Long before the winter sun rises activity at the helicopter base has reached almost bee-hive proportions. Aircraft maintenance engineers are putting heaters inside the helicopters to warm them up and removing covers in preparation for a day of hauling heli-ski customers up and down a mountain. After the covers come off, the engineers give the helicopter a thorough pre-flight mechanical inspection before takeoff and eventually help load passengers and re-fuel the aircraft.

When helicopters use a long line to haul equipment they work extra hard meaning the maintenance engineers will do the same.

After a few hours of down time during the day, when the machine returns, the work begins. "The helicopter will come back just before dark," says Trent Orton, director of maintenance with Venture Helicopters. "If the pilot had any snags during the day, we'll work on those, clean the inside and do a thorough post-flight inspection. Normally we'd be finished around eight or nine in the evening. If there have been any problems we stay at work and get it fixed. There's a fair amount of pressure to make sure the helicopter's ready in the evenings."

But long and often unusual hours are common for helicopter maintenance engineers regardless of the time of year. Winter work will commonly be done at the main hangar and include major maintenance on the flying machines. Summer work, which is the busy season, most often will be done in remote locations and will include more minor maintenance work. Regardless of the season, the career offers much to Orton. "I like the challenge of fixing and finding problems; the relationships you develop with the pilots and other agencies. And when I was young, the travel. Most of us have worked all across the country."

As every helicopter requires an engineer close at hand, even in remote locations in the dead of February, the work isn't always fun. "What I dislike is working outside in the middle of winter," said Orton who has 23 years in the industry. "And during the summer, quite often we'll go into a forest fire and the machine works sun up to sun down and we wind up working all through the night."

Growing up building model airplanes and the like, Orton pursued a two-year aircraft maintenance engineer college program as soon as he was able. He decided after his first year he would rather work on helicopters and their hundreds of moving parts. "An airplane always lands at an airport. Helicopters go where airplanes can't so we're working in more remote locations." After about two-and-a-half years of work experience he wrote the required Transport Canada exams to become officially certified to work on helicopters.

While Orton works for a helicopter company, other helicopter maintenance engineers may find work at shops similar to an auto garage; ones that re-build and repair helicopters for several companies. Orton said this type of work will be closer to a 9-5 type of job, but often will pay less than working for an airline and travelling to remote locations. (Many different certifications are available to aircraft maintenance engineers.)

The travel may bring pay bonuses but Orton said it can also be a difficult lifestyle. "A drawback is the inability to make future plans. (Some) people can say: 'I booked off the second week of August.' It's difficult for us to do that or to try to book a dentist appointment."

Regardless of when or where a helicopter engineer works, being able to work flexible hours, paying attention to detail and being organized and clean are key, Orton said. "Most of the time we're working by ourselves on the helicopter." Thoroughly continuing to enjoy his work, Orton strongly recommends anyone interested in pursuing this career know what it's all about. "Research the lifestyle you're committing yourself to," he said. "It's not a 9-5 job in most cases."