Aviation Centre of Excellence
The Aviation Centre of Excellence, or ACE, is the aviation department facility for Confederation College. The building comprises of two large hangars, classrooms, shops, labs, and offices for the three aviation programs at the School of Aviation. Origin. In the late 1990s, Confederation College decided to relocate its programs for Flight Management, Aircraft Maintenance, and Aerospace Manufacturing in one larger facility where students would have access to new equipment and facilities. Derek Burney, was the CEO and President of CAE. Air Canada donated one of its retired Douglas DC-9 aircraft which arrived for the grand opening  celebrations. The aircraft landed with Confederation College emblems in addition to the Air Canada tail paint. Construction of ACE began in 2002, and the building was completed in time for 2003 classes. Confederation College Aviation Centre of Excellence has been voted "Best Aviation College" in a poll by Aviation Canada. Location. The Aviation Centre of Excellence is located at Thunder Bay International Airport, the third-busiest airport in the province of Ontario. The structure is located on the north side of runway 25 and adjacent to the Ornge Hangar. The centre has its own apron and taxiway to the runway . Programs. There are three full-time post-secondary programs offered at ACE. The unofficial slogan of the Aviation Centre is "Build it, Fly it, Maintain it", relating to the three respective programs. ACE is heavily supported by companies such as Bombardier, Levaero, Jazz, Bearskin Airlines and Wasaya Airways. ACE has hosted the world-renowned Canadian Forces Snowbirds several times and various pilots and mechanics on the team were alumni. Fleet. ACE has a fleet of sixteen aircraft used for flight training; consisting of four types of Cessna aircraft. In addition, the school has two advanced flight training devices (or non -motion simulators). One is a level 6 Frasca Beech Baron trainer, and the other is a level 2 generic trainer. In addition, there is a sizeable fleet of non-flying aircraft at ACE that is used by the Aircraft Maintenance program. This includes: