Canadore College celebrates 40 years of aviation education and training

Canadore College is inviting its 3,000 aviation program graduates to reminisce about their student days, as the School of Aviation celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2013. Celebrations at the college in North Bay, Ont., are in full swing, while students, faculty, and alumni have been gathering at chapter events across the province to recognize the milestone.

“It’s quite exciting, because we’re getting stories from our first set of graduates that are near 60 years of age, and also those that just recently graduated telling us about their first time work experiences,” said Canadore College President George Burton. “It’s been an opportunity for us to meet with alumni as individuals to continue the connection with Canadore, to gather their stories, but we also gather information about industry trends. That ensures our program stays current to meet the needs of the marketplace.”

The aviation school was established in 1973 on a farmer’s field, at the bottom of a hill off the college’s main campus. When the need for expansion became apparent, the institution moved to an old Bomarc missile base, where hangars and an aircraft maintenance shop were built.

“[The Bomarc missile base] had a certain charm because the old missile silos there date back to the Cold War,” said Burton. “They were empty, but it was quite interesting to walk on campus and see old missile silos on site.”

A nearly $17 million investment in 2000 moved the program for a third time, to a purpose-built facility beside the North Bay Regional Airport. 

As the facilities have grown over the years, so has the programming. In addition to extra space, the aviation program’s new home provides airside access to the airport, and houses aircraft maintenance and avionics training. The past year has seen additions such as an advanced manufacturing site, which introduced product design simulation, 3D printing, and more advanced materials testing. All expansions have been carefully tailored to fit the needs of the industry.

“We’re looking at adding a fair bit of simulation for avionics maintenance and helicopter pilot programming. That has been a trend and it will continue to grow,” said Burton. “Simulations have become better and better, and it’s an area where our training is reflecting the needs of the industry.”

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program will kick off this winter, adding to five other programs ranging from Helicopter Flight Training to Avionics Maintenance.

“Being 40 is a milestone. It’s one of those milestones that you’re proud of, and we want to recognize it, but the real excitement is actually about the future,” said Burton. “We recognize our heritage and it’s a strong one, but we’re taking a look at the next 40 years – really, that’s what our alumni are excited about, the next 40.”