Northwest Aerospace News August | September 2020 | Page 60

HANDS ACROSS
BORDERS
Dale King
Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance
Business Development Manager
www.pnaa.net
PNAA SPOTLIGHT
Washington State Department of Commerce brings tools to the table to support Washington companies
By Dale King, Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, Business Development Manager
Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) looks to our Canadian friends north of
the border.
You may recall that the PNAA actively reaches out to all of the aerospace companies and
representing organizations throughout the Northwest, including those in British Columbia
and Alberta, Canada, as well as Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Western Montana. This
large footprint is possible because of the inclusive aerospace manufacturing culture wellknown
throughout the Northwest.
Cascade Aerospace is one of British Columbia’s prized jewels in aviation. Located at the
Abbotsford International Airport, Abbotsford, B.C., Cascade Aerospace is a global leader
in military and missionized aircraft. One the largest modification and design companies
in Canada, it delivers fleet maintenance, modifications, conversions and logistics, while
holding a variety of government, military and commercial programs. Barry Marsden,
owner of Conair Group, originally founded Cascade in 2001 as a subsidiary. Large hangars were built to offer an inexpensive
service alternative, doing the same labor for United, UPS and other Boeing 737’s as could be done in the U.S., but
with a savings of 32 cents on each dollar. The 230,000- square-foot, ITAR Certified hangars accommodate eight Boeing
737s at any given time.
Cascade hit the ground running with low margin, high volume 737 work, with up to one million hours of touch labor every
year. As the Canadian dollar rose in value, the company turned its attention to military work, winning the Canadian Armed
Forces contract to care for the legacy Hercules fleet. They supplied parts, deep level inspections, engineering, publications
and modifications. The C-130H legacy knowledge paid off, resulting in landing additional contracts for C-130Js as well.
60 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS