Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI) continues to provide critical engine protection for helicopter operators battling Australian wildfires this year.  The company’s Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF) systems are the choice of firefighting operators worldwide and heavily utilized in corporate, air medical, utility and maritime/offshore missions as well.

Donaldson IBFs support maximum aircraft availability for aerial firefighters including the brave pilots and crews at Australia’s Commercial Helicopters.

“The past couple of months’ very dry weather combined with high, dense grass cover has led to an increased number of bushfires, which is keeping us very busy,” stated Commercial’s President Marc Rogers. “Several of our helicopters have been flying over 10 hours per day on firefighting duties.”

“Our company specializes in operating in very remote, harsh conditions such as those seen in firefighting, and we wouldn’t consider operating our helicopters without Donaldson inlet barrier filters,” added Rogers. Crews are flying missions from bases in Cooma, Bombala, Tumut, Narramine, Hobart, Tasmania as well as the company’s headquarters in Mudgee.

The IBF helps prevent engine damage in adverse environments and ramp take-off and landing conditions alike, as well as reducing the effects of salt-air ingestion.  IBF-equipped operators can experience lower aircraft operating costs without performance penalties.  Turbine engine manufacturers regularly recommend protecting their power plants with IBFs.

Rogers and team are ready for other assignments when not fighting bushfires.  The company’s Bell JetRanger and LongRanger ships perform aerial spraying, power line surveys, feral animal control and mining/exploration support in the desert area of South Australia.

“Much of this activity is very remote work and can be extremely hot this time of year, over 50 degrees Celsius or 122 Fahrenheit, meaning we need maximum turbine airflows combined with maximum protection,” adds Rogers.  “It is also an incredibly dusty environment.  We couldn’t operate without IBFs installed otherwise we’d suffer severe damage to our engines and unacceptable operating costs.”

Providing the most comprehensive line of IBF solutions, Donaldson Aerospace & Defense is the industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance engine IBF systems for commercial and military propulsion systems. Through its St. Louis, Missouri location, Donaldson provides certified IBF solutions for the AgustaWestland AW109E/S/SP, AW119 Koala, AW119Ke and AW139; Bell 205A1, 206B, 407, 206L-3/4, 206L-1(C30), 206LR, 230, 429 and 430; Eurocopter EC130, AS350 B/BA/B1/B2/B3/B3e, AS350s with Soloy or Heli-Lynx Honeywell engine conversions; and MD Helicopters MD 369H Series, MD 500D/E/F and MD 900/902.

Learn more about Donaldson’s line of IBF Systems at www.DonaldsonRotorcraft.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, 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 approximately 13,000 employees contribute to the Company’s success by supporting our Customers at our more than 140 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.