In a ceremony held Wednesday at the Downsview campus of Centennial College, Ornge president and CEO Dr. Andrew McCallum officially handed over a decommissioned Sikorsky S-76A helicopter to the school.

“We know the donation of this aircraft will give countless students the opportunity to engage with a helicopter that has a long and distinguished history,” said McCallum. “We are hoping that some of these students will aspire to work for Ornge in support of our mission to provide Ontario’s patients with safe and timely care, transport and access to health services.”

The S-76A is just the latest addition to Centennial’s decommissioned aircraft fleet, which includes everything from a Bombardier CRJ200 regional jetliner and a Cessna Citation corporate jet to a Mooney M20 piston-powered four-place airplane, with numerous other airplanes and helicopters thrown in. All are lodged in Centennial’s Centre for Aviation Excellence, which is located on the former site of de Havilland of Canada.

“We’re delighted to have this magnificent aircraft join our collection here at Downsview,” said Centennial College School of Transportation Dean Alan McClelland. “The Sikorsky is a sophisticated machine with updated avionics technology that our students absolutely need to be familiar with before they venture out into the working world. It will be treasured as a teaching tool in our hangar.”