(Credit: Commercial Flight and Aviation Leadership, Fanshawe College)
Fanshawe College is collaborating with a local flight school to enhance training for students in the Commercial Flight and Aviation Leadership (CFA) program.
Diamond Flight Centre is giving students real-world experiences through simulation training, with aims to help them fast-track into careers after graduation.
The program, approved by Transport Canada, incorporates the Integrated Airline Transport License and highlights multi-crew coordination.
“By adding the airline transport pilot’s license we’re essentially training them to at least be familiar with operating in a crewed environment, which most airlines are,” says Jay Burt, Associate Dean at Norton Wolf School of Aviation and Aerospace Technology.
“It makes them more attractive to airlines.”
(Credit: Norton Wolf School of Aviation and Aerospace Technology, Fanshawe College)
The previous programming would need students to perform 750 flying hours and an exam to meet requirements, Burt adds, whereas this integrated format allows students to do the exam upon graduation.
After completing the IATPL training “they’re in what’s called a frozen state, so the testing is done and now they just have to build up the experience,” says Burt.
Aspects of simulation training include crew resource management, airline-style checklists, flight management system operation, and flight deck communications.
“We have our own dedicated simulation here at Fanshawe and that’s part of their groundschool, and at DFC they have two simulators as well so that was always part of it; it’s really mainly the use of those [DFC] simulators,” says Burt.
With an enrolment of 325 students, Burt has hopes to increase that number to 400.
More information about the CFA program can be found here.
