Garmin

Wisk Air Helicopters, a Thunder Bay helicopter business, has acquired authorization from Garmin to become a dealer of their avionics (aviation electronics).

Wisk Air provides helicopters and related services in fields including forest firefighting, search and rescue, and forestry industry inventory.

Mark Wiskemann, President and CEO of Wisk Air Helicopters, explains that previously, Wisk Air had to source its avionics from faraway places.

“We would find avionics support wherever we could get it. We’ve had folks from British Columbia, from Kelowna, from Campbell River, from Central Ontario… but they’re always in high demand, so getting services when you need it was very difficult. Now this is much easier.”

By becoming an authorized avionics dealer itself, Wisk Air will be able to service helicopters in northwestern Ontario more quickly and reliably.

“That’s the importance of having a helicopter company that provides avionics. It is the instant repair capacity that we provide,” Wiskemann says.

Wisk Air was able to take advantage of a program with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to hire interns with government support.

“The NOHFC, through our internship part of the program, was able to provide some interns to Wisk Air that are now staying on,” says Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

“Without the investment through the NOHFC, we’re being told that this probably wouldn’t have been possible because it’s provided them with the personnel they really need to move this aspect of their business forward.”