Centennial College took delivery of its donated Bombardier Global 7500 business aircraft on October 7, an event that saw the award-winning airplane roll out of the manufacturer’s delivery centre at Downsview, cross the airfield by tow vehicle, and park in the compound at Centennial’s campus to the delight of faculty and students.
Centennial students will receive valuable hands-on experience working on the prototype of the world’s largest purpose-built business jet with the industry’s most advanced avionics and airframe features, including high-performance wings. Known as “The Architect,” the aircraft was the fourth Flight Test Vehicle (FTV4) of the Global 7500 development program. It had its maiden flight on September 28, 2017.
The donation was originally announced in January 2020 to considerable fanfare, when the Global 7500 was brought to the fence separating the airfield from the campus and students were invited to cross over and inspect the aircraft and its unique interior features. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the proper delivery of the aircraft to the college.
“We had no idea that the delivery would take place two and a half years later,” Éric Martel, President and CEO of Bombardier, told guests at the delivery centre hangar. But he added that the gift was worth the wait. “Students are getting the state-of-the-art industry flagship. It is a clean-sheet design that has blown away customers with its performance and comfort.”
Also on hand at the October 7 ceremony were the Honourable Monte McNaughton, Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, and Manjit Jheeta, Vice-President, Industry, Employment and Community Relations at Centennial College, both of whom expressed their thanks to Bombardier for their generous gift. All the speakers recognized the importance of providing aviation and avionics technicians in training access to a next-generation product that will enhance their employability with hands-on experience on an aircraft that will be in production and in flight when they enter the workforce.
Attendees also heard messages of gratitude from two Centennial student representatives: Aditpal Singh Bharaj, in the third year of the Avionics Maintenance and Management program, and Riddhi Vipulbhai Patel, who is in the second year of the Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Technician program, offered by the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science at Downsview Campus.
The long-range Global 7500 is not the first aircraft Bombardier has given to Canada’s largest School of Transportation. Centennial previously received a fully functional Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ) in 2018. The aircraft is a smaller commercial jet that serves regional airlines with exceptional performance and low-cost operations. The college’s partnership with Canada’s premier plane maker goes back several years: Bombardier formally named Centennial as their 'Trainer of Choice' in 2014, recognizing the college's role in addressing the looming skilled trades shortage in Ontario.