CANADA'S DEPARTMENT of National Defence (DND) is marketing its pilot-training capability in a bid to offset excess capacity caused by budget cuts. Six student pilots from the German air force and navy have begun training at the Bombardier-operated Canadian Aviation Training Centre (CATC) at Southport, Manitoba.
DND studies into the socioeconomic impact of the training bases at Southport and Moose Jaw will be completed in April, in preparation for a decision on how to reduce the cost of pilot training. Basic, multi-engine and helicopter training is conducted at Southport and advanced training at Moose Jaw, on Canadair CT-141 Tutors.
Combining training at one base, or closing down both bases and going abroad for pilot training are among options being considered. The success of efforts to market excess pilot-training capacity will influence the decision, the DND says. Throughput of pilots for the Canadian Forces, 200 a year in 1970, is being reduced to 85 a year and may go lower following recent budget cuts, which will reduce the number of active fighters.
Bombardier's five-year contract to operate the CATC has less than two years to run. Primary training is provided on 12 company-owned Slingsby T67Cs; multi-engine on eight company-owned Beech King Air C90As; and helicopter on 14 Bell JetRangers dry-leased from the Canadian Forces. The centre was set up in 1991, to handle 140 students a year.
A similar contractor-run operation for advanced training is one of the options being considered by the DND. Under this scheme, the contractor would be required to buy and operate replacements for the Tutors. Canada is apparently weighing whether to offer to host the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Training (ENJJT) programme as part of this scheme. Several European NATO nations already use the Sheppard AFB, USA-based ENJJT for pilot training.
The DND says that the US Navy is its biggest competitor in marketing pilot training to other McDonnell Douglas F-18 operators. The Department says that t cannot compete with the $1.4 million per pilot charged by the US Navy, as it is prevented by law from subsidising training of foreign pilots.
Source: Flight International
