Put thompson to the test!

Thompson is becoming a global center for cold and winter weather testing. In addition to accommodating North American manufacturers, we have been pleased to host companies from England, Germany, Japan and southeast Asia.

Ford Motor Company has carried out cold weather testing in Thompson since the mid 1980s and has established its global Extreme Cold Weather Test Facility in our city. Since then, other vehicle manufacturers have performed many different tests in Thompson from cold soaks, to snow ingestion, to traction testing on ice/pavement pads. These manufacturers include Land Rover, Volvo, Chrysler Group LLC, Hummer, Jaguar, Porsche, Honda and Mercedes-Benz.Bell helicopters, Cessna aircraft, Navistar engines, and Polaris, Bombardier, Yamaha and Arctic Cat snowmobiles have also been tested to the breaking point in our fiercely cold climate.

Global outlook

To support globally diverse growth, the city intends to add more winter weather testing facilities and an even more comprehensive range of services. Among the enhancements currently being considered are independent facilities for jet engine testing and air ship testing.Thompson Unlimited is the clearing house for all testing needs.

Both European and North American visitors appreciate Thompson’s one-stop contact point to ensure all their winter testing needs are met and coordinated with relevant local parties. This central coordination allows companies to spend less time arranging and more time testing.

Thompson MB, represents an ideal site for cold weather development and certification testing of Bell Helicopter commercial products. The city offers all of the infrastructures needed to support the test crew and equipment over the duration of the tests. People in Thompson know quite a bit about living in the cold harsh weather and make absolutely sure you have everything you need to make this cold weather experience a safe and successful one, which always makes us looking forward to get back in the cold…

Thierry Hingray,
Chief, Mirabel Flight Test
Chef, Essais en vol, Mirabel
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada