In March 2005, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Graham announced that a consortium led by Kelowna Flightcraft Ltd. of Kelowna, British Columbia, had been selected to run the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program at Southport for the next 22 years. The consortium, which calls itself Allied Wings, includes Canadian Helicopters Ltd, Canadian Base Operators, and Atlantis Systems International Inc.

CFTS is a new training regime that will improve the instruction pilots receive at Southport. The type of training involves more advanced training than done in the past, particularly dealing with instrument flight training and crew resource management (and) working with larger, more complex aircraft.

For the first time, simulators for multi-engine and helicopter are used in instruction. In addition, Southport infrastructure has been rebuilt to include new hangars, fuel tank farms and a state-of-the-art 7,432 square meter training complex.

CFTS offers primary flying training, multi-engine training and rotary flight training with 36 different courses in those streams. Allied Wings provides new aircraft and simulators, meteorological services, air traffic control, emergency response, and airfield aviation services. It is also responsible for plane and simulator maintenance.

Primary training, from ground school to air instruction, is delivered by the consortium. For multi-engine and rotary, Allied Wings provides ground school instructors, courseware, flight services and the aircraft, with Canadian Forces supplying flying instructors.

The consortium operates out of a newly erected state-of-the-art, 80,000 sq. ft. training complex. With six classrooms, 42 briefing rooms, two boardrooms, a theatre, flight planning centre, fitness centre, reference library, ceremonies hall, flight simulators and top-notch flight training, the facility is earning international respect. The complex is wired for interactive training and distance learning.

Under the new program there will be a significant component of computer-based training, both on- and off-site, as well as more interactive skills-based training.

Allied Wings provides nine Grob G120A aircraft for primary flying training and seven Raytheon King Air C-90B for multi-engine flying training. It has also converted seven Bell 206 Jet Rangers and nine Bell 412 Griffon helicopters from the Canadian Forces inventory for helicopter flying training.

The training regime also emphasizes simulation in three new high-fidelity simulators: a Bell 412 Level D full-flight simulator, a second but smaller Bell 412 full-flight simulator and a C-90B level D full-flight simulator. There is a suite of three midfidelity simulators for the C-90B, the Bell 206 and the Grob 120A. In addition, there is a suite of four desktop trainers, two for the Grob, one for C-90B and one for the Bell 412.

Besides acting as the prime contractor, Kelowna Flightcraft procure and maintains the program’s fixed-wing aircraft. Atlantis Systems International provides ground-based training systems, including simulators and courseware. Canadian Base Operators provides base infrastructure and support services ranging from provisioning rescue and firefighting capabilities to housing and feeding students. Canadian Helicopters provides rotary-wing maintenance and aircraft operation, as well as ground-school instructors.

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