A112 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 26, 1999

New work sought
by air freight outfit

A LOCAL company that got
its grounding servicing a
northwestern mite is hunt-
ing for new ventures.

The planned closure of
Homestake’s Snip gold
mine in the Iskut Valley will
leave Hawkair Aviation Ser-
vices wilhout its primary
source of income.

Founded five years ago,
Hawkair began with one air-
craft and added another
thanks to its Homestake
contract to fly in supplies to
Snip’s remote localion and
to fly out ore concentrate,

But now it’s just flying
out concentrate and will
soon add mining equipment
to ils cargo list as
Homestake prepares to shut
down the end of this month.
It wants to have the mine
site cleaned up by summer's
end,

*‘Anywhere there’s a road,

MASSIVE CARVAIR freight aircraft dwarfs owners
Dave Menzies and Paul Hawkins of Hawkair Aviation
Services. The closure of the remote Snip gold mine
means it is looking for new work.

you won'l see us,’’ says
Paul Hawkins, one of the
company’s three managing
partners.

Both of the company’s air-
craft, a British Bristol and
an adapted DC-4 called a
Carvair, foad and unload
through cargo doors on their
noses, making them unique
aircraft for their carrying ca-
pacity.

Hawkins and Dave Men-
gies, another managing part-
ner, doubt there’s another
company in western Canada
with the kind of lift capacity
they offer. The Carvair, for
instance, has a cargo bay
that’s 70 feet long.

So that should place them
“in demand for companies
which need to fly equipment
or supplies to locations
where there aren’t roads,

But this also places them
at the mercy of the resource
industry economy and right
now there’s not a lot of ac-
tivily.

“We only get used by
people who are trying to be
industrious in remote
areas,”’ said Menzies,

. “IE industry’s not work-
ing, neither are we,” os
The company “has had ~
short term hauling contracts
including flying out equip-
ment from a mining show in
what is now the Tat-

shenshini park.

Last year it flew diesel
fuel into remote northern
Manitoba villages cut off
from ground transportation
because of ice flows.

Mine.
closes

AFTER NEARLY 10 years.
of operation producing an
estimated $450 million in
gold, the Snip mine in.
northwestem B.C, is clos-
ing.

The mine’s ore body has
simply rum out, says Garry
Biles, from mine owner
Homestake Canada,

Homestake is putting $3
million into the cost of shut-
ting down the operation,
taking out useable equip-
ment and restoring the site
in the Iskut Valley to as nat-
ural state as possible, said
Biles.

“That cost includes on-
going monitoring over the
years,”’ he said,

The workforce has already
been cut in half from its
peak of 160 people and.
inost the remainder will be
gone by the end of the
month.

But some will be called
back to help in dismantling
the operation and they’ve
also been put on a list for
openings at Homestake’s
other northwestern gold»
mine, Eskay Creek,

‘*We've said they’ ll be on
the list for a year from‘ clos«
ing,” said Biles, who is also
the general manager of the
Eskay mine. “‘It’s the least
we can do for goad employ-
ees who have been with ws

for some years and who are

trained.”

Equipment which can be
salvaged will be flown out:
to “Wrangell, Alaska. and-
barged to Stewart. for: dis-
posal,

Some may be used at the
Eskay mine and buyers will.
be suught for the rest, said:
Biles.

And early next month it
will be flying fuel in the far
north,

At one point, Hawkair
employed 20 people. It is
now down to 4 core group
of 10 as the Snip work
winds down and as it looks
for new income sources,

One possible source of
work could come if the Tul-
sequah Chief copper and
gold property south of Atlin
ever gets developed.

There is enviromental
opposition to the project and
opposition to constructing a
road south from Atlin to the
property,

Menzies points out that an

Cena |

¥ PONTIAC

aircraft isn’t as environmen-
tally sensitive as a road,

The one real challenge
Hawkair faces comes from
Navean, a new creation
which has taken over the
country’s air navigation
network from the federal
government.

Fees imposcd by Navcan
have the potential to eat into
Hawkair’s profit margin,
making it difficult to bid on
projects,

“There’s a fee to use an
aimport serviced by a flight

services station run by Nav--

can and sO many cents a
kilometre while in the air,”
notes Hawkins,

LIMITED TIME OFFER. HURRY IN.
ONLY AT YOUR BC PONTIAC BUICK GMC DEALER.

, McEwan GM in Terrace 635-4941...

for one delicious deal!

Summer is sizzling with the
DO Double Cheeseburger
Super Value Meal’

It's two juicy, (OO%%
beef patties, topped
with process chéesé,
pickles, mustard, and
ketchup. Served with
crisp, golden fries and
an ice cold soft drink,

, ®
brazi
fazer.
Otter avalbi at paniepatng Stores. ® Trademark of American Cairy Queen Corp. Distributed by 10Q Canada inc. Printed in Canada,
~ Proud sponsor of the Children's Miracle Network,

4532 Lakelse Ave, Terrace + 635-2561

1999 GMC JIMMY 4X4 2-DOOR

99 GMC SIERRA V8

THE BEST NEW PICKUP OF THE YEAR IS EQUIPPED WITH:
- Vortec 4800 V8 engine, 255 HP: Automatic transmission with overdrive» Air:
conditioning: Largest chitd door opening" "AM/FM sterco.with cassette: PASSLock™
Theft-Deterrent system * Full instrumentation including cachometer ‘Chrome grille,
bumper and wheels - » Tile- Wheel" steering - 5 AOFAIAO split bench seat Front
tow hooks, 7

igase term for 36 montis, «Freight and Pol Inctuied..

Purchase Financing
715 Down paymant required. Up to 48 months,
ie security deposit required. ? ns.

ROGGED CAPABILITY WITH SPORTY STYLING, :

Vortec 4300 V6 engine, 190 HP -4-speed automatic transmission « Next Generation -
dual airbags : 4-wheel ABS + Off road Suspension Air conditioning - AM/EM st sterco’
with cassette: Electric tailgate relcase

‘SmanrLease for 36 months. Purchase Financing Fralght and PDI included. 2S
Downpayment $4,045 Up ta 48 months. a. : 3 mi
Secunty Depasit $350 j o es

1999 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT

* Vortec 3400 V6 engine 185 HP -4-speed auromatic transmission * Air condition-
ing ‘ Nexc Generation driver and front passenger air bags: Seat-mounted side air -
bags: 4-wheel ABS: AM/FM stereo: Heated power mirtors - “Programmable power

door locks,
SmantLiase "-PUNCHASE PRICE
*
258. 24 ) 28
SmanrLease for 36 months - preorirha tlle , Fraight ancl PDL inched. -

$3, 760 downpaymentrequired © Purchase Financing up ta 48 | -
$300 security depasit required months. LEASE OR PURCHASE

BUICK
Ye" ay ie you lo latow mera: For vohicle geleetten or the locetion of the nearest dealer cx!! 1-800-0M-ORIVE of ‘att our wekstta at www.omesnads.com * Boge ona 38 month tease for 1990 SIERRA Ext, ry

amy, 2-Door / Trans Sporl 3-Doer equi; asd d. A down or trade of $2,715/94,046 / $3,760 ond & securily deposit of $350/S300 Is tequlrad. Total obligation | GMC
Se casei 173/812,32?, Annual klometer ttmil 20,000km, $0, 12 per excess wamater 0 Othar lease cations available. @iln (500 series cles. *+Freight included. Licanse, Insurance, aif conditioning oxcisa
tox did taxes not included. Dealer may call or lease for loss. AFinoncing on ay IMAC credit only. Example $10,000 at 1.9% APR. the monthly peyment ts a 8216.6 5 (or 48 monte. ort of berrowing 4
$392.48. Total obligation 18 510,392, 48. Down paymunt, trade and ot tecualy opproved

pater. te ba forint ony payment and cost of borrowing wil vary: and dow ‘iad,
CAC, #Financhig on approved GMAG credit ie y Dample 510,000 at 2.9% API thly payment ts $220,890 for 4B months. Cost of berowing 1p $603.20. Tatel blipetion le $10, 603.20. Boum payment,
trade and or eecurlly deposit may be ve tnguved Monthly paymant and coat of borrowhig w: will vary dapanding on amount borrowed aed down peyment/irade, OAC. “Testing conducted by the Nalional Highway
Tralfic Salety Administration 4! Olfers apply to 1999 new of damonelrator models oe vehicles equipped a3 danorlbed and sepety io gustied total tuslomers in B. &, only: Dealer ‘oder or trade may bo
necossory: Limited time offers which may notbe combined with ther ol tera Gon you dealerti) for conditions and dataila. .. ee . ,