Coulson Aviation

Coulson Aviation
IATA ICAO Call sign
— CUL COULSON
Founded1960
Commenced operations
Mid 1980s
Parent companyCoulson Group
HeadquartersPort Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
Key peopleWayne Coulson (CEO), Britton Coulson (president & COO)
FounderCliff Coulson
EmployeesOver 650
Websitecoulsonaviation.com
Coulson Aviation base on Sproat Lake, with 2 Martin Mars seen in the picture

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

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

History

In 1960, Cliff Coulson founded Coulson Forest Products Ltd. in Port Alberni, British Columbia after serving in World War II. Coulson Aviation was founded in 1985, with the initial purpose of supporting logging operations with rotary-wing aviation.

Aerial firefighting

In 1987, the company acquired its first helicopter, a Sikorsky S-61N. This helicopter was primarily used for logging support until 1995. During a dry summer, the company began its shift to aerial firefighting operations. Throughout the expansion, Coulson Aviation sold their timberlands and sawmills to focus more funds to firefighting efforts.[4]

By 2007, the company had purchased multiple planes, including the Martin JMR Mars flying boat. Coulson Aviation was awarded a contract with the U.S. Forest Service the same year.[4]

Coulson Aviation signed a 5 year lease in March 2022 for Thermal Airport in Southern California. Three C-130s, three Boeing 737s, five CH-47 Chinook helicopters, three S-61 helicopters, and S-70 Blackhawks are reportedly being stationed there for supporting the California fire response efforts.[5]

On December 22, 2025, Coulson Aviation announced their intent to develop a Boeing 767 Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) capability. The 767 VLAT plans to be capable of both personnel transport and aerial firefighting configurations.[6]

Asia-Pacific operations

In 2005, Coulson was contracted to provide aerial fire suppression support to Australia's National Aerial Firefighting Centre and the state of Victoria. Coulson Aviation Australia was founded in 2010 to support Coulson Aircrane's long-term operations in the country.[7]

Coulson began expanding to more countries in the early 2020s. Coulson Aviation was offered its first Asian contract in 2020 by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management. After a 2015 deployment, the National Board offered a contract to Coulson Aviation.[8]

The South Korean Fire Service announced a competition to supply aerial firefighting helicopters in 2022. Coulson, Erickson, and Columbia Helicopters were all considered qualified to bid. According to a filed lawsuit by Coulson, Columbia and Coulson made a deal to use Coulson's water tanks in any helicopter proposal, with Coulson stepping down from the main competition. However, Coulson claimed in the lawsuit that Columbia violated the deal and installed a competitor's water tanks.[9]

Products

Boeing 737 FireLiner

The Coulson FireLiner is a series of Boeing 737 airliners which have been modified by Coulson Aviation into specialized air tankers.[10] The FireLiner can drop up to 4,000 US gallons (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal) of fire retardant, while being able to carry up to 72 passengers without reconfiguration.[10][11]

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.[6]

Retardant Aerial Delivery Systems (RADS)

Coulson Aviation's Retardant Aerial Delivery System (RADS) is an advanced tanking system for aerial firefighting aircraft. RADS can be installed on three aircraft, the CH-47 Chinhook, C-130 Hercules, and Coulson Aviation-Boeing 737 FireLiner. RADS' control system allows operators to adjust the flow rate, allowing for more accurate drops. Depending on the variant, RADS can carry up to 4,000 U.S. gallons of fire retardant. RADS has three variants:[11]

Variant Capacity Flow rate Aircraft
RADS-L 3,000 US gallons (11,000 L; 2,500 imp gal) 1,600 US gallons (6,100 L; 1,300 imp gal) per second CH-47 Chinook
RADS-XXL 4,000 US gallons (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal) C-130 Hercules, 737 FireLiner
RADS-XXL/20 4,000 US gallons (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal) 737 FireLiner

Fleet

Tanker 133 at Rogers Field
Tanker 133 at Rogers Field, Chester CA
Air tankers
Aircraft Number[a] Variants Notes Ref(s)
Coulson Aviation-Boeing 737 FireLiner 4 3 - Boeing 737-300
1 - Boeing 737-700		 [12]
C-130 Hercules 20 10 - CC-130H [13]

1 - EC-130Q[14]

5 - C-130H[15]

4 - C-130H(NZ)[16]

 [17][13]
Command and control aircraft
Aircraft Number[a] Variants Notes Ref(s)
Cessna Citation 550 II 11 [18][12]
Cessna Citation 560 V 3 [12]
Rotary wing aircraft
Aircraft Number[a] Variants Notes Ref(s)
CH-47 Chinhook 5 5 - CH-47D [19]
UH-60 Blackhawk 3 [10][12]
Sikorsky S-61 3 [10][12]
Sikorsky S-76 2 [10][12]
Bell 412EP 6 [10][17]

Accidents and incidents

Coulson Aviation aircraft have been involved in two 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.[20] 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.[21] The cause of the crash was the pilots dumping fire retardant below the minimum altitude.

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. 1 2 "About Coulson Aviation". Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Coulson moves aircraft operations to Southern California – Wildfire Today". wildfiretoday.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  6. 1 2 "Coulson Aviation Announces Launch of Boeing 767 VLAT Program". Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  7. ↑ "Collision with terrain involving Lockheed Martin EC-130Q, N134CG" (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Board. August 29, 2022.
  8. ↑ Langfield, Mandy. "Aerial firefighting in the Asia-Pacific region". www.airmedandrescue.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  9. ↑ Labbé, Stefan (2026-01-16). "B.C. aerial firefighting company sues U.S. rival over alleged 'deceitful' South Korean deal". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Our Fleet". Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Retardant Aerial Delivery Systems". Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Challenges Faced by Coulson Aircrane Ltd. in Expansion Efforts at AVRA" (PDF). Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  13. 1 2 Canada, Public Services and Procurement (2026-08-07). "Government of Canada conditionally sells retired CC-130H Hercules aircraft to protect Canadians by strengthening Canada's private sector aerial firefighting capacity". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  14. ↑ Taghvaee, Babak (2026-07-01). "From Kiwi Warhorses to Firefighting Giants". Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  15. ↑ "Coulson Aviation is expanding their aerial firefighting fleet with Norwegian Hercules planes". Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  16. ↑ "Four RNZAF C-130H Hercules aircraft sold to US aerial firefighting company". www.nzdf.mil.nz. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  17. 1 2 "Coulson Aviation Secures $400 Million, 10-Year Contract to Support Australia's New South Wales Aerial Firefighting Capacity". No. July 15, 2024. Coulson Aviation. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "Coulson Aviation USA Acquires Citation 550 Aircraft Fleet from Canadian Government, Expanding Global Leadership in Aerial Supervision". Coulson Aviation. August 14, 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Coulson Aviation's Chinooks – From Battlefield to Fireline". Aerial Fire Magazine. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  20. ↑ Mellis, Eilidh; Bungard, Matt (2020-01-23). "Three dead as air tanker fighting bushfires crashes near Snowy Mountains". WAtoday. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  21. ↑ Myles, Cameron (2023-02-06). "Plane crashes as firefighters battle blaze in WA's south". WAtoday. Retrieved 2023-02-06.

 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.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 As of 10 September 2025[12]
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