New Flight Simulator Will Give Kelowna Aviation Students Wings

A cutting-edge flight simulator will be installed and in use by aviation students at Okanagan College in Kelowna by September 2016.

Donations of $125,000 and $25,000 from Carson Air and ROV Consulting, respectively, have made the purchase of a Redbird FMX simulator possible, according to an announcement from the college over the weekend.

“It is a wonderful tool,” said Kevin Carson of Carson Air, “One that will help students train for a diversity of situations and conditions they’ll encounter in the air. We’re glad to help the College provide innovative learning experiences like this.”

The Vice President of Education at Okanagan College is Dr. Andrew Hay, and he echoed Kevin Carson about the simulator.

“This gift made possible by Carson Air and ROV Consulting is an investment in the students of today, and the students of tomorrow,” said Dr. Hay. “It will be a very important tool as we work to proactively train ahead of the skills gap looming in B.C. and to ensure we have exceptional new pilots entering the industry to meet the demand over the next decade.”

Thx CEO Richard Visscher of ROV Consulting #Kelowna A generous donation of $25K for @OkanaganCollege flight simulator pic.twitter.com/YrOBQtAkcj

— Ron Cannan (@RonCannan) September 20, 2015

The gift of money from Carson Air was announced at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new training facility in the Southern Interior Flight Centre (SIFC), an event which doubled as the 25th anniversary celebration of the College’s Commercial Aviation Diploma program and partnership with the SIFC.

Okanagan College’s Commercial Aviation Program has graduated over 312 professional pilots since it started. The SIFC is a division of the Carson Air Group, and its new training facility is located in Carson Air’s new hangar at the Kelowna International Airport.