Canadore College Flying High with Donation from KF Aerospace
Oct 7, 2016
(NORTH BAY, ONT.) – Canadore College formally accepted the donation of a Boeing 727-200 aircraft from KF Aerospace earlier today.
“This is the first heavy aircraft of its kind here at Canadore College,” said Martin Galvin, Dean of Aviation Technology. “This heavy aircraft is in serviceable condition, giving our students a remarkable opportunity to work on a training aid that functions as it would in service.”
The commercial plane, serial number 21042, was most recently configured for freight and retired from carrying Purolator shipments between Canadian destinations for 17 years and over 11,000 flight hours. The gift of the B727 will be extensively used as a hands-on training aid for students in the Canadore College School of Aviation Technology.
“I am very pleased to be able to give back to colleges like Canadore that work hard to support aviation in Canada,” indicated Barry Lapointe, the CEO of KF Aerospace, who is also an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer by training. “Training future AME’s is an important role that allows us to expand our business.”
The aircraft was recently appraised at a value of $795,000 and Canadore College created a purpose-built parking pad adjacent to its hangar for permanent placement of the training aid.
“Not only does the plane’s tremendous size and interior configuration allow for larger groups of students to practice simultaneously, but its many, fully operational systems, avionics equipment and spacious compartments are greatly beneficial to student learning outcomes,” said Galvin. “We are extremely grateful to KF Aerospace for their generous donation. We will put it to good use in training the future aviation professionals and leaders.”
This semester’s aviation students have already incorporated the grounded aircraft in the classroom experience to complement the College’s other training aids.
Canadore trains people through applied learning, leadership and innovation. It provides access to over 65 full-time quality programs and has outstanding faculty and student services. The College and its students add nearly $290 million to the regions of Nipissing and Parry Sound. Approximately 1,000 students graduate from Canadore each year, and they join 43,000 alumni working across the globe.
KF Aerospace (formerly Kelowna Flightcraft) provides aviation engineering, maintenance, training, air cargo operations, and aircraft leasing to commercial and military customers around the world. Powered by 800 skilled staff, KF owns and operates over 50 aircraft, and modifies and maintains over 100 customer aircraft annually; at locations in Kelowna, BC, Hamilton, ON, Vancouver, BC, and Southport, MB.
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