Founded in 1980 by Don Werner and Pete Moyer, for the first 16 years of our existence our operations were largely local, our fleet was small, and our focus was on our specialization — heavy-lift aerial construction (hence the company’s name—Construction Helicopters Inc.).

In 1996, after the company was acquired by Chris Turner, we began to notch considerable operational milestones with increasing regularity, as we broadened our scope of operating certificates, aircraft, the sectors we serviced, and where we flew. Today, CHI Aviation leads the industry in the provision of aerial crane, US Department of Defense-approved fixed- and rotary-wing passenger and cargo transport, aeromedical services, aerial firefighting, Search-and-Rescue (SAR), logistics support and ad hoc passenger transport services from bases in Howell, MI; Sacramento, CA; Afghanistan; and East Africa.