The success of Alpine is due to the depth of experience of its management team. Key members of the management team are outlined below:

Vice President—Dave Gubbels

Dave Gubbels was promoted to Vice President in July 2007. Dave’s major responsibilities centre on the maintenance of safe operating procedures and flight standards. Dave trained as a helicopter pilot with Skyrotors in 1975 and joined Alpine in 1978 as an aircraft apprentice. He obtained his engineer’s licence in 1979 and commenced flying as a spray pilot at the beginning of 1980. Working as a pilot-engineer, Dave became Alpine’s most experienced spray pilot and quickly gained experience in other flying skills that included mountain and bush flying, seismic operations and heli-skiing/heli-hiking. Dave later was promoted to the position of Alberta Manager, before joining Alpine’s affiliated company, Eagle, in 2004 as its President/Executive Director/General Manager, a position he held until his promotion in July 2007.

Director of Operations—Sam Chivers

Sam Chivers joined Alpine Helicopters in 1966 as an apprentice engineer. In 1967, Sam qualified as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and has since qualified on every type of aircraft operated by Alpine. Sam’s experience in helicopters covers a wide range of operations that allowed him to become Operations Manager in 1986. With his background, he has an intimate understanding of the management of the day-to-day operations of the company, in both flight operations and engineering. 

Chief Pilot—Doug Dykeman

Doug Dykeman began flying in 1976, obtaining his private pilot license with the Edmonton Flying Club followed by a commercial fixed wing rating in 1978.  He added his helicopter rating in 1979 with Shirley Helicopters.  Doug joined Alpine as a pilot/engineer at the Calgary base in 1988.  His experience includes spraying, power line patrol, heli-hiking, heli-skiing and firefighting activities in Canada and the U.S.A.  Doug became a check and training pilot in 2010 and took over the position of Chief Pilot in November 2011. 

Assistant Chief Pilot—Jim Barker

Jim Barker trained as a helicopter pilot in 1973. He flew for Bow Helicopters until 1979, becoming experienced in all of their VFR operations and construction. In 1980 when Bow Helicopters was purchased by Okanagan Helicopters, Jim joined Alpine as a line pilot. He became a check and training pilot in 1983 and was made Chief Pilot in 1984. Jim’s extensive background and experience in heli-skiing and long-lining enable Alpine to maintain strong flight standards in these demanding flying operations.

Company Safety Manager—Alex Holliday

Alex Holliday has been Alpine’s Safety Manager since March 1999. He came to Alpine in 1992 with a B.Sc., a Class I instructor rating, an instrument rating and 5,000 hours of flight time. Alex’s flight experience with Alpine includes heli-skiing/heli-hiking, tourism/sightseeing, fire fighting, seismic support, long-line external loads, winter arctic operations, aerial application, EMS and instructing/recurrent training. Alex has attended Transport Canada’s Company Aviation Safety Officer and Pilot Decision Making courses as well as the Helicopter Association International’s Safety Officer and advanced Safety Management courses. In 2000, Alex was selected as a member and in 2006 he became the chairman of the Helicopter Association International Safety Committee. Alex is also the co-chair of the Safety Committee of the Helicopter Association of Canada.

Director of Maintenance—Barry Newman

Barry Newman, an aircraft maintenance engineer and an A&P mechanic, is responsible for the supervision of the complete maintenance of all Alpine helicopters and coordinates the base engineers, field engineers and spare parts requirements, as well as dealing with any maintenance problems that may arise. Barry has been employed with Alpine since 1992 and was promoted to Director of Maintenance in 2006.

Quality Assurance Manager—Dave Millar

Dave Millar, an aircraft maintenance engineer and fixed wing pilot, has been Alpine’s Quality Assurance Manager since 2000 and employed by Alpine as an engineer since 1978. As head of the Quality Assurance Department, Dave’s main responsibility is to ensure that the standards and controls required for the safe operation of the company aircraft are met. Dave is co‑chair of the Northern Lights College Aerospace Program Advisory Board and is a past director of the Pacific Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Association and past chair of its Training Committee. Dave is a member of varied aviation related organizations, including the Kelowna Flying Club and the International Cessna 170 Association for which he is the British Columbia representative. Dave hosts or presents Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance training courses as well as aviation related talks for local flying clubs on a regular basis.

Manager Intermediate and Light Helicopter Operations – Kent Draper

Kent Draper, an aircraft maintenance engineer, has overall responsibility for the supervision of the maintenance of the Bell 407 helicopters and coordinates the Alpine intermediate and light helicopter operations. Kent began his aviation career in 1991 with Canmore Helicopters which was later purchased by Alpine in 1994. Prior to his most recent promotion in 2006, Kent was in charge of the maintenance operations for the Canmore base.

Director of Marketing/Manager of Tourist Operations—Jim Reid

Jim Reid is responsible for Alpine’s tourism operations and company marketing out of the Canmore base. Jim has been in the helicopter industry since 1988, with Alpine since 1998 and has been in his current position since 2004. Jim has also specialized in the aerial spray applications area and has held positions ranging from Marketing Manager to Aerial Applications Manager to Provincial Operations Manager with Alpine and other large helicopter operators. Jim has taken many courses with respect to his specialty area and has worked for Alpine in Canada and its US affiliates.