## u.s. Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary of Transportation

Mr. Alfred F. Bowen, III Evergreen Helicopters, Inc. 3850 Three Mile Lane

· McMinnville, OR 97128-9496

Dear Mr. Bowen: Assistant Secretary

May 10, 2012 

### -8 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Thank you for your letter concerning the U.S. Department ofTransportation's (Department) citizenship investigation ofVIH Cougar Helicopters, Inc. (VIH Cougar).

On March 12, 2012, t;JJ.e Department issued Order 2012-3-7 tentatively finding that VIH Cougar is
not a U.S. citizen 

### as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 40102(a)(15) and proposing to cancel its air taxi authority. Interested parties were afforded the opportunity to file objections to the Department's tentative findings. Currently, the Department is reviewing the objections filed and other responsive pleadings submitted on the record in**th~** docket.

Finally, since this matter is pending, I am unable to comment on the merits ofVIH Cougar's submissions. I assure you, however, that the Department will give full consideratipn to all
comments on the record in the docket. Access to the docket is· available by enteril)g the docket number, DOT-OST-2012-0022, into the simple search function at the Department's Docket Management System (DMS) website, which is http://www.regulations.gov.

.

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response in Docket DOT-OST-2012-0022 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interest in this proceeding.

Sincerely yours,

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International AffairsMs. SusJtn Kttrbmd A"Ssistant**Seere~ary** of 1'rawpottatiom futAviation & lrltei"hatrooal Affairs, Onitea States Department**of'Transpottatio~** lZOO New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC '20590 Via email to: s;usan.kudand@dot.ggv:;**s!l§afl.lkudand@gm.~v;,**faac®rlgtggv



### SUBJECTl VJ;H CQngar**H~licf.Jpters,tn~**

### •./**For~lan Q~ratf)t$,**  

### Competing, 

### with**Ameri~•**
Deat Seeretacy K.ntland:



### Petroleum Helicopters, 

### Inc (ffn)**chatlen~** the 

### operations of VlR 

### ·CQugar Helicopters:f Inc. (VlHCol1gar) ill the United States (Ahtska, the• West Coast, Jtnd tbe Oulfuf Mexico). 

### As a certificated air, carrier I concur with the**senti~ts** expressed in thiS' letter.

ln 

### your October 

### 6, 2011 

### letter ttl'

### counsel 

### for VlH Om.tgat**~lkopters~** 

### Inc, (VI;H 

### Cougar} Cioneerning their**statu,~·.,.** 

### Pl\,rt**~~** 

### Air**T~l Oper~tor**  you**~ited u~erwbellnitt3** **~idenee''** fQ,t Vl'H;Oougar is 

### not in 

### (Omplktn£e with 

### thereqJli"rnents of·tbe 

### Fedentl Aviation 

### Act that certificated airline 

### operatf.Jts be dtizens 

### ot .the United 

### States;.

US aircarriers have longmamtained and 'you finally conctude:a·that although 

### V:nt Cougar llteoretically complies with the numerical**own~.Shlp** requirements of 

### the. litatute, it is not under tbe: act\lal**~Qtrol** of citi.z61lS ofthe 0J1ited States:. You note four reas.onsA.ncluding:

• the 

### aBettcy relationship ofMr. Steeper by Mt. Nourle;

• the provision oftecfu:lical and operatiortal.services and equil)ment by the VIH Group to 

### Vlli Cougar,

• contractual relationships am<mg the 

### VtaG.roup and VIM Cou&ar:.**~a** 

### • tefli11gly,. infortnlition discrepancies providea ta the Department. Additiomdly, VJH**Couga~** officials havemadepubll<;:state:ments revea:ling.that oompanyr.s Canadian ties, Each one oftJlese.alone would be ground$ f9r 11 findin,g, on**non~compli~9e:.** 

### but .wgetberthl!Y 

### show a premeditated. and 

### willful lack of Cl.ltnp:l1Mce dispositiun as we1l:as .non.,. eitizenship. ·
During fhe entire period. of this mvest:igatiop VJH Cougar has continuea 

### to compete 

### uufaitly**wi~h** 0,$ certific'B.(ed operatQrs. VIH**CQn~** 

### bas been the 

### htrnet\cia,ry ofitsdlle:gal 

### relationship with the VU:I Group at tb:e eX:pense 

### ()f U.S•. eompAAies.•. Since Octobet:ti. 2011; VIH 

### has 

### oontln.uea· 

### to. do 

### busines:s without**~1** 

### apparent change;. If anything, it 

### is n:ow**itrcentlvi~ea** 

### to seek additional market 

### smare as part of

### wlratever reStrl1cturing tt .may offer to the :Department



### While 

## us certificated 

### operators 

### appreciates the r>epatttrtent's very 

### thorough revi:ew 

### of the 

### allegations against VtH Cougar. we believe tbat the time.has come to stbp VIH**Cougar~s. ~d** **odr~** fereign entities; lengthy. histOry offlaunting the citizenship requirements and cempeting unfairly against U.s.**citizer~** operators. As ,the VIH Group**~~main~** in control of VIH Couga:r

)( ·1-120507-002

### 5\IS.::Ital=tl!f!tE!N**Ht!Lit:t::J~~** 

### lNt:.

···-···-···---
..**---·---·--·--~~--~---··~-·~--);;t;~;;··Mii;t;,;··:··'M~t=t~~;;~;;i~:<5i"91i2&·ii'~~ti$i** Phone (50l)41l·?l6'l •**f~** F,01)47l•r048**ww!,l.(~eY~tt~naviau~w.~** 

### almost tbree tn'Qnths atter tlte 30-day deadline for compliaqce ineluded:.in 

### your**October.()~** lOU 

### l.etter1 we**r~pectrully** 

### reque$t that. immediate action be 

### tak.en 

### to bring 

### an end to this illegal 

### situatiolt.



### We urge the nepartment 

### to move quiek:ly and 

### OP'111Y to end tllis**sf~atlon,** 

### which has

.. ne 

### on for 

### several years. VI:Q 

### ·cougar $houJd 

### not be allowed to 

### continue to eqgllp

### in untawful. competition that disadvaatag• U.S. citizen operatc>rs**·~** 

### it delays 

### complia.tJte• With U.S

.. brw• to maximize its 

### in-got'ten**gains~** 

## vm Cougar 

### should notb¢ alloW¢d to. tQJ1tinue 

### to operate in the 

### United States unlesS' it has. met the 

### requirements ofthe. Federal Aviation Act 

### that. certificated airline operators be

### citizens. of .the 

### United States.



### the Department•$**recentNotic~** 

### ofProposed**;~li~y** 

### Clarlficatlon fQr: 

### the Registration 

## ot Mrcratt 

### to**U.S~** 

### Citizen Trustees in 

### Situations**lnvolvingNon·U~S.** 

### CitiUn Grautors. and**Betu~ficiaries,** 

### Federal RegiSter Feb 9. 2012: 

### indicates the serious oon.tern the Department IS showing with regm-d to assuring 

### close regulatory overs.ight of U.S. registered aircraft and operati()n:S'.

Likewise, i:n this. matter, the operator 

### bas persistently**~waded** statt,ttory 

### requireroellts 

### f0r actual**citi~en** 

### control. Just as the J;kpartment Is taking «etion 

### to. assure that regulatory oversight·on lease.d US re-gistered aireraft is 

### not avoided through. complex ownership instruments, 

### the Depar.tment should. move to 

### quk:ldy close down: 

### VlH**Cougar~s** 

### etasfon.ofo the statute.



### We believe that 

### there is no 

### public polit;cy that 

### can be. sert.ed 

### any longer by shieldtt:tg 

### VIH Cougat's citizenship status from the ,public. Having made the preUmip.at'y**fil)dln~s** :based 

### on ''overwhelming evidence," 

### we respectfully**r~uest** 

### that the Depart111eat brfng**tn.~parency** 

### to any**fqrtlu~r** proceedings 

### in this 

### matter. The 

### Department's infonnal p!'oceedings 

### may .haY¢ 

### public policy**b~n<efits.** 

### in enabiins**o~r.a,tol's** 

### to 

### arrange**·tb~ir** 

### citizenship .affab privately 

### when**th~y** IU'e $eeking**t~** 

### eot:nply with the 

### law, Out that 

### dues not apply in this 

### cas.e, Here., VtH 

### ·cougar cira.umvented the law in a calculated 

### m.anner and did not 

### merely see:k 

### to ascertain the 

### limits 

### .of the 

### citizenship requirements. Instead. it established, and 

### long· 

### operated unde!', $ri egregl!:JUS 

### scheme which violated the citizenship requirements and engaged in deception to do so:.**·~** U$. 

### dtb:eas, we are entitled tQ 

### transparency and ·open goverument in matter$ of regulato.ry compliance. Any 

### efforts by. the .Department to e.nsore that VIH CougardiV,ests and. resttuc'tU:res sht.uld be**o.pen~** 

### trausparentand 

### public.**V~r!f** 

### truly Yours,**,_;!~;;;;~**

... ·.··
..**~** . Alfred 

### F. Bowett, tJ!l 

### Getteral C<>unsel & Corporate 

### Secretary

## MIFIItal=t&•aN HELICCPT&RSsiNt:.**~-·-k---~#••''":-'~·--··--~-,-·** ..**·"--"-·~·----····~'-·~·-·-;R~th;;-Mit:i~~ -~·:.:t~M;;;;.;!~~~~:~**  USA

""'**~·($1)3)'1,7.~~<>~1~ .f!U't~)47l>1'04,8'** 

.·
. . . . . .**www.ove~viaWD.¢0111** 

### Cc: Ray LaHO<>d. Secretary ofTransportation via email to robert.Ietteney®d9t.ggv

### R:epresent~tive Don. Young, via email to scott.legtlun;:d@Jl1,3:ilhous,.gpv ·**Sen~tor** 

### :usa·Murkowski:, via 

### email to**wanfn.wti:ght@:tnwk,owski~&!Wltt,ggv** Senator 

### Mark Begich. 

### via em.ail to j,amgs**felim®!-i>'l.,eg1ebdierutt~;ggv** 0QvernorSean 

### Parnell. Vla email tot;.uldi]trnaro®alasl9J,.gpv; mss.keHy®aJaska;gov

)( 1-120507-002