The Government of Ontario is building a new flight training centre for water bomber aircraft in Sault Ste. Marie.

The 6,700-square-foot (622-square-metre) facility will be the first of its kind in Ontario. It will hold a state-of-the-art flight training device that will simulate the sights, sounds and motions of the CL-415 water bomber aircraft used to fight forest fires in the province.

The building’s steel structure will be erected this summer and the flight training device will be installed in the fall. The facility is scheduled for completion by the 2013 fire season.

Ontario believes that the new centre will eliminate the need to send pilots out of Ontario for training, and will attract pilots from other areas to train and practise.

“This new facility will help us train our pilots, right here in Northern Ontario, on one of the most advanced flight simulators available. Our pilots will learn to deal with dangerous situations like severe weather and instrument failure while training to protect our families and communities.”

– Michael Gravelle, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources

Source: Government of Ontario