Market Intelligence: North America

Canadian Pilot Training Group, Select Aviation College, Celebrates 10 Years of Passion for Flight Training

On August 1, 2024, Select Aviation College Flight School celebrated not only another successful year in pilot training, but also a major milestone: their 10th anniversary.

To mark this special occasion, Select Aviation College Flight School unveiled their 10th anniversary logo. This symbol embodies their commitment to excellence and their passion for aviation, which have guided their journey over the past decade.

Select Aviation College Flight School would like to express their gratitude to their incredible community – students, instructors and partners – everyone who has flown with them and made this journey possible. Join Select Aviation College Flight School in celebrating a decade dedicated to training tomorrow’s pilots.

An Overview of the Past 10 Years at the College

Select Aviation College got off to a modest start, originally established in the basement of Drummondville’s CSC3 aerodrome terminal. The college saw its first international student, Jean-Baptiste Carré, earn his commercial pilot’s license in 2015. Today, Select Aviation College is proud to have Jean-Baptiste as the College’s Vice President of Operations.

In 2016, the college expanded by moving to Hangar #10, a space transformed by major renovations and the purchase of a 3-axis motorized REDBIRD flight simulator. The following year, in July 2017, Select Aviation obtained its permit from Quebec’s Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, officially becoming a college and expanding its offering with three Attestation of Collegial Studies (AEC) programs.

In 2018, Transport Canada authorized Select Aviation to offer Integrated Airline Transport Pilot Training (ATPL), positioning the college among the top flight training establishments in the country. That same year, the college enriched its pedagogical experience with the purchase of a state-of-the-art ALSIMS ALX simulator, enabling multi-crew cooperation (MCC) training.

Commitment and Resilience

Following the tragic death of helicopter chief flight instructor Philippe Landes in a motorcycle accident in June 2017, the college established a $90,000 scholarship. This scholarship was awarded to an exemplary student, Ms Laurie Marin, who also joined the team as Director of Studies and Registrar.

In 2020, faced with the challenges posed by COVID-19, Select Aviation College contributed to the development of a sanitary protocol in collaboration with the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) and the Association québécoise du transport aérien (AQTA). This protocol was adopted in May 2020, enabling all training establishments to maintain their operations safely. In the midst of the pandemic, the College invested in a twin-engine Piper Seminole 2020 aircraft equipped with a 100% digital instrument panel, demonstrating its commitment to cutting-edge technology.

Expansion and Partnerships

In January 2021, the college inaugurated a secondary base, which became its new head office in June 2022 following the closure of the Drummondville campus. The City of Gatineau also completed major work at the Gatineau airport, including new taxiways and a brand-new building housing six classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology, an investment of over $13 million.

In January 2024, the college announced a partnership with Porter Airlines, qualifying for Porter Airlines’ Destination Porter mentoring program.

A Committed Community

The College is proud to invest in its students and strives to recruit as many of its graduates as possible for key positions within the organization. This approach enables Select Aviation College not only to value talent within the institution, but also to ensure continuity and a thorough understanding of the college’s values and objectives. By offering career opportunities to its alumni, the College reinforces its commitment to their professional and personal success.

The College also encourages student participation in extracurricular activities and benefits from the active involvement of its students in several committees. Thanks to the efforts of their Green Committee, the College has been awarded the Cégep Vert certification, in recognition of its sustainability efforts, as well as the École Bleue certification, underlining its commitment to responsible water management.

Safety remains Select Aviation’s highest priority, and they are proud of the work of their Safety Committee, made up of students and staff, who organize seminars several times a year to promote safety and awareness within the school.

A Vision for the Future

The flight school currently welcomes over 250 students a year from around the world and continues to grow by remaining at the forefront of innovation and excellence in pilot training. In addition to flight training, Select Aviation now offers a range of tourism products such as city tours and customized helicopter flights.

Select Aviation College is proud of its track record, and looks forward to the success of its graduates, who are now employed by several major airlines, both in Canada and internationally.

Select Aviation’s dedication has remained unchanged since day one, and they hope to continue training tomorrow’s pilots for decades to come with the same passion.

Source: Select Aviation College
Photo Credit: Select Aviation College

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Flight School Management Software Flight Schedule Pro to Unveil Enhanced Platform in August 2024

United States headquartered Flight Schedule Pro, a major provider of flight school management software, will introduce its new Next Gen suite on August 13, 2024. The platform aims to advance flight school operations with features such as smart scheduling, enhanced tracking of student graduation progress, and automated billing.

Flight Schedule Pro says a key priority for the company is enhancing aircraft utilization as it’s a major operational challenge for flight schools today. According to the provider, by refining scheduling and maximizing the use of existing aircraft, schools can boost their training capacity without the high costs of adding more aircraft—leading to greater profitability and quicker student progression.

Nick Wegner, CEO of Flight Schedule Pro, underscored the importance of the Next Gen suite of tools stating, “Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro is a critical step in flight school management technology. Our customers serve not only their students but also global airlines who are combatting the pilot shortage. NextGen capabilities maximize aircraft utilization, streamline student progress tracking, and automate billing and operations to strengthen the relationship between flight schools, their students, and the airlines.”

The Next Gen features of Flight Schedule Pro will be available to all Suite subscribers, while Billing Autopilot will be available to users with FSP’s Preferred Merchant Account.

Source: Flight Schedule Pro
Photo Credit: Flight Schedule Pro (shown as meta image)

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US Aviation Training Group International Aero Academy Continues its Expansion in 2024

Lakeland, Florida, United States – International Aero Academy, established in 2017, initially focused on accelerated pilot training but has since expanded to include aircraft maintenance technician training, on-demand charter services, and an in-house FAA Part 145 repair station.

  • IAA started with just 8 aircraft and now operates operates a fleet of 26 aircraft including Tecnam P2008, P2006T and Cessna 172 and 152 aircraft
  • Currently IAA has around 100 to 120 pilots in training at any one time
  • Training aspiring pilots from around the globe IAA has recently opened an office in India and is hoping to announce a flight training cadet program with an airline in the coming months
  • IAA provides a pathway to US low cost carrier Spirit Airlines – after reaching 500 flight hours, student pilots can apply to the airline with the possibility of receiving a conditional letter of employment upon reaching 1,500 hours.
  • Amazon, with a significant air cargo base at Lakeland Linder International Airport, has partnered with International Aero Academy – this partnership aims to increase the number of qualified aviation technicians. Amazon’s Career Choice program includes an AMT pathway, offering two-year, tuition-paid training at the academy. The first class of 22 Amazon employees enrolled last fall, boosting the school’s AMT students by 36%.
  • IAA currently has 60 A&P students enrolled and expect to reach 100 in 2024

Statements:

  • “We hold more FAA certificates than any organization in the United States,” said Steven Markhoff, founder and CEO.
  • “Simply put, there are no mechanics. Demand is outpacing supply,” Markhoff said. “We have not materially increased the number of A&P students in the U.S., and more disconcerting, the latest ATEC Pipeline Report showed that the number of A&P school graduates pursuing FAA licensure has decreased from 80% to 50%. Plus, approximately 25% of A&Ps never go to work in the aviation industry as their skill sets are highly sought after.”

Source: IAA

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Strategic Expansion by One of the Largest Flight Training Organisations, Infinity Flight Group, on the East Coast of the US

In this week’s AFM Pilot Training Leadership Interview Series AFM’s Managing Director Maximillian Buerger speaks with Gregory John, President and Founder of Infinity Flight Group, one of the largest flight training groups on the east coast of the United States, to learn more about his organisation and their recent expansion.

The conversation covers:

  • Infinity Flight Group started 10 years ago and now has over 60 aircraft
  • Newly announced partnership with the American Airlines Cadet Academy
  • The group is expanding into the Florida market
  • Greg emphasized the importance of strategic, incremental expansion due to the cyclical nature of the aviation industry
  • Key challenges that he sees in the industry

For more information:

You can find all of the AFM.aero Pilot Training Industry Interview Episodes here.

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AeroGuard Flight Training Center CEO Visits with Air India Cadet Pilots in July 2024

Phoenix, United States headquartered global flight training group AeroGuard Flight Training Center, which operates a number of flight training bases in the United States, announced in 2024 its selection by Air India as the flag carrier’s preferred flight training provider. AeroGuard’s CEO, Joel Davidson and Chief Marketing Officer, James Constable, visited the Air India Training Academy in Gurugram, India in July to meet and spend time with the cadets.

AeroGuard places significant importance on cultivating an airline aligned pilot training culture and ensuring that the cadets are prepared to train within industry leading safety and quality flight training operations.

The Air India cadet pilot program individuals start their training journey at the Air India Training Academy for their Ground School phase and gain exposure to the airlines culture. After completing their ground school training and exams in India, the cadets will come to AeroGuard’s Phoenix, Arizona base in the United States to conduct their flight training and establish the skills required for their professional pilot careers with Air India.

AeroGuard’s frequent meetings with cadets from airline partners signifies its commitment to fostering excellence in pilot training and establishing a foundation of trust and collaboration between AeroGuard, the airline partner, and the airline’s future pilots.

About AeroGuard Flight Training Center
AeroGuard Flight Training Center is a global leader in ab initio flight training with three U.S. campuses that offer accelerated commercial pilot training programs to candidates from all over the world. With a commitment to safety and student success, AeroGuard’s high quality training has established airline-ready cadets for over 20 years with more than one million flight hours of training experience and graduating over 7,000 cadets.

Source: AeroGuard Flight Training Center

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Global Pilot Training Solution Provider, CAE, Announces 2024 Chief Financial Officer Transition

Montreal, Canada – CAE Inc. (CAE or the Company) announced that Sonya Branco, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), has advised the company of her intention to step down from her position at the end of August to pursue interests outside of CAE. As part of CAE’s succession plan, Constantino Malatesta, Chief Accounting Officer and Vice-President, Controller Office, will become interim CFO following Ms. Branco’s departure. A process is underway to identify and select a permanent CFO, and Ms. Branco will continue in a support capacity to ensure a seamless transition.

Ms. Branco has been CAE’s Executive Vice President, Finance and CFO since 2016. She joined CAE in 2008 and was appointed to the role of Vice President and Corporate Controller in 2011.

During her tenure, Ms. Branco was instrumental in the transformation of CAE into the world’s largest civil aviation training provider, which — combined with Defense & Security — makes CAE a company with highly recurring sources of revenue and cash flow. She presided over a period of significant expansion involving more than 20 acquisitions and their integration. Ms. Branco also planned and executed a capital allocation strategy, balancing accretive growth with maintaining a strong financial position and investment grade profile that allowed CAE to successfully navigate the COVID pandemic and beyond.

“On behalf of myself, CAE’s Board of Directors, and the entire executive management team, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Sonya for her numerous contributions to CAE’s success over the last 17 years,” said Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Sonya led CAE’s finance organization through a period of significant growth and reached many important milestones. We have benefitted greatly from Sonya’s stewardship, her insightful mentorship of her colleagues, and her deep commitment to the Company. We wish Sonya the very best in her future endeavours.”

Added Mr. Parent, “Constantino has worked closely with Sonya for many years, and he has a deep knowledge of CAE’s business and an extensive background in finance that will provide continuity and stability at CAE. I have full confidence in Constantino’s ability to oversee the Company’s financial operations and strategy as we move forward with our selection process for the permanent CFO role, for which we will consider both internal and external candidates.”

Mr. Malatesta was appointed CAE’s Chief Accounting Officer and Vice-President, Controller Office, in 2022. Before that he was Vice President, Finance and Corporate Controller (2016-2022), Global Head of Finance, CAE Oxford Aviation Academy (2014-2016), and Director, Finance and Assistant Corporate Controller (2011-2014). He joined CAE in 2006 as Manager, Accounting Standards. Mr. Malatesta is a Chartered Professional Accountant and U.S. Certified Public Accountant. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a Graduate Diploma in Accounting from Concordia University in Montreal.

About CAE

At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we’re everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees in more than 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we’ll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.

Source: CAE
Photo Credit: CAE

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