Canadore College has broken ground for an expansion of its Aviation Technology Campus at North Bay’s Jack Garland Airport.
The college announced Nov. 21 that construction of the Advanced Composites Fabrication, Repair and Test Centre (ARC-TC) has officially started.
The facility is being built beside the existing centre which was constructed in 2005.
“We’ve come a very long way in over 40 years of aviation training,” said Canadore president-CEO George Burton in a news release.
“Canadore’s specialized ARC-TC facility poises our region to be able to support the projected growth of the aviation, aerospace and space sectors in Canada and across the globe.”
The plan for the two-phase 8,000-square-foot expansion is to create an advanced composite and metals area – including a non-destructive test lab – and a hangar expansion to eventually accommodate jet aircraft.
Burton said the new facility will support innovative research, industrial applications, testing services, business incubation and much more.
The ARC-TC facility is expected to open its door in the spring or summer of 2015.
Earlier this year, Canadore struck a partnership agreement with S3, a Swiss satellite company, to test leading edge technology for a reusable space shuttle concept to launch small satellites into orbit. The first round of drop-tests was done this fall with more to follow next spring.
