Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc. (AFS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) and a division of the Aerospace & Defense group, makes Paradise Helicopters, a leading provider of island tours, excursion flights, interisland travel and charter services in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, more efficient with Inlet Barrier Filters (IBF).

“We installed our first Donaldson IBF on a newly purchased Bell 407 helicopter in 2005,” said Calvin Dorn, CEO of Paradise Helicopters. “During scheduled maintenance, we immediately noticed that the turbine engine’s compressor section was cleaner than unfiltered compressors. Just as importantly, the Donaldson IBF reduced engine operating temperature by as much as 20 degrees compared to an engine with an alternate filtration system, a major difference that contributed to lower fuel consumption and longer engine life.”

Mike Scimone, president of Donaldson’s St. Louis location said, “We are delighted to help Paradise Helicopters, and Calvin Dorn’s experience clearly shows that Donaldson IBFs provide superior protection and efficiency compared to other filtration methods. The operational advantages he has described are available from Donaldson for many of the most popular commercial helicopters in service today.”

Paradise Helicopters operates three Bell 407s, a popular single-engine multipurpose rotorcraft with up to seven seats, and two MD 500Es, a smaller helicopter with room for five people. Both of the company’s MD500Es and one Bell 407 use Donaldson IBFs. Mr. Dorn wants to equip his entire fleet with filter systems.

“In our business, safety is paramount,” Dorn explained. “We fly nearly every day and accumulate 1,000 to 1,300 flight hours per year on each helicopter, so we must be reliable and ready.  We’re only down for maintenance at night.”

“We perform daily power checks and rinse engine compressors every evening,” he continued. “We also pull complete engines out on our MD 500s for inspection after 300 flight hours. Since we fly over a lot of volcanic activity, filtration is important. Although we haven’t seen the same amounts of ash as the Iceland volcanic eruptions, it’s still an issue. Our maintenance department notices that IBFs definitely keep our engines cleaner with no serious fouling. IBFs give us numerous advantages, including less erosion and longer engine life, with no negative impact to our operations. All we have to do is clean the filter element, and that’s a simple procedure.”

About 85 percent of Paradise Helicopters’ flights are devoted to tourism and aerial photography, but the company also is on call for emergency services including medical evacuation and fire-fighting. “We recently completed fire-fighting flights involving several hours carrying heavy sling loads of water and fire retardant,” Dorn said. “IBFs not only keep smoke and particle pollution out of engines but also reduce engine operating temperatures, a huge benefit during these critical missions.”

“Aerial tours are still the most important part of our business,” concluded Dorn.  “You can really appreciate what’s going on in a helicopter flying at 500 feet above ground level.  The ability to hover and even land at many nice locations also gives us a real edge.  We want everyone to share the experience in our beautiful islands, and IBFs enable us and our customers to enjoy more air time in paradise.”

About Paradise Helicopters
Paradise Helicopters has provided Air Adventures in Hawaii for over 10 years and currently departs from Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu as well as Hilo and Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Tour offerings include the only “Doors Off” tour over Kilauea and Unique Landing Adventures. Paradise Helicopters is also a leader in professional helicopter utility work providing support for the film industry, natural resources and construction lift work. More information is available at www.paradisecopters.com or e-mail us at info@paradisecopters.com

About Donaldson Aerospace & Defense
Donaldson Aerospace & Defense is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems for the aerospace and defense industry. Our filtration solutions protect fixed wing aircraft, rotorcraft, military ground vehicles, electronic equipment, space vehicles, missiles, military shipboard systems and amphibious vehicles. We are committed to advancing filtration technology, providing quality products and prompt customer service. Our group serves customers from sales, engineering and manufacturing locations around the world.

About Donaldson Company
Donaldson is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems that improve people’s lives, enhance our customers’ equipment performance, and protect our environment. We are a technology-driven company committed to satisfying our customers’ needs for filtration solutions through innovative research and development, application expertise, and global presence. Our employees contribute to the company’s success by supporting our customers at our more than 100 sales, manufacturing, and distribution locations around the world.

Donaldson is a member of the S&P MidCap 400 and Russell 1000 indices, and our shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol DCI. Additional information is available at www.donaldson.com.