Owner – Ruedi Hafen
Niagara Helicopters is the story of a man who pursued a dream, shared his vision, and made it successful by applying those commonsense business values. Ruedi Hafen, the President and Chief Pilot of Niagara Helicopters laughs often and boasts the broad smile of a man enjoying his life-long, love affair with the helicopter. “Is there anything better than doing what you love?” he asks as he banks the Bell 407 helicopter over Canada’s largest tourist attraction, giving his six passengers the wide-eyed thrill of their lives.
Hafen came to Canada to fly in the bush and accumulate enough flying time to become a professional copter pilot in his beloved Switzerland. What he found was a place where his dream touched down and then took flight. Ruedi arrived in Canada in the winter of 1981 with two suitcases full of aviation material, no money yet eager to take on his dream. For what Ruedi Hafen brought with him proved more important than cash. It’s a prescription for prosperity. He calls it “The Swiss Way.”
Unlike its neighbours, Switzerland doesn’t try to do everything. They do a few things very, very well. “You take a dream and you work it, however hard and long it takes, until it becomes a reality,” he says. “The Swiss are stubborn people, and proud of it.”
“It’s not important to make a lot of money in the first few years. What’s really important is to establish a safe, solid reputation built on quality.” Ruedi is as proud of Niagara Helicopters’ flawless safety record as he is of its humble, almost humiliating beginning.
In the early 1980s, Hafen was logging airtime with PanAir, a Niagara Falls helicopter outfit that was physically run down and philosophically going backwards. It wasn’t long before he realized that in order to turn things around, he’d have to take charge. Hafen purchased the dilapidated two-hanger flying service with a midway ticket booth and a snack bar the staff dared not eat in. With it came a lot of community ill will.
“I didn’t know which fences to mend first, the ones around the property or the ones in the tourist community of Niagara Falls.” He did both by proving himself not only a smart entrepreneur but also demonstrated a thoughtful and caring relationship with the community. A community leader, Hafen now donates his time and the company’s services to a life-saving rescue program available to police and fire departments on both sides of the Canadian/American border.
With the grit and determination of a man obsessed with success, Hafen secured enough capital to purchase one Bell Jet Ranger 206 and after only two months, he had raised revenues enough to buy another one. Soon bigger and faster machines arrived, but they were noisy. Convinced there had to be a quieter way to go, and despite being part of a small group that represented only 5% of the world with a demand for a quiet helicopter, Ruedi would not take no for an answer, from what he deemed to the be the number one helicopter manufacturing company in the world. After 8 years of further research and development, Ruedi was able to trade in his nosier helicopters and purchase 5 new Bell 407 Helicopters with a rotor system that had been adapted from the Kiowa, a scout military helicopter built to fly low and soundless over enemy territory.
You can’t control what your competitors do,” asserts Hafen. “And really, in business, the guy across the street is not your competition. He’s your neighbour and your ally. My competition is me. I must better my company and myself every day. That’s how you lead.”
Long, very long hours and a knack for attracting employees who soon shared his excitement for the business, turned a dying business into the most dynamic tourist center in Niagara Falls today. The turnaround would be a miracle if Hafen believed in such things. He doesn’t. He believes in hard work, perseverance and above all else – people.
After reconciling his flight team which consisted of the best helicopter engineers and pilots, Ruedi began sprucing up the physical site by building new fences, reconstructing the helipad with the installation of a superior ice-melting system, cleaning up the snack bar area and eventually building a $2.5 million dollar state-of-the-art facility which included gift shop, photo lab, gourmet café, new in 2009 a Sky Internet Lounge and office space, transforming the facility into a one-stop full-service tourism destination.
To accommodate the growing number of guest from all over the world, the helicopters were fitted with modern MP3 technology, which now allows them to hear taped commentaries in over 12 languages. The 8 languages spoken by the front line team compliment this.
What began with Hafen’s thrill of “showcasing The Falls,” and seeing the smiling, happy faces, is now a multi-faceted flight center. Today, they offer everything airborne from aerial photography, flights into some of Niagara’s most famous wineries, specialty charters and criminal surveillance to an in-flight Wedding Chapel where lovers are married at 2,500 feet over The Honeymoon Capital of the World.
Ruedi is also active with various charitable organizations. His work with these agencies, including Air Canada Dreams Take Flight and various other community groups has earned him respect and love from the community. His favorite charity is The Children’s Wish Foundation in which he takes particular delight.
Hafen likes to brag that he knows exactly what his customers want. “Because they tell me,” he laughs. “If you stay the same,” says Hafen, “you’re grounded. You have to keep flying to get where you want to be.” Although the nine-minute blistering buzz through the rainbow over The Falls is still the thrill that pays the bills, the future of Niagara Helicopters is unlimited.
“We can go as high as the cloud cover,” laughs Hafen. “And tomorrow, the clouds will lift.”
Niagara Helicopters is the story of a man who pursued a dream, shared his vision, and made it successful by applying those commonsense business values. Ruedi Hafen, the President and Chief Pilot of Niagara Helicopters laughs often and boasts the broad smile of a man enjoying his life-long, love affair with the helicopter. “Is there anything better than doing what you love?” he asks as he banks the Bell 407 helicopter over Canada’s largest tourist attraction, giving his six passengers the wide-eyed thrill of their lives.
Hafen came to Canada to fly in the bush and accumulate enough flying time to become a professional copter pilot in his beloved Switzerland. What he found was a place where his dream touched down and then took flight. Ruedi arrived in Canada in the winter of 1981 with two suitcases full of aviation material, no money yet eager to take on his dream. For what Ruedi Hafen brought with him proved more important than cash. It’s a prescription for prosperity. He calls it “The Swiss Way.”
Unlike its neighbours, Switzerland doesn’t try to do everything. They do a few things very, very well. “You take a dream and you work it, however hard and long it takes, until it becomes a reality,” he says. “The Swiss are stubborn people, and proud of it.”
“It’s not important to make a lot of money in the first few years. What’s really important is to establish a safe, solid reputation built on quality.” Ruedi is as proud of Niagara Helicopters’ flawless safety record as he is of its humble, almost humiliating beginning.
In the early 1980s, Hafen was logging airtime with PanAir, a Niagara Falls helicopter outfit that was physically run down and philosophically going backwards. It wasn’t long before he realized that in order to turn things around, he’d have to take charge. Hafen purchased the dilapidated two-hanger flying service with a midway ticket booth and a snack bar the staff dared not eat in. With it came a lot of community ill will.
“I didn’t know which fences to mend first, the ones around the property or the ones in the tourist community of Niagara Falls.” He did both by proving himself not only a smart entrepreneur but also demonstrated a thoughtful and caring relationship with the community. A community leader, Hafen now donates his time and the company’s services to a life-saving rescue program available to police and fire departments on both sides of the Canadian/American border.
With the grit and determination of a man obsessed with success, Hafen secured enough capital to purchase one Bell Jet Ranger 206 and after only two months, he had raised revenues enough to buy another one. Soon bigger and faster machines arrived, but they were noisy. Convinced there had to be a quieter way to go, and despite being part of a small group that represented only 5% of the world with a demand for a quiet helicopter, Ruedi would not take no for an answer, from what he deemed to the be the number one helicopter manufacturing company in the world. After 8 years of further research and development, Ruedi was able to trade in his nosier helicopters and purchase 5 new Bell 407 Helicopters with a rotor system that had been adapted from the Kiowa, a scout military helicopter built to fly low and soundless over enemy territory.
You can’t control what your competitors do,” asserts Hafen. “And really, in business, the guy across the street is not your competition. He’s your neighbour and your ally. My competition is me. I must better my company and myself every day. That’s how you lead.”
Long, very long hours and a knack for attracting employees who soon shared his excitement for the business, turned a dying business into the most dynamic tourist center in Niagara Falls today. The turnaround would be a miracle if Hafen believed in such things. He doesn’t. He believes in hard work, perseverance and above all else – people.
After reconciling his flight team which consisted of the best helicopter engineers and pilots, Ruedi began sprucing up the physical site by building new fences, reconstructing the helipad with the installation of a superior ice-melting system, cleaning up the snack bar area and eventually building a $2.5 million dollar state-of-the-art facility which included gift shop, photo lab, gourmet café, new in 2009 a Sky Internet Lounge and office space, transforming the facility into a one-stop full-service tourism destination.
To accommodate the growing number of guest from all over the world, the helicopters were fitted with modern MP3 technology, which now allows them to hear taped commentaries in over 12 languages. The 8 languages spoken by the front line team compliment this.
What began with Hafen’s thrill of “showcasing The Falls,” and seeing the smiling, happy faces, is now a multi-faceted flight center. Today, they offer everything airborne from aerial photography, flights into some of Niagara’s most famous wineries, specialty charters and criminal surveillance to an in-flight Wedding Chapel where lovers are married at 2,500 feet over The Honeymoon Capital of the World.
Ruedi is also active with various charitable organizations. His work with these agencies, including Air Canada Dreams Take Flight and various other community groups has earned him respect and love from the community. His favorite charity is The Children’s Wish Foundation in which he takes particular delight.
Hafen likes to brag that he knows exactly what his customers want. “Because they tell me,” he laughs. “If you stay the same,” says Hafen, “you’re grounded. You have to keep flying to get where you want to be.” Although the nine-minute blistering buzz through the rainbow over The Falls is still the thrill that pays the bills, the future of Niagara Helicopters is unlimited.
“We can go as high as the cloud cover,” laughs Hafen. “And tomorrow, the clouds will lift.”
