Kenn Borek Air is an airline based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It operates regional passenger and cargo services, contract operations in the Arctic and Antarctic and aircraft leasing. Its main base is at Calgary International Airport.[6] It charters aircraft for scientific expeditions, oil exploration, etc., and operates air ambulance services.
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| Founded | 1966 (as Vic Turner Ltd) | ||||||
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| AOC # | Canada: 2273[2] United States: WJKF060F[3] | ||||||
| Hubs | Calgary International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 33[4] | ||||||
| Destinations | 5[5] (as Aklak Air) | ||||||
| Parent company | Kenn Borek Air Ltd. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta | ||||||
| Key people | Brian Crocker, Operations Manager Wallace Dobchuk, Chief Pilot | ||||||
| Website | www.borekair.com | ||||||
History
editThe airline was established in 1966 as Vic Turner Ltd[7] which operated a single de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter providing air support for oil exploration activities in the Canadian Arctic. Renamed Kenn Borek Air after being purchased by Borek Construction in 1971, the company acquired the Aklavik Flying Services which was founded in April 1947 by Michael Zubko operating a single Aeronca Champion at that time.[8] In 1975 Kenn Borek acquired Kenting Atlas Aviation. Kenting Atlas Aviation had been formed in 1972 with the purchase of Weldy Phipps's Atlas Aviation (established in 1962) by Kenting Aviation.[9] This was the second iteration of the Atlas Aviation name, the first evolving out of the renaming of McGuire Flying School at Uplands Airport, Ottawa, Ontario formed in 1946 by Hugh McGuire.
The company has been operating in Antarctica since 1985.[10]
On 26 April 2001, Kenn Borek Air used a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to rescue Dr. Ronald Shemenski from the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.[10][11][12][13] This was the first ever rescue from the South Pole during the southern winter.[14] To achieve the range necessary for this flight, the Twin Otter was equipped with a special ferry tank.
In 2009, the company was commissioned to recover a crashed aircraft in the Antarctic, and employees spent 25 days in a makeshift camp to complete the project.[10]
The airline was used by the BBC during the filming of the documentary Frozen Planet (2011), which was narrated by David Attenborough, and one of its planes is seen in portions of the footage.
In June 2016 the company assisted in removing two sick workers from Antarctica during the polar winter. Two Twin Otter aircraft were used and successfully completed the mission.[15] The crew, captain Wally Dobchuk, first officer Sebastian Trudel and maintenance engineer Michael McCrae were honoured for their heroism by Aviation Week.[16]
In 2020 one of the airline's converted DC-3s was used by NASA to drop probes along Greenland's Atlantic coast, as part of the NASA's annual Oceans Melting Greenland project. The project is intended to monitor the rate at which Greenland's ice cap melts into the sea.[17]
Operations
editKenn Borek Air offers a full service overhaul maintenance hangar in Calgary with routine maintenance being completed wherever the aircraft is located.
In the months from September to March it operates significantly in Carlos Ibañez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile flights to Antarctica depart from that place
Destinations
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As of February 2023, Kenn Borek operates scheduled services to several communities in the Northwest Territories as Aklak Air:[5]
- Fort McPherson (Fort McPherson Airport only when the ice road is closed or the ferry is not in operation)
- Inuvik (Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport)
- Paulatuk (Paulatuk (Nora Aliqatchialuk Ruben) Airport)
- Sachs Harbour (Sachs Harbour (David Nasogaluak Jr. Saaryuaq) Airport)
- Ulukhaktok (Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport)
Fleet
edit
As of February 2023, Kenn Borek Air has the following aircraft registered with Transport Canada.[4]
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft | Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft 1900 | 2 | 1900D | Aklak Air operates one of the 1900D[18] |
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 3 | Model B200, Model B200GT | Aklak Air operates two King Airs[18] |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 17 | DHC-6 Series 100, DHC-6 Series 300 | Aklak Air operates two or three of the Twin Otters on a seasonal basis[18] |
| Douglas DC-3 | 10 | DC-3C, DC-3A-S1C3G, DC3C-S4C4G | Basler BT-67 turboprops. The Basler is used by Aklak Air on a seasonal basis[18] |
| Viking Air DHC-6 | 1 | Series 400 | |
| Total | 33 | ||
Accidents and incidents
edit- On 28 February 1977, Douglas C-47A C-FIQR crashed near Salluit (then known as Sugluk), Quebec. The aircraft was not repairable and was used for parts.[19]
- On 21 December 1977, DHC-6 C-FABW crashed near Nanisivik Airport, Nunavut. Damaged beyond repair. Two crew and six passengers were killed. Probable cause was a flap rod failure.[20][21]
- On 18 September 1978, Douglas C-47A C-FCRW was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Komakuk Beach, Yukon.[22]
- On 7 May 1982, Douglas C-47A C-FQHF overran the runway at Calgary International Airport following an aborted take-off.[23] The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.[24]
- On 10 November 1987, DHC-4A Caribou aircraft C-GVYX, crashed near Ross River, Yukon, two crew were killed.[25][26]
- On 20 December 2007, Basler BT-67 C-FMKB was substantially damaged in a take-off accident at Mount Paterson, Antarctica when the take-off was attempted with insufficient speed for flight. Of the twelve people on board, only the co-pilot suffered minor injuries. Although both sets of undercarriage collapsed and the port wing was damaged, the aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.[11][27][28]
- On 25 October 2010, Beechcraft King Air C-FAFD en route from Edmonton City Centre to Kirby Lake (CFR4, (55°28′15″N 110°46′10″W / 55.47083°N 110.76944°W[29]), crashed 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) southeast of Conklin. One of the ten occupants on board was killed, four were seriously injured.[30]
- On 4 November 2010, a hangar fire at Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport destroyed three aircraft owned by Kenn Borek Air and operated by Aklak Air. They were de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter C-GZVH, Beechcraft King Air C-GHOC and Beechcraft 99 C-FKBK.[31]
- On 23 January 2013, an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) activated in Antarctica,[32] in the Queen Alexandra Range.[33] On board C-GKBC (c/n:650), the DHC-6 Twin Otter, that was equipped with skis, were three Canadians.[34] The plane, operating under the auspices of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), had been en route from the United States Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station to the Italian Zucchelli Station, located at Terra Nova Bay.[10][11][34][35] The aircraft was found on 25 January 2013. It had impacted Mount Elizabeth at the 13,000 ft (4,000 m) level. The New Zealand helicopter rescue team which spotted the wreckage reported that the accident was not survivable.[36]
References
edit- ^ a b "ICAO Designators for Canadian Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services" (PDF). Nav Canada. 4 May 2023. p. 5. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
Kenn Borek Air: KBA, BOREK AIR
- ^ Transport Canada (5 September 2019), Civil Aviation Services (CAS) AOC. wwwapps.tc.gc.ca.
- ^ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Quick Search Result for Kenn Borek Air". Transport Canada. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Aklak Air Schedule" (PDF). 31 May 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Kenn Borek Air Contact". 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Vic Turner Ltd". Airline History. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Member Profiles". Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Kenting Atlas Aviation". Airline History. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d Canadian Press (23 January 2013). "Bad weather hampers search for 3 Canadians on plane missing in Antarctica". Global News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ a b c CTV News (23 January 2013). "Kenn Borek plane carrying three Canadians missing in Antarctica". CTV. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ Bob Antol (April 2001). "The Rescue of Dr. Ron Shemenski from the South Pole". Bob Antol's Polar Journals. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Doctor rescued from Antarctica safely in Chile". The New Zealand Herald. 27 April 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ TRANSCRIPT (26 April 2001). "Plane With Dr. Shemenski Arrives in Chile". CNN. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Kenn Borek rescue mission evacuates pair to Chile from South Pole". CBC News. 22 June 2016.
- ^ Jen DiMascio (3 March 2017). "Kenn Borek Air Crew Wins 2017 Laureate for Heroism". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
- ^ Pandemic Delays, But Doesn’t Slow, Ice Melt Research in Greenland: NASA Earth Expeditions
- ^ a b c d "Fleet Overview". Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "C-FIQR Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ "C-FABW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Hudson, April. "Touching down". CBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "C-FCRW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ Flight International, 31 July 1982, p267 Retrieved on 23 July 2010.
- ^ "C-FQHF Accident report". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ "Kenn Borek Air Ltd. De Havilland DHC4A Caribou C-GYVX Ross River, Yukon Territory 10 November 1987 Report Number 87-W70073" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ baaa-acro.com
- ^ "C-FMKB Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "ANC08TA028". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ "Kirby Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Northern Alta. plane crash kills 1". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "Hull-loss description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
- ^ "Aircraft Missing in Antarctica". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ Radio-Canada (23 January 2013). "Un avion transportant trois Canadiens est disparu en Antarctique" (in French). Station Radio-Canada. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ a b "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 C-GKBC Mount Elizabeth". Aviation Safety Network. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Flight carrying 3 Canadians missing in Antarctica". New Straits Times. Associated Press. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ CTV News (26 January 2013). "Wreckage of missing plane found, crash deemed 'not survivable'". CTV News. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
External links
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