Great Lakes Helicopter expands operations as growth strategy takes shape

Дата публикации: 09-07-2026 13:30:00

A new maintenance hangar marks the latest milestone in Great Lakes Helicopter's expansion into Robinson helicopter operations, drone technology and pilot training.
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Cambridge, Ontario-based Great Lakes Helicopter is expanding its operations beyond traditional helicopter services. Since acquiring the company in October 2025, owner Chad McIntosh has launched a new tourism and charter brand, expanded flight training, invested in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), enhanced the company’s Robinson helicopter operations, and expanded its maintenance operations. The latest milestone came on July 7, when the company broke ground on a new Rotor Services maintenance facility.

Located adjacent to the company’s existing hangar, the new building will offer about 50% more floor space than the current hangar, along with additional office space and an overhead crane system designed to maximize use of the expanded maintenance area.

The additional space will support both Great Lakes Helicopter’s growing fleet and its external maintenance customers, while enabling the company to bring helicopter sales, maintenance, and flight training together at a single location, McIntosh said.

“It really sets us up to be a well-rounded place for someone to come buy a helicopter and get the service center and flight training all together,” McIntosh told Vertical Plus.

Chad McIntosh, owner of Great Lakes Helicopter. GLH Photo

The hangar project, however, is only one piece of a much broader transformation underway.

Since the ownership transition, Great Lakes Helicopter has added six aircraft to its fleet, with another seven on order, launched a full-time commercial pilot license training program, and created more than 15 full-time positions spanning engineering, maintenance, flight operations, marketing, sales, accounting, and drone services.

Among the company’s most visible new ventures is heliSIX, a dedicated charter and tourism brand operating from Toronto. While Great Lakes Helicopter remains headquartered in Cambridge, heliSIX offers sightseeing flights and charter services throughout southern Ontario.

McIntosh said the company spent the winter building partnerships and investing in marketing before launching the operation this season. “It’s just blown up. It’s been incredible,” he said. “It was more than I could have hoped for.”

Supporting that growth is an expanding Robinson helicopter fleet. While Great Lakes Helicopter continues to operate Bell and Airbus aircraft, the company has placed greater emphasis on Robinson helicopters across its tourism, flight training, and agricultural operations.

Rotor Services recently became an authorized Robinson dealer, building on its more than 30 years as a Robinson service center.

The company’s fleet of about 20 helicopters supports a variety of missions, including agricultural spraying, flight training, charter operations, tourism, and utility work. Dedicated heliSIX aircraft include Robinson R44s and R66s, as well as an Airbus EC130 and a Bell 206 LongRanger, while another LongRanger and two JetRangers perform utility work.

McIntosh said Robinson helicopters have proven to be a good fit for the company’s operations because of their operating economics, comfort, and versatility. “The cost to purchase, the cost to maintain, we see it significantly better than the other ones,” he said.

While helicopters remain at the core of Great Lakes Helicopter’s business, the company is also investing heavily in UAS as it expands its aerial services.

GLH Photo

The company’s drone operation has grown from one full-time pilot and one part-time pilot to six full-time drone pilots, with much of that growth focused on agricultural applications.

Alongside its helicopter spraying business, Great Lakes has invested in Forward Robotics, a Canadian developer of heavy-lift agricultural spray drones. McIntosh said he sees drones complementing, rather than replacing, helicopters.

“I don’t believe manned aircraft are going anywhere anytime soon,” he said. “I think accepting it and working together is going to be our best option.”

That commitment to growth also extends to workforce development.

Great Lakes recently launched a full-time commercial pilot license training program and is exploring partnerships with mission critical aviation organizations to help create clearer pathways from entry-level commercial operations into more advanced flying roles. McIntosh said the broader goal is to help develop the next generation of pilots while supporting the aviation industry.

For McIntosh, the new hangar is only one part of a much larger vision for Great Lakes Helicopter and Canadian aviation.

“We hope today you plant a seed in the minds of young people in this region,” he said during the ceremony. “Aviation is one of the most extraordinary career paths a person can choose, and we want every person here to walk away today knowing that those opportunities exist right in their backyard.”

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