CORNWALL – An Ottawa aircraft pilot training company has signed a deal with Nav Center to start a professional pilot training campus.
Ottawa Aviation Services entered into a memorandum of understanding with Nav Canada to address the need for more fixed wing and helicopter pilots – especially in China.
Other portions of the Eastern Hemisphere are facing a projected shortage of pilots of 23,000 a year over the next two decades, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
“We are working together to establish a campus in Cornwall that will support the training of hundreds of domestic and international students,” said Cedric Paillard, CEO, Ottawa Aviation Services.
The company has also signed a multi-year deal to train 100 Chinese helicopter pilots, with the first class of 20 starting last week.
Flight training in Cornwall is expected to begin in September.
The arrangement fits well with Nav Center, which is already teaching students air traffic control.
It’s the second arrangement with ties to Ottawa for the Cornwall facility on Montreal Road as it signed a deal in October with Carleton University for an aerospace education program.