Switchback Helicopters' Firefighting Fleet Benefits from Schweiss Bifold Doors

During the Canadian wildfire season, historically between the months of May through September, the team at Switchback Helicopters in Calgary, Alb., is on call. The pilots ferry people and equipment to fires and take part in fire suppression efforts by hauling water buckets to and from hot spots. On the ground, the maintenance crew keeps Switchback helicopters in top working order so they can respond to calls.

“Our main business is firefighting,” says Kurt Vickery, hangar manager with Switchback Helicopters.

Playing a vital role during this busy time and throughout the year, is Switchback’s 13,000-square-foot hangar and its 60-foot by 19-foot Schweiss Doors liftstrap bifold door. The hangar provides storage and maintenance space for the aircraft while the bifold door makes it easy to move the helicopters in and out quickly.

“Because of the reliability and quality of Schweiss doors, we have had zero issues with our door,” says Mike Freidin, Switchback Helicopter’s co-founder and maintenance manager.

Switchback’s story started with three men, all aviation enthusiasts who worked for the same large Canadian helicopter operator. When that operator entered into creditor protection, the trio of Fredin, Brian MacPherson and Jeff Groom set off on their own.

“We decided we were at a point that is was now or never,” Freidin says.

They set up in a 2,000-square-foot hangar at the Springback Airport and established Switchback Helicopters. In addition to firefighting, the company also provides charter flights and infrared scanning services, used to find animals, fires and individuals among southwestern Alberta’s mountains and forests.

Switchback’s fleet is anchored by two AStar B3 helicopters. This type of helicopter is widely used by law enforcement and firefighting as they are well-equipped to fly in the challenging airspace around mountains. One such helicopter even landed on top of Mount Everest.

When Switchback had the opportunity to build a new hangar with a partner at the airport, they took it. They hired Ironwood Building Corp. of Calgary to erect a 13,000-square-foot hangar which also includes office space.

One thing the Switchback founders liked about their original hangar was the Schweiss door. They’d seen problems with other doors, such as cables failing, and had no intention of taking such a gamble on installing a different brand door on their new hangar.

“We knew that was the way we wanted to go,” Freidin says. “When we built the hangar, we knew we were putting on a Schweiss door.”

They ordered a 60-foot by 19-foot liftstrap bifold door, with four windows. The windows were both a design decision and a safety feature as they allow workers to see what is going on outside the hangar when the door is closed.

“We like the strap system of the Schweiss Doors bifold door as opposed to the cable system,” Vickery says. “And we wanted to be able to see out to our helipads and we also wanted the natural light.”

The Switchback door also has Schweiss Doors’ automatic strap latch locking system, which pulls the door against the building and tightly latches it closed without any assistance from the operator. This is a big positive in an area that can get high winds.

Through the process of ordering and installing the new Schweiss doors, Switchback learned two lessons. The first was to find a knowledgeable installer if you don’t plan to install the door yourself. Freidin says they ended up having to find a second installer when the first was unable to correctly finish the job. Schweiss Doors provides customers with a list of qualified installers around their local region.

“It had nothing to do with Schweiss Doors,” Freidin says, adding the second installer found the instructions from Schweiss to be easy to follow. “They were pretty happy with the installation.”

The second lesson was to think of the future when ordering, not only the door, but when designing the building as well. While the building and door perfectly meet current needs, Freidin says they wish they had made both bigger, so the business could grow without having to worry about running out of space.

“The advice is plan for the future growth,” Vickery says. “Don’t focus on the now, focus on where you are going and then planning accordingly for your width and height.”

Looking forward, Switchback Helicopters would be more than happy to purchase a Schweiss door for any future hangar projects and they would be quick to recommend Schweiss Doors to others.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Vickey says.

“In a heartbeat,” Freidin says.