Canadian Forces Seek to Build Excellence in Foreign Flight Training
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The Canadian Department of National Defence recently awarded a 22-year, $1.77-billion (USD $1.5 billion) contract to an “Allied Wings” team lead by Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd. of Kelowna, British Columbia, who beat out a competing group led by Bombardier’s military training division in Mirabel, Quebec. The long-term contract will provide flying training and support services to the Canadian Forces and international allies. These services will be provided out of the “Canada Wings Aviation Training Centre” in the Southport Aerospace Centre near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
This is not the first time the Canadian government has chosen a public/private approach to aviation training. Bombardier was already managing the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program, and the public-private NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program has been running since 1997. In some ways, however, the new “Allied Wings” contract is a logical next step aimed at solidifying Canada’s traditional advantages, as Canada attempts to make itself an international center of excellence for foreign military aviator training.
Vectorsite describes the NFTC program:
In a particularly intriguing deal, in 1997 the Hawk was selected for use in a Canadian “training for hire” scheme. The “NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC)” program is a joint venture of the Canadian government and Bombardier Aerospace Corporation, and offers its services to friendly governments on a contract basis. 18 “Hawk 115” trainers were initially ordered for NFTC, with an additional three trainers ordered in 2000 when Singapore signed up for the program. These Hawks are painted in a striking dark blue color scheme, with tail insignia consisting of a red Canadian maple leaf overlapped by a NATO four-pointed star. BAe has signed an extended contract to provide repair and overhaul support for these aircraft. NFTC will also operate 24 turboprop tandem seat Raytheon T-6A-1 Harvard II trainers for introductory flight instruction.
NFTC training is conducted out of the airbases of 15 Wing Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan and 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta.
The Allied Wings consortium of Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd., Canadian Helicopters Ltd., Canadian Base Operators, and ground-based training/simulator specialists Atlantis Systems International Inc. Their CFTS operation will also be based on Canada’s wide-open prairies, in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.
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Under the terms of the Canada Wings Aviation Training Centre contract, Allied Wings will provide nine Grob G120A aircraft for primary flying training, and seven Raytheon (Beechcraft) King Air C-90Bs for multi-engine flying training. It will also convert seven Bell 206 Jet Rangers and de-militarize nine Bell 412 Griffon (Twin Huey) helicopters from the Canadian Forces inventory for helicopter flying training. Other items for which Allied Wings is responsible include new simulators, meteorological services, air traffic control, emergency response, airfield aviation services, and plane and simulator maintenance. Allied Wings itself will conduct primary training, but will provide only ground school instructors, courseware, flight services and the aircraft for multi-engine and rotary (helicopter) training. The Canadian Forces will supply flying instructors for those courses.
As Canadian Air Force Lt. Col. Randy Palmer put it to Training & Simulation Journal:
“The type of training will involve a lot more advanced training than we’ve been able to do in the past, particularly dealing with instrument flight training and crew resource management (and) working with larger, more complex aircraft.”
New capabilities will include simulators for multi-engine and helicopter instruction, as well as new hangars, fuel tank farms. It will also include a new 80,000-square-foot training complex, with three large full-flight simulator bays, classrooms, student lounges, a presentation hall and briefing rooms. The complex also will be wired for interactive training, as interactive learning aids, computer-based courses, and even distance learning are also very much a part of the new CFTS operation. The Portage La Prairie facility will offer 36 different courses, including primary flying training, multi-engine training, helicopter training, and refresher courses.
These changes will create a transitional period, but initial training is expected to begin early in 2006, with full operational capability expected in two years.
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Allied Wings official Chris Lewis told Training & Simulation Journal that the center expects to instruct about 113 primary flying training students per year, about 40 multi-engine training students, and 60-75 rotary wing (helicopter) training students. The CFTS program will use only about 65% of its training capacity to provide instruction to Canadian pilots, however, and the Canadian government explicitly emphasized the importance of working together with its contract winner to market the program internationally.
Allied Wings Laurence Esterhuizen, a marketing official with Allied Wings, put it succinctly in his discussions with Training & Simulation Journal:
“DND’s thrust in all of this training is to market Canada as a center of excellence for flying training… NFTC is a major linchpin in that. But the missing ingredient was really a marketable primary multi-engine and helicopter training component. Obviously, now they will have that.”
Bombardier had lobbied hard for continuation of its CFTS contract, even to the extent of submitting objections and requesting a new competition when it became clear that Allied Wings was likely to win. With the formal contract announcement, however, the competition appears to be truly over. David Jurkowski, Bombardier Military Aviation Training’s VP of Government Relations and Business Development, told Training & Simulation Journal that Bombardier has no plans to challenge the contract award. The company will lay off 30 employees, along with another 148 workers associated with subcontractors.
Bomardier is still in charge of NFTC under the joint venture terms, however, and is in the process of providing its CF-18 advanced distributed combat training system to the Royal Canadian Air Force.
training at Goose Bay
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Meanwhile, the Liberal Party also announced a pre-election promise to spend $25 million on buying and installing electronic flight equipment at Canadian Forces Bay Goose Bay, which had been a key center for NATO low-level flight & electronic warfare training. Many of Canada’s NATO allies have scaled back training in light of shrinking military budgets, but it’s hoped that recent price drops and a pledge of an additional $5 million to market the base abroad, and promised to keep foreign military training alive at CFB Goose Bay for at least five years after expiration of the NATO training agreement in March 2006.
Their Conservative Party opponents noted that the Liberal plan involved no commitment of Canadian forces, and proposed to station a 600-person rapid response battalion in Labrador, plus a squadron of unmanned surveillance aircraft, in order to augment these improvements. Whichever party wins, Goose Bay can be expected to remain among Canada’s available air training assets for at least the next five years.
Abundant space, in a vast country. A long history of providing foreign pilot training. A multicultural society. Advanced technology and training, including simulation strength (CAE remains headquartered in Canada). Canada has a lot going for it on this front, and may be putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together at last. The question is, how many other countries will be buying?
Additional Readings & Sources
- Canadian Dept. of National Defence (Nov 18/05) – Pilot Training Contract Promises Exciting Future for Portage La Prairie
- Canadian Dept. of National Defence – International Training Program – History
- Training & Simulation Journal (June/July 2005) – Consortium to modernize Canadian pilot training with advanced simulators
- CH-146 Griffon/ Bell 412. The Bell 412EP is one of the contenders for the USA’s multi-billion Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) competition.
- NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) Official Site. See also sites for 15 Wing Moose Jaw and 4 Wing Cold Lake
- 5 Wing Goose Bay. See also the Squadrons and Units page for Canadian and foreign units.
- Vectorsite – The Bae Hawk
- CBC (Nov 25/05) – Goose Bay Promises Not Enough: Tories
