Reprint of VOL. 8 No. 1

Bristow Group The secrets of success

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22 verticalmag.comverticalmag.com The Secrets of success

Combining growth, expansion and acquisition with a focus on quality service has led Bristow up the food chain in the offshore oil and gas sector. Story by Jeffrey Decker Photos by Graham Lavery, Heath Moffatt and Mike Reyno

BristowBristow 33 Each solemn morning over the world’s oceans, a familiar scene repeats itself: fresh sunlight creeps into the dark cabin of a heavy , heralding the first day of work for the passengers within. It’s two weeks at sea for this bunch, back on the chase for oil in the offshore fields. They’re among the thousands of Eworkers who routinely say goodbye to their families to strap into a life vest and fly out to the oil platforms where there’s money to be made. Industry-wide, ferrying workers from land to more than 8,000 offshore oil and natural gas platforms and rigs is a job for around 1,500 — about 500 of them fly under the Bristow Group banner. With operations in 21 countries and more than 3,600 employees, Bristow is, by many standards, the world’s largest com- mercial helicopter operator. While it takes on a host of other duties, its primary mission is straightforward: Bristow is an immense and sophisticated shuttle service.

Pieces of the Puzzle Bristow’s worldwide presence stems from a series of mergers and acquisitions that hasn’t stopped yet. Even today, it is a growing concern, steadily absorbing other companies while striving for uniformity across cultures. “When I came here in 2004, we set an objective to double the size of the company in five years,” said chief executive officer and president William E. . From 2007 to 2008, Bristow doubled capital expenses and saw net income jump more than 40 percent.

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Opposite Left Where Bristow derives its revenues from. Opposite right In addition to offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration projects in Alaska, Bristow is also supporting pipeline operations there. right With a fleet of seven medium and 13 heavy helicopters, Bristow is the largest offshore helicopter provider in . Far right Bristow currently operates a fleet of 38 heavy helicopters in the , supporting offshore oil and gas operations. top right Bristow Group operates in 21 countries around the world. above Since its introduction into the Bristow fleet in 2007, the S-92 worked exclusively in the North Sea. In the summer of 2008, though, it was introduced into the Gulf of .

Bristow 5 hours of offshore flying. Through education, co-operation and frequent communication, that safety-focused corporate culture is breathed into each pilot, each support team and each hangar.

The North Sea More than half of Bristow’s heavy helicopters fly in the North Sea. Supporting them are more than 580 employees based in , , in sprawling hangars and an office complex that always seems to hide another division around each corner. By summer, the operation will spread into a new hangar and 18,000-square-foot office and training facility. Built to hold four full flight simulators in its three floors, the training facility will put an end to costly trips for simulator training in France. Aberdeen line maintenance manager Cameron Beattie worked three years in Vietnam before Bristow’s operation there closed down. Comparing that two-helicopter operation to the massive one he runs now, he said: “Here you’ve got everything at hand. You’ve got composite workshops, upholstery workshops, safety equipment workshops. They’re specialized. They do a beautiful job. But over there you had to do that yourself.” Since Bristow merged with Air Logistics, Beattie’s noticed a welcome emphasis on training. “You’d be a good engineer or a good pilot, but you might not be a good manager,” he explained, but now frequent seminars and courses fill that gap. Closing gaps is essential in the North Sea: helicopters here fly as far as 120 miles out to rigs, 300 feet above the water’s surface. The unique hazard here is frequent fog. Rory Stewart, one of two chief pilots at the Aberdeen operations center, said a safe approach to a moving platform in fog requires the ship’s two pilots to look down for the rig’s burning exhaust 500 feet above the water before taking a “teardrop approach” two minutes out, descending all along. “The other pilot is talking me down, watching the radar and instruments,” said Stewart. “You need two people for this approach. It’s a very busy period of flight.” At least 0.75 nautical Bristow has been involved in (SAR) operations for over 35 years in one shape or another. Several of it's miles of visibility is needed for any landing. On final approach, have a secondary SAR response. pilots watch the deck to judge its tempo with the waves and try to touch down while it’s rocking downward. “Some clients are quite keen to put on commercial pressure,” Ltd. was founded in 1955; it was acquired he said, especially the smaller oil companies which have more to by Offshore Logistics in 1996. Because of its international name lose from each delay. “If there’s any question, it’s very simple: recognition, the “Bristow” brand stuck, although the company You don’t .” continues to operate as Air Logistics, a Bristow Company, in the Flying out of Aberdeen has a lot in common with flying in U.S.. In recent years, the company has moved into flight training, , and , said pilot Johan Arijs, which it sees as a way to breed that desired uniformity across who’s flown six Bristow aircraft on three continents. “There is a operations. It began when Bristow acquired the Florida-based Bristow way of doing things, checklists and such, that makes it Helicopter Adventures Inc. — now Bristow Academy — in 2007. easier to switch between aircraft types,” he remarked. Other schools followed shortly thereafter. An English flight acad- Preparing for an afternoon flight in the flight planning room, emy is its most recent training acquisition. he checks over the weather and the route, glances at the plat- In October, Bristow saw its partial ownership in Norsk form he’ll land on and chats with the pilot who just flew in his Helikopter in grow to complete ownership. Now, this new assigned EC 225 on one of 40 daily flights. member of the big family can pass on its innovative document Over the cold and deadly waters of the North Sea, pilots wear management system, which interfaces with aircraft maintenance watertight survival suits, as do their passengers. Each one takes systems. (But, while Bristow approaches the North Sea from a three-day survival course. They’re ready for a short stay in a all angles, it won’t be mingling resources until one of Norsk’s life raft with thermal clothing and a splash cover for their faces. Sikorksy S-92s fills in for one down for maintenance in the While there’s plenty to worry about with unexpected landings in Islands off Scotland.) the or South Pacific, it’s not the hypothermia and Impressively, Bristow has managed to roll all of these disparate swift death potentially found in the North Sea and Arctic Ocean. organizations into the aggressive global safety program it calls Passenger briefings are also shorter in warmer weather, and “Target Zero.” Chiles pointed to the accident rate per 100,000 there are fewer pleasantries in the lounges than at the busier flights: “We’re at 0.73 right now, which is on our way to zero.” Aberdeen check-in area. Television departure lists in Aberdeen In fact, it seems Chiles is being modest. if one looks at Bristow's give that airline flavor, though procedures everywhere are essen- commercial operations and takes out its two training mishaps, tially the same: passengers are weighed during check in, their the accident rate for 2008 was zero – for more than 300,000 bags are searched and they line up for flying. With operations

6 verticalmag.com Bristow Fleet Number

SMALL Helicopters right on the , though, oil workers can fly in from Robinson r22 16 around the world then just walk over here for that last leg. Schweizer 300CB/CBi (training) 49 On the scale Bristow operates, though, just getting the right pilots paired on the right aircraft in the schedule can be a Eurocopter EC 120 1 challenge rivaling classic puzzle games, said aircrew services Bell 206B 24 co-ordinator Julie Carnie. “It’s a bit like Tetris,” she said with a Eurocopter AS 350 35 smile. Eurocopter BO-105 2 Farther Out Bell 206L-1 21 North American operations, meanwhile, still stand out as “Air Bell 206L-3 21 Logistics, a Bristow Company,” and some signage and radio ops Bell 206L-4 39 use the pre-merger company nickname “Air Log.” The Gulf of Mexico sees the most flights, with 309 pilots and the largest Bell 407 45 contingent of small helicopters of the global fleet. Each day, Eurocopter EC 135 5 there are 600 helicopters in total buzzing over what are the Eurocopter bk-117 1 world’s most competitive waters. AgustaWestland AW109 2 In the Gulf, the prize is natural gas, and the modern map is twice as large as the one abandoned in the 90s — which barely Medium Helicopters reached beyond the drop-off 30 miles south of the north shore. AgustaWestland AW139 4 “They referred to it as the edge of the waterfall,” explained chief Bell 212 29 pilot Bob Old, who’s flown here since 1984. “Past, there was 78 where dragons lived. Nowadays, we go out there all the time.” As established wells plateau or slow down, oil companies go Eurocopter EC 155 10 deeper into the Gulf, as does Bristow. It recently sold two entire Sikorsky S-76A 26 shore bases and 53 small helicopters to Rotorcraft Leasing to Sikorsky S-76C (C+&C++ models) 39 carry on those old contracts (see p.18, Vertical, Oct-Nov 2008). Eurocopter AS 365N3 3 The remaining fleet will get newer, larger aircraft to fly farther than 150 nautical miles out. Large helicopters Mark Duncan, senior vice-president, Western Hemisphere, said Eurocopter AS 332L 34 there are still 60 single-engine aircraft in the fleet that could Bell 214ST 3 go deep, but twins win out for performance and safety. Said Sikorsky s-61 8 Duncan: “Today, in the market, supply equals demand, or maybe even demand outstrips supply. So we’re 100 percent utilized. Sikorsky S-92 15 Below Bristow derives 76% of The only place left is to go deeper and deeper. Those 53 aircraft its revenues from international Mil Mi-8 8 were flying for production management companies — small oil operations, like in where it operates 12 Bell Eurocopter EC 225 7 companies who decide to hire a labor company to run and man 412s in support of the offshore oil their platforms rather than hiring themselves. That’s what we and gas industry there Helicopter Fleet Total 526 got out of.”

Bristow 7 "Weather is the overriding issue of concern in the region, though. The constant problem of malaria, fog or militants found in some areas, are swapped here for the occasional devastation of hurricanes."

The Gulf New Iberia, La., is the company’s other maintenance operations center, where director of maintenance Mark Boudreaux oversees the heavy and specialized work of the hemisphere. “On aver- age,” he said, “we’re going to have eight aircraft in here at all times being refurbished, and we save two spots for unscheduled events.” It’s not uncommon for helicopters to park overnight on rigs in the Gulf, where the universal problem of salt residue persists despite frequent water flushing through the engines. Said Boudreaux, “Those are the ones we see the most of, in fact. You can wash it off and you wake up the next day and there’ll be salt on the aircraft. That’s why we bring them in every three days.” In the heart of the operations center, the flight following depart- ment tracks each Bristow flight, with five operators and one pilot watching their own computers and a shared jumbo screen, orbited on all sides by support staff. Weather is the overriding issue of concern in the region, though. The constant problem of malaria, fog or militants found in some areas, are swapped here for the occasional devastation of hur- ricanes. The windows of the newly expanded regional headquar-

8 verticalmag.com Opposite Main Bristow derives 23 percent of its revenues from operations in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been shifting its focus there from shallow-water contracts to deepwater offshore contracts. Opposite inset In the Gulf of Mexico, Bristow's growth strategy is focused on deepwater offshore contracts. Between 2003 and 2008, deepwater oil production increased by 50 percent. Right Top The flight following department in New Iberia, La., tracks each Bristow flight with five operators and one pilot. Right Below In 2005, Bristow became the first company to introduce the Eurocopter EC 225 for offshore operations in the North Sea. It will operate 15 EC 225s by the end of 2011. ters in New Iberia can hold off objects hurled by winds as powerful as 150 miles an hour, while the $100 million US in parts kept here are on wheeled carts, ready to be evacuated immediately. It’s the regional facilities that aren’t quite as lucky. One shore base is still undergoing repair after Hurricane Ike 1,200 more parking spaces, a new hangar, new landing pads and hit. Several refueling stations have been scrapped and a radio a short strip for rolling takeoffs of the new heavy helicopters. By beacon is still in shambles at the bottom of the ocean, along with June, the new pilot lounge will open, perhaps with a new Xerox its oil platform. machine for pilots to copy each day’s crossword and Suduko A 10-foot flood levy protects the Galliano, La., shore base facil- puzzles — besides the expected boost in planning and operations ity, the largest of eight shore bases in the area, though it’s one of space. The new passenger lounge will even include a baggage the farthest from the ocean and that destructive weather. carousel, and will soon have more of the airline feel captured On the same one or two-week work/home rotations used at the Aberdeen operation with a cafeteria, games, and video worldwide, 44 pilots converge from across the U.S. to oper- screens listing departures planned six months earlier. ate 32 aircraft at Galliano. “I live in Stone Mountain, Georgia,” said base manager Keith Dockery, and “I’ve got a pilot living in Around the World Jackson Hole, Wyoming.” Fewer than 10 of his pilots actually live While the Gulf has the most Bristow employees, over 1,000, in Louisiana. West comes in second, with almost 600. Security is essen- Along with one oil company official, pilots and mechanics sleep tial at all six bases there. Employees in Lagos, Nigeria, live in the and relax in 25 mobile homes behind the fuel tanks and next to Bristow residential complex and face curfews. To the east, they 1,200 parking spaces. A $10.5-million US expansion is putting in have long stays in hotels, with escorted shuttles to the helibase.

Bristow 9 above ??? It’s not as bad as it sounds,” said Kofo Macauley, who’s about More Than Just an Operator Opposite top Bristow Academy, to become West Africa business unit quality and safety manager. Traded publicly as BRS, Bristow’s revenue from 2004 which comprises the former Helicopter He said Lagos, “is as bad as many other big cities,” at least in the to 2007 nearly doubled to just over $1 billion. In the first six Adventures Inc. in Titusville, Fla., and Vortex Helicopters in New Iberia, La., west, where thieves are the main problem. In the Delta Region, months of the 2009 fiscal year, revenue was $576 million. gives Bristow key access to newly though, militants use violence to try for a larger interest in local Being that big means benefiting from economy of scale, pooled skilled pilots. resources. It’s not a lively or fun atmosphere, but he noted that labor agreements and even getting design input on new aircraft. Opposite Bottom Bristow has been selling off much of its light helicopter offshore oil work never is. “Basically, what people do is get really It’s been said “old man Bristow,” founder Alan Bristow, bought fleet while expanding its medium and involved in work. There’s very little recreation other than going so many AS 332s the manufacturer let him nickname the Super heavy helicopter fleet. The company currently has 42 helicopters on order to the gym. Puma “Tiger.” with options on another 47. Macauley was brought into the team with the 2001 purchase Bristow has the expertise and the authority to design new of Pan African Airlines and is now finishing a year with Bristow aircraft, but favor subtle contributions, like the TCAS II supple- in the U.K. While there he earned a Masters degree in air safety mental type certificate approved for the “Tiger” in late October. management and learned more of the Bristow way of doing It was pioneered by the design department at Bristow’s - things. area corporate office in Redhill, in co-operation with Rockwell Collins and Shell Aircraft. TCAS II is more specific than declaring The Bristow way is true in most of its locations, but there are which quadrant traffic is in, and it advises how to avoid a colli- allowances for local solutions. Alaska’s 15 helicopters and one sion. The system is being fitted now to a second AS 332L and airplane are granted greater autonomy for repetitive operations Bristow intends to license the traffic alert collision avoidance over one of the most secluded areas of the world. Mostly, staff system (TCAS) to militaries and other commercial operators to monitor the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and wildlife, and only recoup development costs. one offshore operation gets Bell 412 flights, to a constructed Growth in its training sector, meanwhile, will help breed the gravel island in the Arctic Ocean. desired uniformity across operations, especially as the company The Chinese operation is one person, and more ops are scat- has set out to bring in more local workers, and head off what tered from and , to Latin America and Barrow Chiles called “the lack of engineers globally.” He added, “We’re Island off Australia — where each worker’s shoes are carefully getting into that retirement bubble, so we’ve got a really high inspected for invasive species. demand for the number of engineers.” The Bristow fleet around the world is massive and growing. Currently, the Bristow Academy gives the company its pick of The company is the largest commercial customer for Sikorsky top pilots, and is undergoing an aggressive expansion to become and Eurocopter, with 42 helicopters on order and options for 47 one of the world’s training powerhouses. Interestingly, more. And, it’s starting to look at AgustaWestland ships too. approximately 75 percent of training revenue comes from Said CEO Chiles, “Although we have not directly bought any international students. [AgustaWestland] AW139s, we are looking for opportunities out One of Bristow’s training cornerstones is the former Vortex there to acquire 139s.” Helicopters in New Iberia, created in 1987 by Joe Sheeran, and

10 verticalmag.com purchased by Bristow in November 2007. “It’s [been] really good for the employees, because I wasn’t able to offer nearly the ben- efits,” said Sheeran, now general manager at the academy’s New Iberia campus. Now, his employees also have access to the flight training devices at the Air Logistics training center, which keeps company pilots current and ready for new ratings. Along with training, safety is the big theme here. The only wall decoration in Sheeran’s office is a Target Zero banner, promot- ing Bristow’s worldwide, top-to-bottom safety program that has charged through the company with a passion. Leading Target Zero is Patrick Corr, senior VP for global safety, training and standards, and the only pilot among the company’s eight senior leaders. He’s an Irishman, who built the U.S. training school Helicopter Adventures Inc., and saw it become the core of Bristow Academy in 2007. “At Helicopter Adventures, even when we were up to 115 employees, we didn’t have an HR director or a finance director,” he noted. “It boosts the number of highly experienced manage- ment and supervisory personnel who are on fixed salaries and are not transient. They’re career training managers. They’re not flight instructors on their way to being commercial pilots. Of course, we "The Bristow fleet around the world is massive and growing. still have a lot of guys and girls in that category too.” By and large, though, the men and women at Bristow Academy, The company is the largest commercial customer for Sikorsky and all of Bristow’s locations worldwide, are finding comfort in the steady growth of the parent company, which continues the and Eurocopter, with 42 helicopters on order and options for 47 quality service it’s known for, even as it boldly flies over deeper more. And, it’s starting to look at AgustaWestland ships too." and deeper waters. Jeffrey Decker reports on issues in aviation, energy and politics. He lives with his wife and son in Oshkosh, Wis.

Bristow 11 Bristow recently took full ownership in Norsk Helicopters which operates a fleet of 11 helicopters, including seven S-92s.

"Perhaps more impressive are the low accident numbers, and how the company has stretched its Target Zero safety goals around the globe."

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