.compendium/education

flight  training on the 
leading edge

bachelor of science 
aviation program 
 

Always on the forefront of technology, Flying Colors flight school boasts a steady stream of students at its Winnipeg International Airport location, ranging from teenagers to business owners. Training in one of Flying Colors impressive Diamond aircraft is offered at all levels, for the recreational pilot all the way through to professional commercial pilot.

In 2000 Flying Colors launched the region’s first aviation degree programs, combining in-depth aviation education with professional flight training. In 2002 it partnered with the St. James Assiniboia school division to establish Canada’s first high school commercial pilot aviation ground school. The new program is available free to Manitoba resident students age 21 and under and allows students to obtain their pilot license during school hours while earning high school credits.

The bachelor of science aviation program combines Flying Colors’ state-of-the-art professional flight training with in-depth aviation education, to give students a foundation for a career in aviation. It makes the graduate student more marketable among major airlines, where a bachelor degree is a basic requirement. An associate of applied science degree, leading to entry-level jobs as a professional pilot, and associate of science degree, with less emphasis on aviation components, is also available.

Flying Colors uses state-of-the-art Diamond Katana and Beech Travelair aircraft, along with Canada’s first Transport Canada-certified Level 3 flight training simulator. Flying Colors president Michael Gillespie says this flight training device is part of the package that gives his company an edge in quality.

Flying Colors is an accredited satellite campus of the award-winning aviation sciences department of Utah Valley State College. The academic program is delivered electronically through Utah’s distance learning network. Course entrants must be 18 and have a minimum of high school education or equivalent.

The high school commercial pilot aviation course, an eight-credit offering, was launched at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate in Winnipeg this past fall. Five of the eight credits are based on Transport Canada’s curriculum and exceed the ground school requirements for commercial pilot training. Each course includes five hours of instruction on the Level 3 flight training simulator – a total of 25 hours of instruction which are loggable toward a pilot license.

Job opportunities for commercial pilots are now particularly bright, with large numbers of pilots due to retire in the coming years. The high school program also provides basic preparation for more than 50 other aviation careers.

Look up Flying Colors on their web site at  www.flying-colors.org.
 

Email the author: Jo Simon

For information, please contact: admin@flying-colors.org