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AVIATION Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 6:20 PM Updated Apr 24, 2015 at 12:31 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 6:20 PM Updated Apr 24, 2015 at 12:31 PM » Social News At any given moment, an Erickson aircrane or one of its smaller helicopters can be found on job sites around the globe. Most all of them find their way home to the Rogue Valley for upkeep or overhaul. On Wednesday afternoon, three of Erickson's fleet of 20 aircranes were at the Medford airport for maintenance, testing and training. Erickson deploys six aircraft in Australia during fire season, three are en route to Greece for similar duty, and three more were shipped back to Long Beach, Calif. One of those, dubbed Olga, has been hovering over Southern Oregon on training missions this week. It may seem like a small thing for an aviation company to have its major manufacturing and maintenance operations at an airport. But it means a world of difference if you're a global operator such as Erickson, and it makes it infinitely easier for Andy Mills and Kerry Jarandson, the local vice presidents who oversee commercial aviation and maintenance, repair and overhaul operations. "The key for our helicopters is to be operational ready," said Mills. "A helicopter has 100,000 pieces moving around, and there is always something wanting to break, but we always want to be ready as possible." In 2014, Erickson's helicopters were good to go 96 percent of the time. While Erickson's field performance is rarely questioned, the company has struggled on the financial side. Shares, which traded as high as $28.10 two years ago, slipped below $4 last month. Former CEO Udo Rieder moved corporate headquarters from Central Point to Portland in 2009 and took the company public three years ago. He followed with the acquisitions of Evergreen Helicopters and Air Amazonia to broaden Erickson's scope, but they also saddled the company with debt. In February, Erickson laid off 150 workers, mostly in the Rogue Valley locations, leaving about 920 employees globally. At the same time the company restructured itself into four units: Commercial; Oil and Gas; Government Services; and Manufacturing, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul. Last month, Rieder stepped down and was succeeded by Jeff Roberts. Erickson acquired the former Medford Air offices and hangar in late 2013 and shifted much of its manufacturing and overhaul operations from its Willow Springs Road plant established in the 1970s. Mixed in a 50,000-square-foot hangar is a Bell 214ST trainer, symbolic of the company's growth potential. "This has opened up some opportunities for us to pursue additional work we would've had a hard time pursuing in the past," Jarandson said. "We finally have enough room. Being right on an airport gives us easier access for our helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, as well. We had been jammed into a hangar before at Willow Springs. It's hard to take an aircraft and transport it off an airport, do maintenance on it and then take it back to the airport." The commercial aircrane division, encompassing the company's legacy logging, firefighting and construction business, keeps Erickson's corner of the airport abuzz with the whirring of rotors, hiss of air compressors and clanging of metal. Much of the work is limited to a single shift these days. Erickson's fleet includes overhauled military CH-54 aircraft that are refashioned into aircranes. Parts and components of the next S-64 Aircrane, due for completion in 2016, are scattered about the 50,000-square-foot assembly hangar. Erickson builds aircraft wiring harnesses from the ground up in the adjacent electric shop for sale around the world or installation next door. "This facility has enhanced our capabilities and should result in additional work for us in the future," Jarandson said. Everywhere Erickson deploys an aircrane in North America, it ships a 14-person crew and maintenance pod replete with nightlights, generators, pressure washers and a million dollars' worth of spare parts. "It's basically a self-contained shop for the aircraft mechanics to service the aircraft every night," Mills said. "It's also accompanied by a 10,000-gallon fuel tanker and a lift, or boom, truck. When the aircraft goes out on a fire contract or to do lift work in a remote location, it might be out for months, maybe even a year. Our intent is that we service and maintain the aircraft — right up to and including major components — in the field." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 23, 2015 at 6:20 PM Updated Apr 24, 2015 at 12:31 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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