Last year was a revolutionary year for Valhalla Helicopters, for the number one reason that we moved into our brand new, custom-designed hanger and office facility in West Kelowna over the summer. Having the space to house all of our fleet, personnel and equipment under the same roof is both convenient and efficient.
The facility includes administrative and operational offices, a parking lot, a training room, a lunch room, a truck bay, a shipping and receiving area, a machine shop, a parts room, storage space, 3 restrooms and a hanger with a bi-folding door that gives access to the landing pad.
The hanger floor is 60 feet by 80 feet which means it is more than large enough to house the entire Valhalla helicopter fleet, should there ever be a time that all the machines are sitting at home-base. During the colder months, the hanger is efficiently heated through the floor by a wood boiler. The hanger also features a 5 ton overhead crane, which is probably the favourite attribute of our aircraft maintenance engineers. Having the new facility truly enhances Valhalla Helicopters’ ability to maintain and service our fleet such that they are second-to-none in the industry.
What launches our facility into the ‘state-of-the-art’ category is its eco-friendliness. Not only do we maintain 4 acres of the land as an environmental zone, but the fixtures in the building were specifically selected due to their low-consumption. These include the toilets, showers and the light fixtures which sport the most energy efficient bulbs on the market. When at all possible, we use pine-beetle infested wood in the reburner-style boiler, and the lights in the offices are triggered by motion-sensors, cutting down on electricity consumption.
There are many reasons why we at Valhalla Helicopters are proud to have our very own all-inclusive home base, but probably the number one reason according to the management and staff is the feeling of having a positive and close-knit work environment for all of us and our fleet to share.
