Bissett Autonomous Aviation Park will train and test autonomous aircraft as part of new diploma program.<\/p>\n
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A Calgary philanthropist has donated $30 million to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology<\/a> (SAIT) to develop a training facility for autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft, also known as drones.\u00a0<\/p>\n The news: On Thursday, SAIT announced plans to develop the Bissett Autonomous Aviation Park at its campus. Named after Davi<\/a>d<\/a> Bissett<\/a>, a long-time supporter of the technical institute whose donation made the facility possible, the park will be dedicated to training, testing, and certifying both remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and autonomous aerial vehicle systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n From the source: \u201cAutonomous flight is a new industry taking shape in real time. I want young Albertans to be building it, not watching it happen somewhere else,\u201d Bissett said in a statement on Thursday. \u201cA province\u2019s prosperity depends on whether its people have the skills the global economy is asking for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The context: The Bissett Autonomous Aviation Park will serve a growing cohort of drone-focused programming at SAIT, which has a long history<\/a> of aviation-based education. In 2023, it launched Western Canada\u2019s first professional RPAS certificate program, and this fall launched the first RPAS diploma program.\u00a0<\/p>\n The drone industry is growing at a feverish pace in Canada as the federal government looks to build out domestic drone manufacturing capacity<\/a> and defence capabilities. It\u2019s also been spurred on by deals between Canadian startups like Sentinel R&D<\/a> and Ukraine\u2019s Airlogix<\/a>, the latter of which has helped build out an expansive drone development industry in Ukraine\u2019s fight against Russia.<\/p>\n Final thought: In Canada, the drone market is expected to hit a $10-billion valuation<\/a> by 2030. In Alberta, Calgary Economic Development<\/a> identified autonomous aviation as an emerging driver within the city\u2019s broader aerospace ecosystem, which itself is expected to grow to more than $4 billion by 2030. SAIT\u2019s facility places the school in a position to train the professionals needed to meet that growing demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n BetaKit\u2019s Prairies reporting is funded in part b<\/a>y<\/a> YEGAF<\/a>, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.<\/p>\n Feature image courtesy Unsplash<\/a>. Photo by Haci<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bissett Autonomous Aviation Park will train and test autonomous aircraft as part of new diploma program.
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