each other as they operate together over the same simulated wildfire, with fire behaviour accurately responding to humidity, terrain, wind, fuel type, and temperature to produce a true-to-life representation of the wildfire environment.
Aerospace Engineering
As a Design Approval Organization, Conair has the expertise to ensure continued airworthiness and secure continuity of operations, with all aircraft certified to Transport Canada’s stringent regulations to ensure safe operations. Our capabilities include:
- Designing, building, and certifying aeronautical products in-house.
- Issuing temporary approvals to avoid lengthy delays.
- Conducting field repairs or modifications as needed.
- Making changes to aircraft, equipment, and systems that are tailored to client needs while mitigating risk.