Airport embarks on new flight path: flight school startup, new authority takes over Earlton airport.

• Author: Ross, Ian

Michael Hicks has sky-high expectations that the Earlton-Timiskaming Regional Airport can be a hub of activity for training international pilots.

The president of the fledgling Canadian Aviation College has ambitious plans to import students from China by the dozens, and maybe the hundreds, every year to northeastern Ontario to fill that country's growing need for pilots.

Last September, the 11-employee startup opened for business at the sleepy, rural field located 1.5 kilometres from the town of Earlton, and took in its first class of 12 students from China in November.

The company landed a contract with the state-owned Beijing United General Aviation Industrial Investment Co. to train commercial pilots.

Aviation training in China is very expensive and air space is limited and tightly controlled by the military, explained Hicks.

The flight school's one-year program provides a Canadian commercial pilot's licence, with multi-engine and instrument ratings, which can be converted to a Chinese licence.

"They're basically ready for an entry-level job like a Canadian student would," said Hicks.

And as they build up their flight hours in Canada, students get to brush up on their language skills.

"The students arrive with a basic English level and we teach them aviation English," said Hicks.

The aim is to bring in 20 to 30 students every three months "and if we got that far and become a very large program, we're talking 100 students at a time."

The Air Transportation Association of Canada said half of the world's air traffic growth in the next 20 years will be driven within the Asian Pacific region. Within China, the annual growth rate of those obtaining pilot licenses is 13.5 per cent with more than half of the pilots obtaining their professional training internationally.

Canada's stringent regulatory framework and compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization's standards and practices is regarded by international airlines as one of the world's best.

Michael's father, Duane Hicks, former CEO of the Calgary Flying Club, began taking in Chinese students for pilot training in Alberta last year.

Michael sought a less congested air space and through his connections with Wabusk Air was introduced to Earlton, where the Moosonee-based carrier performs its aircraft maintenance.

The airport features a 6,000-foot runway and 15,000-square-foot hangar owned by Wabusk with office space that can serve as classrooms.

"The facility is really great...