Tag: Brent Wallace

Blackcomb Helicopters: A Short HistoryBlackcomb Helicopters: A Short History

October 10, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Recently at the Museum, we acquired a collection of documents related to aviation in the Whistler valley from Brent Wallace. This collection is very extensive and contains many files from many of the aircraft companies in Whistler such as applications for Commercial Air Service Licenses from Corporate Helicopters Ltd. and Airspan Enterprises Ltd., brochures from the charter aviation companies, proposals and documents related to the Whistler Municipal Heliport, some interviews from Myrtle Philip about early aviation in Whistler, and a collection of news clippings from 1977 all the way to 2023 about aviation in Whistler. One company we wanted to focus on that is frequently mentioned is Blackcomb Helicopters, who started a little later than some other companies but still made a big splash amongst all the competing charter aviation companies.

Blackcomb Helicopters was founded in 1989 by experienced helicopter pilot Steve Flynn. Steve managed a number of other bases throughout BC before settling in Whistler, where he worked at Pemberton Helicopters before applying for his own Operating Certificate in 1989 to start Blackcomb Helicopters. Blackcomb Helicopters began performing mostly technical operations such as fighting forest fires and helping with a number of construction projects, as well as search and rescue operations. They also got involved with the growing tourism industry, offering a wide variety of services to customers from all over the world.

BUCKETS FROM ON HIGH: Blackcomb Helicopters assisted in the pouring of concrete for lift-tower foundations at Whistler’s Creekside base. Whistler Question Collection, 1991

Blackcomb Helicopters was up and running by 1991 and construction aid was one of the many services they provided to contractors in Whistler. In 1991, Blackcomb Helicopters aided with the construction of the Whistler Heliport and even flew in the windsock for the opening ceremony of the heliport. In 1992, they airlifted a 16-man hot tub to the Glacier Lodge. However, construction wasn’t all they did. They also helped with conservation efforts such as transporting bears out of Whistler, like they did in 1994 when they airlifted a four year old male black bear out of the landfill to the Upper Squamish Valley. Blackcomb Helicopters also offered a wide range of heli-touring services to people in the Whistler area and still continues to offer services like heli-biking, heli-skiing, and heli-picnics, as well as more specialized services such as search and rescue, medevac, environmental surveys, flights to and from Vancouver, and even film production.

Things have not always been easy for Blackcomb Helicopters. In 1996, an unidentified party placed a muffin into the fuel tank of one of their helicopters, causing an engine failure and leading to an emergency landing at Squamish Elementary School (after this event, some more security was put in place at the heliport). Blackcomb Helicopters also had trouble finding a permanent heliport. They were in a bidding war with Whistler Air for a heliport near Nicklaus North golf course that was ultimately won by Whistler Air, which was acquired by Harbour Air in 2012 and became the floatplane dock on Green Lake. Blackcomb Helicopters ultimately settled in the Whistler Municipal Heliport just north of Green Lake.

CEMENTING THE FOUNDATION: Blackcomb Mountain picks up a load of cement. Whistler Question Collection, 1994

In 2006, Blackcomb Helicopters was brought by MCM Aviation, a joint venture between the McLearn Group and Omega Aviation. Steve Flynn stayed on as general manager but Blackcomb Helicopters was now owned by John Morris, Jason McLean, and Sacha McLean. Nowadays, Blackcomb Helicopters still works with Whistler Blackcomb and helps with construction, environmental management, emergency services, and film services (they have worked on many Hollywood films such as The A-Team, Godzilla, and the Deadpool films, just to name a few). They still operate at the Whistler Heliport just north of Green Lake and will still take people on helicopter adventures to take in the beauty of the Whistler Valley and see it in a way few people are able to.

Liam McCrorie was one of two summer students working at the Whistler Museum this summer through the Young Canada Works Program.

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A Well-Oiled RoadA Well-Oiled Road

June 6, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

You may spend the day breathing in dust while you are riding in the Whistler Bike Park, but it is unlikely you have to worry about dust every day while hanging out in your yard. However, when Whistler’s roads were all gravel, dust was a major problem throughout the Valley.

Brent Wallace grew up spending weekends at his family cabin in Alta Vista throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When describing the oiling process he said, “Here’s something that people will not believe – used motor oil from cars, trucks and buses was spread on the highway to keep the dust down. Oil trucks would go up and down the highway and through the subdivisions spreading oil to keep the dust down. It was done on an industrial level, you would hire a company or the highways department would oil the highway.” Drivers on Highway 99 would feel lucky when the road had been recently oiled before their trip.

Highway 99 before it was paved. Leidal Collection.

Highway 99 was paved during the summer of 1966 from Squamish to Mons. However, the paving of local roads came far later. You can imagine the mess that the oil would make for cyclists and pedestrians. In 1979, the Whistler Question wrote, “By now, those of you who have dogs, small children, baby strollers, 10-speed bicycles, fast cars and white jogging shoes will have realized that the recently-gravelled shoulders of Highway #99 have been liberally laced with oil from Cheakamus Canyon to Alpine Meadows.”

Despite following the spirit of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, the oiling of the roads was not cheap. In 1979, residents on the west side of Alta Lake were disappointed to hear that Alta Lake Road was not going to be oiled with Whistler’s other residential streets. The municipality decided against it because the process was going to cost $4000 to oil just the residential section of the gravel road.

Even once the town centre was developed, many of the local roads remained dirt. It was not until 1982 that the roads around Alpine were paved to improve access to the newly created Meadow Park. Roads throughout the other local subdivisions followed, while north of Whistler the Duffy Lake Road was not paved until 1992.

You can really see the oil covering the gravel on the side of the road in July 1979. Whistler Question Collection.

It is almost impossible to imagine pouring truck loads of motor oil around Whistler’s pristine lakes and forests today, although this method for dust dampening is still used on dirt roads in some more remote regions of Canada.

While you may come across the odd pothole, dampening the dust on suburban streets is not something we have to worry about anymore. Instead of being poured on the road, used motor oil can be recycled at many of the automotive shops in Function Junction.

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