Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/169581
Where vision takes flight Gerry Kopelow Submitted photos Above Left: The Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) in Thompson. Above: A typical icing test underway at the GE Aviation Engine Testing Research & Development Centre in Winnipeg. Both engine test sites are expanding into year-round testing operations. Also in Winnipeg, the Composites Innovation Centre helps companies to develop new products and technologies using composite materials. On the military side, Winnipeg is home to 17 Wing and the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the aerospace industry provides training for the RCAF at Southport near Portage la Prairie. "Allied Wings runs the operations and provides the aircraft to do training for the entry-level pilots, " Webb explained. The industry is experiencing exponential growth on the commercial aviation side, with a worldwide forecast for about 35,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years due to an increase in air traffic and the need to replace aging fleets. On the military side, Canada continues to invest in new aircraft to modernize its air force and search and rescue operations. "The growth in air travel will continue, but the growth won't be as much in North America and Europe as it has been in the past. It will be driven by India, the Middle East, China and Asia," Webb said. "Those countries will be buying many of those new airplanes, and they will want them built there." "We're all trying to expand our industry at a time when there are tremendous pressures on costs because of the competition coming from countries like India, Mexico and China," Webb said. In Manitoba, the Competitive Edge Supplier Development Program helps smaller companies qualify to become suppliers for the aerospace industry. The quality assurance standards are rigorous, since all parts of an airplane need to be certified. As well, Manitoba's technology-based aerospace companies are already planning how they'll remain competitive 20 years from now, drawing on a Technology Roadmap for guidance. "There is very strong competition," said Webb. "At the same time, there is tremendous opportunity through the unprecedented growth." Leading Transportation Innovation and Growth waa.ca We're proud to be a top aerospace employer and a part of Manitoba's business community for over a century. To learn more, please visit www.standardaero.com Manitoba Aerospace Week September 9 - 13, 2013 3