Aviation and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin selected Skyline Helicopter Technologies of Sudbury as a customer support centre for its Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
The agreement was made public in Sudbury, April 15.
Two engineering jobs will be added right away, said Skyline president Joe Natale, with more likely on the way and bigger news to come.
"This is a very special day,” Natale said. “We are excited to begin working with the team at Sikorsky to enhance its customers’ experiences in the region and provide world class maintenance support.
Skyline has a rotary-wing maintenance, overhaul and repair facility in the Sudbury suburb of Lively.
Natale said the agreement marks a new era for
the 20-year aviation service company. Bigger investments are on the
horizon, including a revamp of the entire landing area, adding
special tools, training and adding new staff.
"It's going to
allow us to continue to grow," Natale said. "We
look forward to the coming years with Sikorsky as a
business partner."
Dan Melanson, president of Trend Tec
Canada, a Sudbury aircraft acquisition and appraisal company, who
attended the press conference, said the city was originally the site
for the flight testing of the first commercially-built helicopter in
1947.
"There were a number of other locations that were
in the running, but the dedication, teamwork and experience that the
Skyline Team brought to the table was such that they were able to
convince Sikorsky that they were (the one) they should be
partnering with for the long term," Melanson said.
"As
far as I'm concerned, the team Joe has put together here at Skyline
is the best in the business."
