The International Air Transport Association says that 65% of the world’s airline captains will retire during the next decade. Within the next few decades approximately 200,000 airline pilots will be hired by major carriers. You can be a part of this process once you have gained the required education and total flying hours. Transport Canada has minimum requirements each pilot must meet for licensing standards.

Sky Wings Aviation goes one better! Recognizing that hours alone don’t fit the need, our programs are laid out with customized instruction and experience to help you see where your niche may be..

R ed Deer College, established in 1964, has developed into one of the premiere community colleges in Canada. It offers more than 70 academic programs that attract students from throughout Canada and many foreign countries. The Red Deer College campus is located on the western outskirts of the city of Red Deer (just a 10 minute drive from Sky Wings Aviation) and includes classrooms, residences, sports facilities and a 600-seat theatre. The student population is approximately 6,000, many of whom live in apartments, suites or townhouses within walking distance of the campus. Red Deer College provides high quality academics that are critical to the credibility of the Aviation Diploma Program. Most courses are University transferable, which gives you the ability to move up in your chosen career.

S ky Wings Aviation Academy has been in operation at the Red Deer Regional Airport since 1982, providing flight training, charters, maintenance and storage services. Housed in three hangars at the Southeast corner of the airport, Sky Wings operates Cessna 172’s, Cessna 152’s, a Twin Engine Piper Seneca and a Navajo. Ground training is conducted in a large, multi-media classroom. Instrument and Multi-Engine preparatory training is provided on an ALSIM 200 Flight Simulator.

Today’s airline pilot must possess business and managerial skills in addition to a superior level of flying skills. Airlines expect their pilot candidates to have completed College or University training in fields of Business, Commerce or Science. Recognizing this, Sky Wings Aviation Academy and Red Deer College have designed an Aviation Diploma Program that has been providing pilots for the aviation industry for almost two decades.

This two-year course of studies enables the student to earn a certificate in Business Management while obtaining an Aviation Diploma. In the highly competitive world of Commercial Aviation, the Aviation Diploma is an excellent means of meeting most airlines’ educational and flying prerequisites.