Bombardier donated a Global 7500 flight test vehicle (FTV) to Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which has renamed its Centre for Aerospace and Aviation at Downsview Park to The Bombardier Centre for Aerospace and Aviation. The donation and name change were marked at an event yesterday by the two organizations, which have collaborated on aerospace education, skills training, and research and development for a decade.
"Bombardier is proud to continue supporting Centennial College in its mission to prepare the next generation of aerospace professionals,” Bombardier president and CEO Alain Bellemare said. “With this Global 7500 aircraft donation, students will receive incomparable hands-on training using the industry's latest advanced technology.” The 7500 that Bombardier donated was its fourth FTV and known internally as “The Architect.” It made its maiden flight on September 28, 2017, and accumulated 731 flight hours. It will be permanently located outside of Centennial's Downsview Park hangar and facility that opened in January 2019.
Last February, Bombardier donated a CRJ200 to Centennial for training. It is also donating $150,000 for the completion of the college’s landing gear research project. Centennial’s aviation program is expected to train a minimum of 50 individuals for each of the next two years.