A new carbon-neutral 10,000 square foot aircraft hangar at Kamloops airport includes a 6,000 square foot solar panel and provisions for the charging of electric aircraft.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Canadian Flight Centre
June 17, 2022 - 11:31 AM
A 10,000 square foot eco-friendly aircraft hangar has been built at the Kamloops airport.
It has a massive solar installation on its roof and provisions for the charging of electric aircraft once battery powered aircraft become more popular in Canada.
The hangar is used for flight training, aircraft parking and aircraft maintenance, and includes offices, classrooms, a flight simulator and additional room for future expansion, according to a Canadian Flight Centre media release.
The solar installation on its roof is the biggest one in Kamloops at 6,000 square feet. It serves the energy needs for the building with excess energy going to B.C. Hydro, and includes a supercharger for electric company vehicles as well as a heated flooring system.
“We wanted to create a place where aviation meets environment, while at the same time creating the first electric aviation hubs where pilots can land and charge their planes,” said Canadian Flight Centre CEO Peter Schliek in the release. “This is an essential requirement for the expansion of electric flight.”
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Schliek said he is expecting electric aircraft to become more popular in Canada in the next couple of years and a network of charging stations is required across the country.
The Canadian Flight Centre is having a grand opening for the environmentally sustainable hangar on Friday, June 24.
Canadian Flight Centre was founded in 1979 and has since trained thousands of pilots from all over the world at its bases in Pitt Meadows and Kamloops.
The Kamloops base was opened 10 years ago, in 2012, to serve the local market and give access to a more predictable weather patterns and less congested airspace to coastal pilot trainees, while the base in Pitt Meadows is a busy advanced training airport.
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