Toronto, ON | May. 29, 2017
This year marks Field’s 70th anniversary of providing specialized services to the international aerospace industry, and the company plans to highlight this achievement at Canada’s Global Defence and Security Trade Show (CANSEC) this week in Ottawa, Canada.
“There is no doubt that the name “Field” is recognized as a global leader in the missionization and modification of aircraft”, said Brian Love, Field Aviation’s chief operating officer. “As an aviation company with a long and rich history, we continue to build and strengthen our presence in the U.S. through Field Aerospace, and in Canada and internationally through Field Aviation. We are very proud of our employees across all sites and with what we have achieved.”
In 1947, the Hunting Group of the U.K. created a photographic survey company in Ontario, Canada. This business expanded through the purchase of Weston Aircraft which added design, manufacturing, service and maintenance capabilities and was renamed Field Aviation. In the mid-1950s, Field Aviation opened facilities at the Calgary and Toronto international airports to support the growing number of aircraft used in oil and gas explorations, as well as to modify standard transport aircraft for special-purpose applications such as aerial photography and geophysical survey.
Field Aviation’s expertise in reclaiming and repairing accident-damaged aircraft was well known by the 1980s – performing salvage operations on every continent from Canada’s high Arctic to South America and Africa. In the 90s, its innovative aerospace engineering capabilities ushered in a new era with its aircraft fire-fighting systems, and modification services. These services included restorations, cargo conversions and interior reconfigurations, as well as major airframe inspections and aircraft painting. In addition, in 1994 Field Aviation became the special mission modifier for the Australian Coastwatch Dash 8 program.
Field Aviation had achieved international acclaim by the early 2000s for its wide range of capabilities in the modification of regional and business aircraft for missionized operations by designing, manufacturing, testing, certifying and delivering state-of-the-art missionized aircraft. Between 1992 and 2017 alone, Field Aviation has been involved in the creation of 45 special mission aircraft.
In 2012, Field Aerospace, a newly formed privately held U.S. company, acquired Field Aviation from Hunting and continued its Canadian operations. In 2015, Field Aerospace then acquired ARINC Aerospace Systems Engineering and Support (ASES) in Oklahoma City from Rockwell Collins, expanding its modification, maintenance and sustainment capabilities into the United States. The addition of ASES, which was renamed Field Aerospace, brought more than 25 years of experience developing and delivering systems engineering and integration solutions to the U.S. government, aerospace and defense industries.
ASES was formed in 1990 when ARINC established this business unit in both Oklahoma and Georgia to support the U.S. Air Force with Contractor Logistics Support and upgrade programs. These included the installation of the first FAA approved military GPS receiver and flight management system in C-5, C-9, E-4, and KC-10 aircraft as well as engineering support with the C-130 and KC-135 Program Management Office.
By 2001, ASES was performing NVIS modifications and a cockpit upgrade on aircraft for South America. In 2003, ASES provided international support on avionics modernization for the Netherlands KDC-10 tankers to meet European Airspace Requirements, and started to modify Cessna Citation and C-26 aircraft.
By 2007, ASES built a new hangar facility at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. This site was part of the acquisition by Field Aerospace and remains its current Oklahoma City location providing engineering expertise in aircraft operations, structural and systems design, avionics, electrical systems, instrumentation and testing, and modification services.
Today, Field Aerospace in the U.S. and Field Aviation in Canada, have over 500 employees across 4 North American locations. With corporate offices in Cincinnati and engineering and manufacturing locations in Oklahoma City, Toronto, and Calgary, Field is poised and ready to meet the needs of its global customer base.
For further information:
Derek Clarke
