Siller Helicopters

What Siller Helicopters does

Siller Helicopters, Inc. is a privately held, family-founded U.S. commercial heavy-lift helicopter operator headquartered in Yuba City, California, established in 1975 by brothers Andy and Neal Siller. The company operates a multipurpose fleet built around the Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane and CH-54A Tarhe (two of each) — center-spine, twin 4,500 hp heavy-lift airframes capable of carrying payloads approaching 20,000 lbs — supplemented by S-61A and S-61V medium-lift helicopters and a Hughes 500 light helicopter. Siller's core capability is precision aerial lift in environments inaccessible to ground-based cranes: transmission line and tower erection, HVAC and rooftop equipment placement, fire suppression, disaster relief, ski-lift construction, logging, hydroseeding, and bespoke custom projects.

Supporting the fleet is an in-house FAA-approved Part 145 Repair Station with full engine overhaul and rebuild capabilities, and an in-house CH-54A purpose-build program (one rebuild consumed 24,000+ labor hours over 18 months). Operating procedure is built around three-pilot crews (command, copilot, aft-seat), custom long-line and anti-rotation rigging, and a self-contained mobile maintenance and fuel-tanker deployment model that allows nationwide mobilization from regional staging points in northern California, southern California, and east of the Mississippi River. Siller cites more than 50,000 accident-free flight hours and a 2014 Sikorsky Corporation safety recognition as the foundation of its brand.

Revenue is generated through quote-based, project-priced contracts billed for mobilization, duration (daily rate per aircraft and crew), flight hours or 'cost per pick,' and specialized equipment, plus recurring Exclusive Use Contracts with the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and other state Departments of Forestry for firefighting aviation. Customer concentration spans construction/industrial contractors (Nooter, ISI), utilities (PAR Electrical), government (USFS, CAL FIRE, USPS), automotive manufacturing (GM via Nooter St. Louis), telecommunications (SLC Inc.), retail (Nordstrom), nonprofits (Carmel Valley Steelhead Association), and high-net-worth clients (e.g., Elon Musk's Bel Air estate project). The company has no disclosed investors, parent, or external shareholders and operates as an independent founder/operator-controlled business.

Name

Siller Helicopters

Legal name

Siller Helicopters, Inc.

Website

https://sillerhelicopters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Siller Helicopters is a privately held, family-founded U.S. commercial heavy-lift helicopter operator (founded 1975, Yuba City, CA) that runs a fleet of Sikorsky Skycranes and S-61 helicopters to deliver precision aerial lifts — transmission tower erection, HVAC/rooftop placement, firefighting, disaster relief, and custom projects — for utilities, contractors, and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yuba City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom heavy-lift project services: Core revenue stream from bespoke heavy-lift helicopter operations billed as project-based contracts. Pricing components include mobilization/demobilization (based on distance from Yuba City HQ), duration (specified daily rate per helicopter and crew), job type (flight hours to completion or per-lift 'cost per pick'), and specialized equipment. Used for construction, power grid, HVAC/rooftop, hydroseeding, ski lift, logging, and custom projects.
2. Firefighting Exclusive Use Contracts: Recurring/seasonal revenue from Exclusive Use Contracts with U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), as well as other state Departments of Forestry. The Skycrane is stationed at airports on standby (e.g., Livermore Airport) during high fire-danger periods and mobilized for disaster relief (e.g., Tulare County levee break, March 2023).
3. Government disaster relief and emergency response contracts: Revenue from CAL FIRE Tulare Unit and similar agencies for flood/levee disaster relief (March 2023: two S-61A/V helicopters flew 4,100+ super sacks containing ~10.2 million pounds of rock/gravel), tornado-related power line reconstruction (PAR Electrical, Blytheville AR), and other emergency-response deployments billed against mobilization plus flight hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Siller Helicopters operates a fleet of heavy-lift Sikorsky helicopters (S-64E and CH-54A Skycranes, S-61A/V) to perform precision aerial heavy-lift services across the United States. Service lines include construction, power grid and transmission line work, HVAC and rooftop equipment placement, hydroseeding, ski lift construction, logging, custom heavy-lift projects, and firefighting via Exclusive Use Contracts with government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Helicopter Services Aerial heavy-lift service using Sikorsky S-64E Skycranes for urban and heavy-lift construction projects, including towers and tight-precision jobs, delivered by three-pilot crews (command, copilot, aft seat) whose PICs average 10,000+ flight hours and 30+ years of experience. Targeted at general contractors and industrial contractors needing precision picks in terrain or sites inaccessible to ground equipment.
• Power Grid Heavy-Lift Services Specialized heavy-lift helicopter service supporting power-grid expansion, transmission-line construction and tower reconstruction across the U.S. for utilities and electrical contractors, using Skycrane-class aircraft to lift loads over road construction, steep/rocky terrain, soft/swampy ground, and other restricted environments where ground access is impossible.
• HVAC & Rooftop Placement Services Precision aerial placement of HVAC units, generators, fuel/water/wine tanks, antennas and other heavy rooftop equipment on commercial buildings. Siller pilots preplan lifts and train customer crews, with operations including anti-rotation rigging for irregular or ultra-long loads, performed in tight urban tolerances and active airspace.
• Hydroseeding Services Helicopter-applied hydroseeding / hydro-mulch service used to stabilize ground after wildfires or other disturbances and prevent erosion damage, complementing Siller's post-fire work alongside its fire suppression support.
• Ski Lift Construction Services Aerial erection of ski-lift towers and aerial concrete placement using S-61 and S-64 Skycrane aircraft, enabling rapid construction in mountain terrain inaccessible to ground-based construction equipment.
• Logging Helicopter Services Heavy-lift helicopter logging using Sikorsky S-61 and S-64 Skycrane aircraft, one of Siller's founding services dating to the early 1970s, providing custom solutions for difficult logging operations in challenging forest terrain.
• Custom Projects / Aerial Choreography Bespoke heavy-lift helicopter service for unusual or one-off projects, including custom-rigged loads, environmental restoration (e.g., Carmel River habitat work) and high-end private client projects requiring aerial choreography in restricted or populated airspace.
• Firefighting Aerial Services Aerial fire suppression and disaster relief service delivered to federal, state and county fire/forestry agencies (USFS, CAL FIRE, other state Departments of Forestry) via Exclusive Use Contracts, with S-64E Skycranes carrying up to 2,000-gallon fire tanks and S-61V aircraft with 1,000-gallon tanks, plus long-line bucket operations for rapid response in remote terrain.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ accident-free flight hours (recognized by Sikorsky Corporation in 2014)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Columbia Helicopters: Columbia Helicopters is the most direct peer to Siller in heavy-lift commercial helicopter operations, operating a similar fleet of Model 234/CH-47/Chinook variants for external load work including firefighting, construction and power-line construction. It is one of the few other vertically integrated heavy-lift operators in the U.S. with comparable fleet scale and a long operating history.
• Heli-Dunn Aviation Services: Heli-Dunn Aviation Services is a U.S. commercial helicopter operator specializing in external-load heavy-lift work for utilities, forestry, and construction, with comparable S-58/S-61-era aircraft. It is a direct peer in the power-line construction and utility heavy-lift market and a smaller-scale analog to Siller's utility/grid service line.
• Rotex Helicopter Corporation: Rotex Helicopter is a U.S. commercial heavy-lift helicopter operator focused on external-load work including transmission line and tower construction, a direct overlap with Siller's Power Grid service line. It operates Boeing Vertol 107 (CH-46) and similar medium/heavy helicopters and competes for the same utility and construction customers.
• Erickson Incorporated: Erickson is a direct peer in heavy-lift aerial services with a notable fleet of S-64 Aircrane / Skycrane aircraft — historically the largest commercial operator of the S-64 platform globally. It competes head-to-head with Siller for Exclusive Use firefighting contracts (USFS, CAL FIRE) and for commercial heavy-lift projects. Erickson also performs in-house MRO and remanufacturing work analogous to Siller's Part 145 and CH-54A rebuild capabilities.
• Coulson Aviation: Coulson Aviation is a direct peer in heavy-lift and aerial firefighting, operating Sikorsky S-61, S-64 Aircrane and Chinook aircraft for USFS Exclusive Use contracts and international wildfire response (Australia, Canada, U.S.). It competes with Siller for the same finite pool of U.S. Exclusive Use awards and has similar international deployment capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Bristow Group: Bristow Group is a broad incumbent in commercial helicopter services, offering offshore oil & gas, SAR, and government helicopter services. While it does not focus on Skycrane-class heavy lift, it is a large publicly listed competitor for government aviation contracts and a relevant reference point for valuation and capability breadth in the helicopter services space.
• PHI Aviation: PHI Aviation is a broad incumbent in commercial helicopter services with a large diversified fleet serving offshore, medical, and government customers. While its core focus is offshore oil and gas and air medical rather than Skycrane heavy lift, it competes with Siller for some government aviation contracts and is a comparable large-scale helicopter operator.
• CHC Helicopter: CHC Helicopter is a broad incumbent in global commercial helicopter services, primarily offshore oil and gas and SAR. It does not operate Skycrane-class heavy lift, but it is a large-scale comparable for fleet management, MRO, and government aviation contracting in the same broader commercial helicopter services industry.

Emerging players

• Neptune Aviation Services: Neptune Aviation is an aerial firefighting operator running a large SEAT (Single Engine Air Tanker) and large airtanker fleet for USFS and state contracts. While it does not operate Skycrane-class helicopters, it competes with Siller for the same USFS Exclusive Use and Call-When-Needed firefighting aviation budget, making it an emerging/adjacent player in the wildfire aviation market.
• 10 Tanker Air Carrier: 10 Tanker Air Carrier is a large-aerial firefighting operator using DC-10 VLATs for USFS and CAL FIRE suppression work. It is not a direct heavy-lift helicopter peer, but it competes for the same federal/state firefighting aviation dollars and represents a substitute modality for the wildfire suppression contracts that anchor Siller's government revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Siller Helicopters