By Gary Watson | February 7, 2017 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 36 seconds.
Coast Dog Aviation’s new hangar at Pitt Meadows Airport is not quite finished, but it’s full of aircraft waiting for repair, modification and inspection.
Since it was founded by owner Dale Floyd in 2010, the B.C. company has been growing steadily. Working from a single hangar bay on private aircraft, Floyd has been adding staff, services and customers over the past seven years.
His new building has a floor area measuring 80 x 75 feet with a 20-foot high door, so it can accommodate a Twin Otter with room to spare. Shop and office space are on the main floor with the possibility of adding a second floor as required.
“We needed a building of our own,” said Floyd during a recent Skies visit. “We are pursuing some commercial operators, so credibility is key and having a modern, well-equipped maintenance facility helps attract this type of customer.”
Coast Dog has developed a strong customer base on the B.C. coast. Floyd is an aircraft maintenance engineer and commercial pilot with extensive experience flying float planes for various coastal operators.
Initially, the company focused on iconic aircraft such as the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and single-engine private aircraft.
Today, services at Coast Dog Aviation include maintenance on light piston to multi-engine turboprop aircraft, light jets and anything on floats or skis, structural repairs, avionics, aircraft audits, pre-purchase inspections and import or export certifications.
Due to the age of many general aviation aircraft, avionics upgrades and the installation of engine trend-monitoring systems have kept the company busy.
Coast Dog Aviation is a Transport Canada approved maintenance organization with approvals for all Beechcraft King Air, Piper turbine-powered aircraft, Cessna and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. The company employees six AMEs and will likely be adding more in the future.
Its business base is expanding and includes customers from B.C., Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the State of Washington.
Pitt Meadows Regional Airport has become very popular since 2009, when two new bridges improved vehicle access. The Golden Ears Bridge connects Langley to Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge, while the Pitt River Bridge improves access from Port Coquitlam to Pitt Meadows. Airport improvements, including lengthening the main runway to 5,000 feet, lighting upgrades and better navigational aids, are attracting larger aircraft.
