Bearskin Airlines’ roots are deep in the soil of Northern Ontario. John Heglund founded the company on July 17, 1963, naming it after Bearskin Lake, a remote First Nations community located 270 miles northeast of Sioux Lookout. Cliff Friesen, Harvey’s brother, purchased his interest in 1978 and is the Executive Vice President. Other owners include Vice President of Operations, Karl Friesen (unrelated), Rick Baratta, Vice President of Finance and Brad Martin, Director of Operations. Henri Boulanger, and Bert Cone took over the company in 1965 and operated it as an air taxi service using float equipped aircraft. Harvey Friesen, originally from Warman, Sask., was a pilot for the company before purchasing a 50% interest in 1972. In 1977, Boulanger’s shares were bought out, giving the current President control of the company.

Bearskin Airlines operates a single aircraft type, the Fairchild Metroliner.Created by legendary aircraft designer Ed Swearingen the Fairchild Metro was developed as a stretched version of Swearingen’s Merlin II corporate turboprop and designed specifically to serve the regional airline market. Since its introduction, more than 1000 Metros and Merlins have been built, making the Metro and its derivatives the most popular regional aircraft in the industry. Bearskin currently operates 13 Fairchild Metroliners. Equipped with twin turbine engines, these 19 passenger, pressurized aircraft offer exceptional speed and range.The level of security varies significantly at airports served by Bearskin Airlines.

For more information, please visit http://www.bearskinairlines.com