About Us

About Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre

WWFC logoFounded in 1932 at Lexington Field in North Waterloo, Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) is deeply rooted in the Waterloo region. With its beginnings as a flying club, WWFC has continued to grow over the years, including being the driving force behind the development of the Waterloo Airport in its current location in 1950.

Today, WWFC is proud to offer a state-of-the-art facility and is partnered with two prestigious post-secondary institutions, Conestoga College and the University of Waterloo to offer industry recognized training to individuals seeking a career in aviation. WWFC also strongly supports the general aviator, training more than 50 private pilots annually.

WWFC is a not-for-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors who oversee the long-term development and operation of WWFC and its programs.

About Our Drone Training Program

The Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) program was established in 2014 and has been a leader in the the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle industry ever since. The program has evolved over the years to a once a month weekend course, custom courses and instruction in various sectors. WWFC has provided drone instruction for government, education, research, public and private sectors, as well as for recreational use. The program has nine staff, which includes a Business Manager, instructors, maintenance and professional UAV pilots.

The program is well-rounded in that it provides information on Transport Canada regulations, as well as RPAS operation and maintenance. WWFC RPAS courses include training to the TP 15263 knowledge requirements for pilots of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. WWFC is also an active member of Unmanned Systems Canada and participates in the working group at Transport Canada.

The WWFC RPAS program also has a number of industry and community partners. WWFC also attends and participates in a number of conferences and tradeshows across Canada and the US to stay up-to-date on RPAS technology, regulations and news.

Our Instructors

WWFC has been training aviation professionals for more than 80 years. Our highly skilled educators consist of commercial manned aviation pilots and UAV industry specialists. By working together, they convey traditional aerospace knowledge within the context of unmanned systems. Our instructors are passionate about teaching and have enabled hundreds of new RPAS pilots to operate safely and reliably in Canadian airspace. Find out a little more about each below.

Sarah Spry, UAV Manager

Sarah Spry, RPAS Manager & Flight Examiner

Sarah Spry is the RPAS Manager at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre and has worked in aviation education since 2011. Sarah leads the UAS training program and enjoys teaching students the fundamentals of flight and safety in Canadian airspace. She sits on the Training Committee for Unmanned Systems Canada, and has had various speaking positions, such as Ontario Science Centre and Xponential. Sarah is an advocate for Women in STEM and is working on her Private Pilots Licence.

Kyle McKinnon

Kyle McKinnon, RPAS Program Coordinator & Flight Examiner

Kyle McKinnon is the RPAS Program Coordinator, as well as an instructor and pilot. He began flying drones in 2014 in order to collect geospatial data for stockpile management, NDVI creation and silviculture management. With 100+ hours of flight time Kyle has experience piloting many different platforms and sensors. His experience performing highly accurate data collection allows him to give first-hand feedback to those looking to enter the drone industry. Kyle walks students through the many legal hurdles they may face while flying commercially. He also teaches new pilots how to care for and maintain their UAV.

Stephen Prang

Steven Prang, RPAS Maintenance Engineer

Steve’s main role is Aircraft Maintenance Engineer at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre, maintaining the fleet of more than 25 aircraft. He has been flying, designing and building remote control aircraft since 1998, which includes large gas-powered aircraft, complex turbine powered aircraft, midsize helicopters and midsize multicopters. Steve enjoys working with remote piloted aircraft systems and training new pilots on how to properly operate and maintain them.

Chris Borutskie

Chris Borutskie

Chris Borutskie has been flying for the last 34 years, but came to WWFC in 2018. He is a Class 2 Flight Instructor and also helps the RPAS team deliver its program. Although somewhat new to drones, Chris has a long-standing interest in photography and loves the unique blend of passions that comes from flying and taking images from remotely piloted vehicles.

The course was packed with information delivered by very knowledgeable and qualified instructors. I left feeling confident with the SFOC application process.

~  Carole