Canadore students get a new plane

Photo by Steve Newman

Canadore College
News Release

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Voyageur Airways taxied a Beechcraft Kingair Model A100 down the runway at North Bay’s Jack Garland Airport to the Canadore College School of Aviation to hand it over as a training tool to the College Thursday.  

Voyageur has always been a strong supporter of the College’s School of Aviation by hiring Canadore graduates and making various equipment donations. Currently, the organization employs 67 Canadore graduates.

“Voyageur Airways hires Canadore College Aviation graduates because they are highly trained by one of the best institutions in the province. This aircraft will provide a platform for students to train on a current operational aircraft with modern turbine engines,” said Voyageur Airways President Max Shapiro.

Voyageur Airways has been in operation since 1968 and is one of the most diverse aviation companies in Canada. Voyageur’s services include air charter, air ambulance and maintenance to aircraft from all over the world.

The Kingair, which retailed for over $500,000 in 2008, has flown more than 14,000 hours and has made over 16,000 landings. It has operated throughout Canada and the United States as a nine-seat commuter, a six-seat executive and a two-patient air ambulance.

“We sincerely thank Voyageur Airways for its tremendous support of Canadore’s School of Aviation through this donation,” said Canadore College President Barbara Taylor. “We are proud of the fact that so many of our graduates are employed by Voyageur, and we take great pride in their accomplishments. Voyageur also made a significant donation to our Aviation Campus campaign seven years ago and we highly value the strong ties between the company and the College which help to grow North Bay as a centre for the aviation industry.”

Voyageur employees and the staff and students of Canadore’s School of Aviation were in attendance at a brief ceremony at the Aviation Campus as Voyageur President Shapiro made the presentation to Canadore President Taylor.

The 82,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Aviation Campus was built in 2002 and houses all of Canadore’s School of Aviation programs. This year, the campus saw a 13 per cent increase in first year students. There are a total of 241 students attending classes, with 46 being international students.

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