Helicopter MRO — Hangar Heating, Engine Preheating & Ground Support

Cantherm Distributors · Founded in 1993 to heat aviation hangars · Authorized and sole Arcotherm distributor for North America · Helicopter MRO is the founding DNA

Cantherm Was Founded to Heat Helicopter Hangars. Thirty Years Later, We Still Do.

Indirect-fired diesel heaters engineered for the operating envelope that defeats lesser equipment. Aircraft ground power units sized for the helicopter community. Tow carts, covers, fuel staging, and the full catalogue of cold-weather portable equipment helicopter MRO operations actually need — from a single source, since 1993.

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Cantherm and Helicopter MRO: The Founding Story

Cantherm Distributors was founded in 1993 by Alvin Gregorash, an aircraft parts broker at Gregorash Aviation who needed a way to heat his aviation clients’ hangars through Canadian winters. The original Cantherm catalogue — Italian-manufactured Arcotherm portable diesel heaters by Biemmedue — was selected for one reason: the equipment worked at -40°C when general-purpose heaters wouldn’t start. Thirty years later, that same catalogue specification still anchors Cantherm’s helicopter MRO offering.

The founding-era client base was the BC and Alaska helicopter MRO community. Coastal BC tourism and forestry operators. Interior BC alpine charter and heli-skiing operators. Alaska bush-flying carriers and oil-and-gas survey helicopter operations. Many of those original client relationships persist into today’s Cantherm engagement — the same operators, the same operating challenges, the same Cantherm equipment specification, three decades of operational reliability.

Eddie Gortemaker acquired Cantherm in April 2019 from the Gregorash family and has continued the aviation focus. The heritage is documented in business history, not invented in marketing copy. When a helicopter MRO operator asks “who is Cantherm and why should we trust them on cold-weather operating envelope?” — the honest answer is: Cantherm exists because helicopter MRO needed it. We’re not a general-industrial heating supplier who happens to serve aviation. We’re an aviation heating distributor that grew to serve other industries too.

Three Operating Contexts: Hangar · Engine Preheating · Ground Support

Helicopter MRO operations break into three operationally distinct contexts, each with its own equipment requirements.

Hangar Operations

Year-round hangar heating for maintenance work, equipment storage, and crew working environment. The hangar must be warm enough for maintenance technicians to work without gloves on small components, warm enough to keep fluids (engine oil, transmission oil, hydraulic fluid) above their cold-weather operating thresholds, and engineered for sealed-combustion safety because the hangar is an occupied workspace with significant fuel and avionics presence. Carbon monoxide accumulation in an occupied hangar is a serious safety hazard — direct-fired heating that vents combustion gases into the heated space is operationally and regulatorily inappropriate for occupied hangar work.

Cantherm standard specification for hangar operations: Arcotherm EC Series (EC 100 / 200 / 300, 112,000 to 294,000 BTU input) for small-to-medium hangars. PHOEN 400 HC for medium-to-large hangars in cold-weather operating zones — the two-stage burner (354,000 BTU on high stage), pre-heated fuel filter standard, and the optional single fuel-line kit option specifically handle the operating envelope where diesel #2 itself approaches its freezing point. For very large multi-bay hangars at major MRO facilities, JUMBO and TITAN scale to 400,000 to 1,000,000 BTU output. Sealed indirect-fired combustion across the entire line — the engineering specification that occupied hangar work requires.

Engine Preheating Operations

Helicopter engine preheating before cold-weather start-up is a manufacturer-specified procedure for most helicopter airframes operating below specific outside-air-temperature thresholds. Bell, Airbus Helicopters, Robinson, MD Helicopters, Kaman, and Sikorsky each publish operating-temperature thresholds below which preheating is required to protect engine, transmission, hydraulics, and instrument systems from cold-start damage. Preheating is not a comfort measure — it is an airworthiness and equipment-protection requirement.

The Cantherm equipment specification for engine preheating draws on the same indirect-fired Arcotherm line, with ducting and deployment patterns specific to the airframe being preheated. The Arcotherm indirect-fired line supports jet fuel A1 operation with a 15-minute burner adjustment documented in the operator manual — useful for helicopter operations that already have jet fuel staged on the ramp and want to use the same fuel for preheating without dual-fuel logistics.

Ground Support Operations

Helicopter ground support equipment beyond heat: ground power units for engine start and maintenance, helicopter tow carts and carriers for moving aircraft within hangar facilities and on ramps, jet fuel handling and staging, protective covers for outdoor storage, and on-site safety equipment for the operating crew.

  • START PAC ground power units (GPUs): 24V and 28V aircraft GPUs sized for the helicopter operator community. Clean, ripple-free power for avionics and engine-start applications. Airframe compatibility from Bell 206/407 to Airbus AS350/EC130/H125/H145/H160, Robinson R44/R66, MD 500/520N/600N, Kaman K-1200.
  • Helicopter tow carts and carriers: Light-duty (smaller airframes) and heavy-duty (larger transport and military helicopters) options. Single-operator and two-operator handling.
  • Western Global commercial fuel tanks: Diesel and jet fuel staging at MRO facilities. DEFCube Global for DEF storage on Tier IV equipment compliance.
  • Aircraft and helicopter protective covers: UV, moisture, snow load, and freezing-rain protection for year-round outdoor storage. Single-engine and twin-engine options.
  • On-site safety equipment, ventilation, PPE: Job-site infrastructure for the operating crew.

Built for the Operating Envelope

Helicopter MRO operations test equipment harder than almost any other industrial application. Cantherm’s catalogue was selected for the conditions, not adapted to them.

Cold-weather operation. The Arcotherm indirect-fired line’s pre-heated fuel filter (PHOEN HC standard) and optional single fuel-line kit (EC Series option) handle the operating envelope where diesel #2 approaches its freezing point. Northern BC, Yukon, Alaska Southcentral, Alaska North Slope, and the Athabasca Basin operations routinely see -40°C with wind chill driving operating-envelope demand higher.

Hangar safety — sealed combustion. Indirect-fired sealed combustion is the only safe heating option for occupied hangar work. Cantherm’s full hangar-heating line maintains this engineering standard from the smallest EC 100 to the largest TITAN 1000. The PHOEN HC is the cold-weather safety-correct specification for BC and Alaska hangar operations.

Jet fuel compatibility. The Arcotherm indirect-fired line operates on jet fuel A1 with a documented 15-minute burner adjustment. Operationally efficient for helicopter MRO operations that already have jet fuel staged on the ramp — eliminates dual-fuel logistics for combined hangar-heating and engine-preheating operations.

Geographic delivery. Cantherm’s Winnipeg warehouse ships into the BC/Alaska helicopter operating corridor via established cross-province freight routes. Same-day expedited freight is available at carrier rates. Air cargo to Vancouver, Kelowna, Anchorage, and the regional MRO hub airports is the fastest option for emergency replacements during operational deployments.

Engineering specification depth. The Biemmedue Arcotherm line is UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 certified. Vertically integrated 25,000 m² Cherasco factory. Italian engineering tradition. Heat exchanger design that produces among the highest fuel efficiency globally. Cantherm provides the specification documentation, model technical sheets, and CSA certification records as required for operator-side procurement, audit, and regulatory compliance.

Cantherm in Helicopter MRO: Three Decades Across BC, Alaska, and North America

Cantherm equipment is currently on helicopter MRO operations across the following operating zones:

  • British Columbia — Coastal: Tourism and charter operators serving Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast; medevac operations; coastal logging and forestry helicopter operations.
  • British Columbia — Interior: Alpine charter and heli-skiing operators (Whistler-corridor and Kootenay); forestry helicopter operations; emergency response and wildfire helicopter operations; mining survey helicopter operations.
  • British Columbia — Northern: Forestry helicopter operations; oil-and-gas survey and remote-site support; mining helicopter operations; First Nations community resource operations.
  • Alaska — Southcentral: Anchorage-based MRO facilities; tourism and bush-flying operators; oil-and-gas helicopter logistics; military helicopter MRO at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
  • Alaska — Interior and North Slope: Bush-flying operators; oil-and-gas helicopter logistics (Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk, North Slope operating zones); mining helicopter survey; military helicopter operations at Eielson Air Force Base.
  • Yukon Territory: Mining helicopter survey and remote-site operations; tourism and outfitting helicopter operations; First Nations community operations.
  • Manitoba: Custom Helicopters and regional aviation operators serving the prairies.
  • US Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain, Gulf Coast offshore: Forestry, tourism, emergency response, and offshore oil-and-gas helicopter operators.

The aviation thread runs back to 1993. Cantherm was founded in 1993 specifically to heat aviation hangars for an aircraft-parts-brokerage clientele in BC and Alaska. Many of those founding-era helicopter MRO operator relationships continue into today’s engagement.

Helicopter MRO Industry FAQ

Why is sealed-combustion heating critical for occupied helicopter hangars?

Direct-fired heaters vent combustion gases (carbon monoxide, CO₂, water vapor) into the heated space. In an occupied hangar with maintenance technicians, fuel handling, and avionics equipment, CO accumulation is a serious safety hazard. Indirect-fired heaters like the Arcotherm EC and PHOEN HC isolate combustion from the heated air stream — outside combustion air in, exhaust gases out the stack, clean heated air to the work space. It is the operationally and regulatorily correct heating specification for occupied helicopter MRO hangars.

Can Cantherm equipment handle BC interior and Alaska cold-weather operations?

Yes. The Arcotherm indirect-fired line is engineered for the cold-weather operating envelope. The EC Series supports an optional single fuel-line kit that pre-heats the fuel for reliable cold starts. The PHOEN HC includes pre-heated fuel filter as standard — the typical choice for Fort McMurray, Cold Lake, Yukon, Alaska Southcentral, and the Athabasca Basin operating zones.

Can Cantherm heaters run on jet fuel A1?

Yes. The Arcotherm indirect-fired line (EC, PHOEN) operates on jet fuel A1 with a 15-minute burner adjustment documented in the operator manual. Particularly useful for helicopter MRO operations that already have jet fuel staged on the ramp — eliminates dual-fuel logistics when combining hangar heating with engine preheating.

Which Cantherm ground power unit does my helicopter need?

24V GPUs for Robinson R44 and R66. 28V GPUs for Bell, Airbus Helicopters, MD, Kaman, and Sikorsky airframes. Cantherm scopes the specific START PAC model based on operator fleet mix, hangar power supply, and operational considerations.

Does Cantherm support emergency parts ship to remote helicopter MRO operations?

Yes. High-turn Arcotherm and Yanmar parts are stocked at the Winnipeg warehouse. Same-day or next-day shipping for most parts; expedited freight to Vancouver, Kelowna, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Whitehorse, and other regional hubs available at carrier rates.

Start the Conversation

Tell us the helicopter MRO operation, the airframe mix, the hangar facility, and the operating zone. A ten-minute call usually narrows the equipment selection to one or two specific Cantherm configurations.

Contact Cantherm: Contact Us page · 204-688-9245 · Toll-free 800-661-WARM