Graduates of SAFA are job ready within a year following high school graduation adding skilled pilots, instructors and maintenance engineers into the industry. Currently, the need for pilot education and training in Canada is critical with the Pilot Career Centre estimating 3,000 pilots and 55,000 aviation workers will be needed by 2025. The future demands for pilots, along with flight engineers and flight instructors is expected to increase in future years.  

Collegiate Status
In 2023, the Flight Academy was awarded collegiate school status by Alberta Education. As a collegiate, students can choose from three streams of certification: aeronautical mechanical engineering, earning a private pilot’s license, or training in air traffic control and drones. While all students are exposed to all three streams, in year two of the program they choose the one they wish to certify in. Flight Academy students will earn their radio license along with other certificates and those who have earned a private pilot’s license have the option to enrol in a fourth year to earn their commercial pilot’s license.  

Plane BuildBuilding a Plane
SAFA students also build the next RV 12 airplane. The first student-built plane completed in 2022 and the academy on track to build a new one every three years. HALO air ambulance serves southeast Alberta and uses the first student-built plane for fire spotting along with search and rescue missions due to its speed and economical fuel consumption. Students in the program are working on the engineering challenges of designing electrical engines for the third student-build RV 12 plane.  

Earning High School Credits
Students in the program earn their private pilot’s license, their drone operator license with some students beginning their night, instrument and commercial ratings. Students earn credits towards high school graduation though courses in aeronautics, aviation-flight, fabrication, leadership, mechanics, mental health and wellness, recreation, wilderness and robotics (including flight simulation and drone operation). As a collegiate, the academy also offers night endorsement, commercial license if a student chooses to undertake a fourth year, tail dragger checkout, outdoor survival training, mental health (trauma), Vans RV 12 airplane build, teamwork, and drone licensing.  

Outdoor Wilderness 2Wilderness and Survival Training
A five-day optional Wilderness Training experience is offered to all SAFA students. Two days are spent backpacking for about five hours with the students carrying everything they need, including food, water, tents and gear. The routes taken are not on established trails as the intent is to expose the students to a true wilderness experience. The survival training and the mock plane crash takes up another two days. The plane crash focused on different scenarios and attending to those who most require it and performing first-aid as needed. Survival training involves starting a fire, building a shelter, and creating an SOS sign on the ground with the group working as a team to complete all the tasks.  
“While an intense experience, I recommend taking the opportunity to go as it’s a great experience. If I had the opportunity to go again, I would,” Eric Stock, 2023 graduate of SAFA.
Skies Magazine
Read about SAFA starting at page 36 in Skies Magazine: https://issues.skiesmag.com/554/766/1704/CSV14I1-FebMar2024/index.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEV_9ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfsXytfbiMpdBXySiYIgeEgF8Q6iJ0RMVo76U-jmRIu9Cz5XgPj5bnettw_aem_JkJyCfCyj2ifZHXUeRzyBQ