Best known in the helicopter industry for his 17 years with CHC, where he served as Senior VP and Director, Mark Dobbin has launched new operator 3D Helicopters.  Targetting the VIP charter market from its base at St John’s, Dobbin believes that the current Newfoundland operators overlook this market while concentrating on the offshore and utility sectors.

3D flies an eight-seater S76A and is launching tomorrow, Tuesday 31st August, when it is scheduled to fly NHL winger Michael Ryder from  St. John’s to Bonavista with the Stanley Cup which Ryder won this year with the Boston Bruins.  The particular helicopter is C-GIMQ, a 1980-build S76A with serial number 760102 – and interestingly it’s been registered to 3D Helicopters Inc since 12 September 2008.

Dobbin is the founder and President of private equity firm Killick Capital, and served as CEO and Chairman of Vector Aerospace Corp between 1998 and 2003.   He also served on the Board of Directors of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. He holds an M.B.A. from Dalhousie and is a 1981 graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland Bachelor of Commerce program.

The company names comes from a combination of the helicopter flying in all three dimenions, but is also an acknowledgement to his children – the 3 Dobbins.  His late father Craig Dobbin was the founder of CHC.

The company will have a website at http://www.3dhelicopters.ca and currently has a holding page there.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com