Coulson Aviation

Last updated
Coulson Aviation
IATA ICAO Call sign
—CULCOULSON
Founded1960
Commenced operationsMid 1980s
Parent company Coulson Group
HeadquartersPort Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
Key peopleWayne Coulson (CEO), Britton Coulson (president & COO)
FounderCliff Coulson
EmployeesOver 650
Website https://coulsonaviation.com
Coulson Aviation base on Sproat Lake Mars at sprout lake.jpg
Coulson Aviation base on Sproat Lake

Coulson Aviation is an aviation company headquartered in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. The company's fleet specialises in air tankers used for aerial firefighting. [1] It operates in Canada, the United States, Australia and Chile. [2]

Contents

The company operates both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The company's operations included helicopter logging, forest fire suppression, power-line construction, airliner passenger, transport, and other industrial heavy lift operations. Coulson Aviation (USA) Inc. is a subsidiary of Coulson Aircrane Ltd. Coulson Aviation contract rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to Australia and the US from Canada. [3]


Active fleet

Coulson Aviation currently has 21 aircraft (excluding business jets) active as of July 20, 2024

Fixed wing aircraft

Air tankers

Tanker 133 at Rogers Field, Chester CA Tanker133.jpg
Tanker 133 at Rogers Field, Chester CA

Lockheed C-130 Hercules:

  • Tanker 130 (C130H)
  • Tanker 131 (EC130Q) (N131CG)
  • Tanker 132 (C130H) (N132CG)
  • Tanker 133 (C130H) (N140CG)
  • Tanker 136 (C130H) (N136CG)
  • Tanker 138 (C130H) (N382CG)
  • Tanker 140 (C130H) (N130CG)
  • N4313L (C130H) (Formally NZ 7005)
  • N4312L (C130H) (Formally NZ 7004)
  • N4054 (C130H) (Formally NZ 7003)
  • N4053L (C130H) (Formally NZ 7002)

Boeing 737:

Command and control aircraft

Cessna Citation:

Coulson also operates a further two Citations in Australia on behalf of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service: [5]

Rotary wing aircraft

Coulson Aviation currently has 17 Rotary wing aircraft in service (as of July 20, 2024

CH-47 Chinook:

Coulson also operates a Chinook in Australia on behalf of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service: [6]

Sikorsky S-76:

Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk:

Sikorsky S-61:

Coulson also operates two helicopters in Australia on behalf of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service: [7]

Previous fleet

Coulson Aviation previously operated two Martin Mars flying boats, the Philippine Mars and Hawaii Mars.

Past deployments

On 5 December 2022 Coulson aviation sent one of its C130Hs to Busselton Regional Airport as part of a 4-year firefighting contract. The aircraft did weekly equipment tests. [8]

Boeing 767 Very Large Air Tanker program

On December 22, 2025, Coulson Aviation announced the start of its Boeing 767 Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) program. The 767 VLAT program is meant to serve as a replacement for legacy MD-11 and DC-10 VLATs. The 767 VLAT will feature Coulson's Retardant Aerial Delivery System, while being able to carry up to 160 passengers. [9]

Accidents

In 2020, a Coulson Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed while aerial firefighting for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service during Australia's black summer bushfires, resulting in the deaths of three American firefighters. [10] The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) determined the cause of the collision was likely due to the dangerous weather conditions, low-level wind shear and an increased tailwind, leading to the aircraft stalling while releasing fire retardant foam at a low height and airspeed and colliding with terrain.

In 2023, a Boeing 737-300 aircraft known as Tanker 139 and operated by Coulson Aviation crashed in the Fitzgerald River National Park in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia while fighting multiple fires. [11] The cause of the crash was the pilots dumping fire retardant below the minimum altitude. The final report was published by the ATSB on 6th of November 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Coulson Aviation to bring another C-130 airtanker online this summer". Skies Magazine. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Coulson Aviation extends aerial firefighting support with new contracts in Chile". Skies Mag. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  3. ↑ Collision with terrain involving Lockheed Martin EC-130Q, N134CG (PDF) (Report). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 29 August 2022. p. 38. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Legislative Council - Home Business Papers - 7318 - Police and Emergency Services - LARGE AIR TANKER". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  5. 1 2 "Coulson Aviation and New South Wales Government Secure Deal to Purchase Coulson Fireliner with 10 Year Operational Contract" (Press release). Vancouver, BC: Coulson Aviation USA. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  6. ↑ "New contract for RFS aerial fleet building home-grown talent". www.rfs.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
  7. ↑ "NSW RFS Aviation Communiqué #24 - April 2020". New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  8. ↑ "COULSON AVIATION". COULSON AVIATION. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Coulson Aviation Announces Launch of Boeing 767 VLAT Program". coulsonaviation.com. Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Mellis, Eilidh; Bungard, Matt (2020-01-23). "Three dead as air tanker fighting bushfires crashes near Snowy Mountains". WAtoday. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  11. ↑ Myles, Cameron (2023-02-06). "Plane crashes as firefighters battle blaze in WA's south". WAtoday. Retrieved 2023-02-06.

Definition of Free Cultural Works logo notext.svg  This article incorporates text from a free content work.Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence( license statement/permission ).Text taken from Collision with terrain involving Lockheed EC130Q, N134CG, 50 km north-east of Cooma-Snowy Mountains Airport (near Peak View), New South Wales, on 23 January 2020​ , Australian Transport Safety Bureau .


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