SAIT aviation students get a close look at the Cyclone, pride of the RCAF

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNews SAIT aviation students get a close look at the Cyclone, pride of the RCAF Students heard presentations from experienced RCAF technicians, while also getting to see one of the Canadian military's most prized aircraft up close Author of the article: By Scott Strasser Published Sep 18, 2026 Last updated 0 minutes ago 4 minute read Join the conversation The Royal Canadian Air Force Air Maintenance Branch Air Attractions Team paid a visit to SAIT'S aviation campus with a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter on Friday. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Article content Aviation and avionics students at SAIT had the chance to get up close and personal with a Royal Canadian Air Force Cyclone helicopter on Friday, while learning about career opportunities associated with maintaining military aircraft. Article content The yearly recruitment visit to SAIT’s Art Smith Aero Centre in northeast Calgary supports Air Force efforts to attract new Canadian Armed Forces members to aviation technical trades — specifically, aviation systems technicians, aircraft structures technicians and avionics systems technicians. Article content Article content Article content Students heard presentations from experienced RCAF technicians, while also getting to see one of the Canadian military’s most prized aircraft up close. Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Master Cpl. Trisha Chipman, a member of the RCAF’s Air Maintenance Branch Air Attractions Team (AMBAAT), said the visit to Calgary is part of a countrywide recruitment effort. AMBAAT’s arrival in Calgary followed a similar event at Okanagan College’s Kelowna Aerospace Campus on Wednesday. Article content “We’re looking to recruit technicians more than ever right now, because we have a lot of new aircraft coming in, so that means we need more hands to work on them,” she said. Article content The recruitment push comes as the federal government aims to dramatically increase its defence budget. Ottawa is targeting to spend five per cent of Canada’s GDP on defence — nearly $150 billion annually — by 2035. Canada spent $63 billion on its military last year, which met NATO’s…