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Aviation Technician Colleges

Maintenance, repair and Overhaul (MRO) education by province


January 16, 2019  By Wings Staff


BRITISH COLUMBIA

British Columbia Institute of Technology | Vancouver
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) School of Transportation prepares students for careers as Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, Aviation Maintenance Technicians (Avionics) and Gas Turbine/Jet Engine Technicians. Its Aerospace Technology Campus is located at the Vancouver International Airport and features a 40,000-square-foot hangar that holds BCIT’s fleet of light piston, turboprop, corporate and jet transport aircraft, as well as light and medium helicopters. The school is currently developing augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) training tools to help deliver accredited programs to provide skills needed for the transport industry. BCIT’s Airport Operations diploma program is designed for the demands of airport operation environments. The 16-month Airport Operations program provides students with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program of study. BCIT also offers an online Airport Operations Part-time studies Associate Certificate.

Northern Lights College | Dawson Creek
Northern Lights College (NLC) opened the Aerospace Centre of Excellence in 1981 at its Dawson Creek Campus. Students and current aircraft maintenance engineers receive hands-on training in a 26,000-square-foot hangar. Its fleet includes helicopters such as a Robinson R44, MD500D, AS350D, Hughes 300C, Bell 205 and 206; and fixed-wing airplanes like  a Cessna 180, Cessna 310, Piper Aztec 250, King Air B90, and British Aerospace JetStream 31.

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ALBERTA
SAIT Polytechnic | Calgary
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Polytechnic is a member of Polytechnics Canada, a national alliance of research-intensive colleges and institutes of technology. SAIT’s School of Transportation provides hands-on, practical education for the automotive, aviation, heavy equipment and rail industries. This includes two-year diploma programs called Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Technology and Avionics Technology. The aircraft maintenance program provides skills for the service and repair of airplanes and helicopters — with the eventual opportunity to obtain an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer license.

The avionics technician programme, also leading to an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer license, provides skills to repair and maintain the electrical and electronic systems (communication, navigation and data systems) in airplanes and helicopters. SAIT also provides a one-year Aircraft Structures Technician program focused on the modification and repair of aircraft, helicopters and their structural components, again leading to an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer license. . All programs are taught at the Art Smith Aero Centre for Training and Technology, located at Calgary International Airport.


SASKATCHEWAN

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies | Saskatoon
The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) was created in response to the need for quality, post-secondary education for First Nations people. The SIIT Aircraft Maintenance Engineer program is open to First Nation and non-First Nation students, and delivers the knowledge and skills required for eligibility to apply as an apprentice in the aircraft maintenance industry. This includes learning to troubleshoot, maintain, repair and overhaul aircraft to meet Transport Canada’s standards.

This is a 2-year diploma program that provides credit for 19 months of the 48 months aviation maintenance apprenticeship experience required to obtain a Category M License. IIT AME students attend this program at the Saskatoon Aviation Learning Centre at the Saskatoon Airport for classes and hands-on training.


MANITOBA

Red River College | Winnipeg
Red River College (RRC) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer program is designed to develop the knowledge and skills in maintenance of both large and small airplanes and helicopters. It is designed to develop skills in maintenance of both airplanes and helicopters. Time in the program is split between the study of aircraft maintenance theory and practical projects. Upon graduation, if the student attained Transport Canada approved training status, they will be granted 19 months of the 48 months aviation maintenance experience and the three technical examinations required to obtain an AME license.

After graduation, students are required to gain on-the-job work experience for the balance of the 48-month Transport Canada requirement and write the CARs exam. Once these requirements are meet, the student will be eligible for a Transport Canada M license. This program has been accredited by the Canadian Forces for their Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Education Plan. RRC also offers programs called Aerospace Manufacturing and Aircraft Structural Repair Technician.


ONTARIO

Algonquin College | Ottawa
The School of Advanced Technology at Algonquin College features With 23 laboratories, including precision machining, automotive, electronics, optical fiber, high-powered laser labs, mechanical modeling and element analysis, industrial controls, aviation maintenance and robotics labs. The includes two diploma programs in the school’s Transportation Technology segment called Aircraft Maintenance Technician and Aviation Management, General Arts and Science – both running for two years.

Canadore College | North Bay
Canadore has been involved in aviation training for more than 40 years. Its School of Aviation Technology provides two-year. diploma programs, Aviation Technician — Aircraft maintenance. This includes a dedicated aviation facility with courses delivered at the college’s Aviation Campus at Jack Garland Airport. Students learn to troubleshoot aircraft components and systems, including piston and turbine engines, for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The program is approved by Transport Canada and graduates receive 18 months of accreditation towards a Transport Canada-issued Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s Licence, Category M.

In addition to maintenance and repair, students in Canadore’s School of Aviation Technology can learn aerodynamics for fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, gas turbine and reciprocating engines, aircraft handling and taxiing, power and drive train component maintenance, sheet metal structures and repairs, composite structures and repairs, communication and navigation systems, and electrical systems

Centennial College | Toronto
Centennial College’s Aerospace programs offered within the School of Transportation includes Aviation Technician (Aircraft Maintenance and Avionics Maintenance) programs and Aviation Technology (Aircraft Maintenance & Management and Avionics Maintenance & Management) programs. In the fall of 2018, Centennial College opened its Centre for Aerospace and Aviation at Toronto’s Downsview Park in the relocation of its Aviation Technician programs, as well as the related aircraft and equipment from the Ashtonbee Campus Hangar in Scarborough. The new campus provides additional instruction space for the existing programs, as well as new programs in Aerospace Manufacturing delivered by the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science.

The four-acre Downsview campus repurposes the historic de Havilland of Canada building with selective demolition and new construction to create approximately 138,000 square feet of instruction space. The $72-million project includes a new hangar large enough to accommodate today’s commercial jets, as well as new classrooms, laboratory space, workshops, offices, a library and, for the first time, access to working runways.

The Aircraft Maintenance program provides mechanical, electrical, electronic and other science skills related to aircraft maintenance. It emphasizes the repair of electrical and mechanical systems within the aircraft. Students will study hydraulics, fuels, environmental systems, engines, flight controls, landing gear system and airframes and structure. The Avionics Maintenance program covers aircraft communications, navigation and data systems, and inspection and troubleshooting of basic electronics circuits. In this program, a significant portion of time is spent on practical applications in labs.

Confederation College | Thunder Bay
Confederation College offers various aerospace and aviation technician courses at its Aviation Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Thunder Bay International Airport. The two-year Aviation Technician, Aircraft Maintenance, diploma program allows students to receive 18-months credit towards experience requirements for an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer license, Category M, with 95 per cent attendance record. Topics include aircraft construction and science, electrical and electronics, airframe systems and inspection, rotary wing (helicopter) maintenance and structural repair.

The 2.5-year Aviation, Flight Management, advanced diploma program includes private pilot flight training that begins the first week of first semester right from the school’s hangar at the Thunder Bay International Airport. The program holds 13 aircraft, three flight simulators and industry-based instruction to learn skills required to work as a commercial pilot.

Fanshawe College | London
Fanshawe’s Norton Wolf School of Aviation Technology is located at the London International Airport and holds an 80,000-square-foot hangar. The school specializes in offering Transport Canada-approved diplomas in Aircraft and Avionics maintenance. It also provides new graduate certificate programs in Aerospace Manufacturing and Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems Operations.

The school’s Aviation Technician – Avionic Maintenance program covers all aspects of aircraft avionics systems used in general aviation, corporate, charter transport category aircraft and helicopters. The school focuses on aircraft structural repair and applied aerospace manufacturing.


NOVA SCOTIA

Nova Scotia Community College | Dartmouth
The Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Aviation Institute is located in a 43,000-square-foot training facility. The school provides a two-year Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Mechanical, diploma program. Courses focus on aircraft servicing and ground handling functions, Canadian Aviation Regulations, using specialized equipment to repair and maintain aircraft systems, interpret wiring diagrams and aircraft drawings, and assess sheet metal damage and appropriate repair procedures.

The school also provides a one-year Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Structures, certificate program to develop skills for the repair and maintenance of airframes and associated systems for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. This includes the area of aircraft metal and composite assembly and repair, skills eessential to the maintenance, repair, overhaul, inspection and testing of aircraft structural systems. Graduates will be able to assess damage and corrosion of aircraft structures and repair, replace and modify sheet metal, fabric surfaces and composite and wood structures.


PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Holland College | Summerside
Holland College provides a one-year Aircraft Turbine Technican certificate program at its Summerside Waterfront Campus in PEI. Aircraft turbine technicians inspect aircraft engines, troubleshoot issues with mechanical systems, and modify, repair, and test turbine engines.

Students learn techniques, procedures, and documentation requirements with an emphasis on practical training using a variety of turbine engines. This includes the Pratt and Whitney 100 series turbine engine used on the de Havilland Dash 8 aircraft, the Pratt and Whitney PT6 engine, and the Rolls Royce 250 engine.


NEWFOUNDLAND

College of the North Atlantic | Gander
The College of the North Atlantic (CNA) is part of the Lufthansa Technical Training network of approved schools. The two-year Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technician program is located at the school’s Gander campus in Newfoundland.

Graduates of this program earn North American and European certification and can attend the Institute of Technology in Carlow, Ireland, to earn an undergraduate degree in Aircraft Systems Maintenance with only one additional year of school. The one-year Aircraft Structural Repair Technician program also takes place at the Gandar campus.

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