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Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced that it will donate a CS100 aircraft to the École Nationale d’Aérotechnique (ÉNA), a school affiliated with Édouard-Montpetit CEGEP, to be used for the purpose of education and training.
With this donation, ÉNA becomes the world’s first teaching institution to count a C Series aircraft among its fleet.
“Bombardier plays a leadership role in the Canadian and global aerospace industry by being at the forefront of the development and utilization of disruptive technologies,” said Alain Bellemare, chief executive officer, Bombardier Inc.
“Our commitment to innovation and excellence is also reflected in education, as our company encourages and supports our teaching institutions such as ÉNA in their mission to provide the highest quality training that meets the needs of the industry.”
“Bombardier is very proud to invest in the development of highly skilled workers for the Montréal aerospace cluster by increasing the educational value of ÉNA’s technical training activities,” said Robert Dewar, vice-president, C Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
“The C Series is the most innovative aircraft in its class, with state-of-the-art technology and advanced materials. This donation will contribute to the development of broader sets of skills by allowing students to manipulate the most advanced technology in commercial aircraft, and we hope that this will help spark their interest for aerospace even further.”
The CS100 (Serial Number 50003) was built in 2014, and was the third Flight Test Vehicle (FTV3) of the C Series program.
Since its maiden flight on March 3 of that year, the aircraft accumulated approximately 1,400 flight hours. FTV3 was mainly used for avionics and electrical tests, as well as for community noise testing.
The aircraft is currently stationed at the Bombardier Flight Test Centre in Wichita, Kan., and will join ÉNA’s existing fleet of 37 aircraft in Saint-Hubert, Que., in the coming weeks.
ÉNA’s static fleet already includes two Learjet and two Challenger aircraft.
“We are honoured to receive this extremely significant gift. The C Series is a true jewel of Québec’s technology and this donation is a major educational contribution to our training programs, both from a practical and theory stand point,” said Sylvain Lambert, director, École Nationale d’Aérotechnique.
“As the sole provider of aerospace technical training in the province of Québec, this new addition to our existing fleet will allow the next generation of workers to become more knowledgeable of the industry’s latest technological breakthroughs. On behalf of our students, our teaching faculty, and staff members, I would like to sincerely thank Bombardier for its confidence in our school, and for this gift which will enrich the quality of our training programs.”
Bombardier established many successful partnerships over the years with educational institutions specializing in aerospace and engineering by offering internships, scholarships and corporate donations, as well as participating in research and development projects.
Just last year, Bombardier donated a CRJ100 to the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and a Learjet 60 to ÉNA.
