The 21st Century Pilot-Mill Industry
Leisure air-carrier Air Transat and CAE, the renowned Canadian manufacturer of aircraft simulation and modeling technologies and training services, have partnered to launch Ascension Academy, a new cadet training program by which the airline will train its future pilot cadre.
The Ascension Academy program will offer aspiring pilots a defined pathway via which to earn pilot certification at CAE’s flight academy and, upon attainment of their Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificates, opportunity to undertake careers as Air Transat right-seaters (read Second In Command or First Officer). Applications are now being accepted for training beginning in February 2024.
Air Transat vice-president of flight operations Marc Gilbert stated: “The Ascension Academy is a new program that will develop the next generation of Air Transat’s pilots. This program will enable us to recruit and train pilots in advance of the increased demand anticipated over the next years. One of the advantages of the Ascension Academy is that we will have a pipeline of pilots trained to our exacting standards with the specialized knowledge and skill to operate Air Transat’s fleet to destinations throughout our network. Our strong company culture and positive employee experience will certainly attract many candidates.”
CAE president of civil aviation Nick Leontidis set forth: “We are thrilled to launch the Ascension Academy program with Air Transat and partner with a leading Canadian airline on a proactive training approach to meet future demand for pilots. CAE forecasts a need for 63,000 new commercial pilots in North America over the next ten-years, and cadet programs like the Ascension Academy will be key to attracting the talent needed to keep the industry flying. The Ascension Academy program will not only secure a steady pipeline of qualified pilots for Air Transat, but it will also set a clear pathway for those who aspire to an exciting career in the flight deck.”
Upon successfully completing an interview process, applicants will be admitted to the Ascension Academy program and receive conditional letters of employment from Air Transat for Second-In-Command (SIC) positions. Upon attaining the requisite pilot certification, Ascension Academy graduates will become fully-qualified (ostensibly) Air Transat SICs and fly state-of-the-art Airbus aircraft throughout the airline’s global network, including to transborder and international transatlantic destinations from the air-carrier’s hub airports in Montreal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ). By providing high-speed, low-drag flight-training, the Ascension Academy affords Canadians opportunity to actualize their dreams of flying professionally. By dint of a team of instructors and mentor pilots from CAE and Air Transat, the Ascension program provides structure and support to cadets throughout their journeys from classroom to flight deck.
Founded in 1947, CAE Inc., formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics, digitalizes the physical world for purpose of developing simulation training and critical operations support solutions for professionals in critical roles—primarily aircraft pilots. Worldwide, CAE employs some 13,000 employees across more than two-hundred sites and training locations in forty countries. CAE’s simulators instantiate the culmination of 75-years of intensive research and innovation and are broadly considered the world’s highest-fidelity flight and mission simulation devices. Nevertheless, CAE remains perpetually about the work of developing new generations of cutting-edge, digitally immersive training and critical operations solutions. The company operates a global network of manufacturing and training facilities boasting annual revenues of $2.7-billion.
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