Calgary’s Mount Royal University (MRU) is the recipient of a $3-million federal grant to expand the university’s flight training program. The funding will allow for the doubling of pilot training positions to 80 per year in the school’s aviation diploma program. It will also fund a Bachelor of Aviation Management program to start next year.
“The demand for pilots continues to grow and today’s announcement speaks to the strength of MRU’s aviation program, the vital role of education in advancing the aviation sector, and its importance to the future economy of Alberta,” said MRU’s president Dr. Tim Rahilly.
Some of the funds will go to equipping a new hangar at nearby Springbank airport (CYBW) where the training aircraft are based. Modern flight simulators are among the equipment to be purchased. The funding is through the federal government’s PrairiesCan program.
“Calgary’s significant expertise and strengths in the aviation sector are only getting bigger and better with projects such as this expanded pilot training facility at Mount Royal University,” according to Calgary Skyview MP George Chahel, who made the official announcement.
Other recent PrairiesCan funding announcement include $2.5 million to the University of Calgary to establish an Aerospace Innovation Hub and $1.4 million to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to support their remotely piloted aviation training centre which provides heavy-lift training, maintenance and certification.