A new wave of aviation training has landed in Alberta. Prairie Aviation Training Center (PATC) is now using a VR flight simulator to help address Canada’s growing pilot shortage and its global impact on mission aviation.
PATC has partnered with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to equip the next generation of mission-focused pilots through advanced, cost-effective training solutions. At the center of this effort is a new VR flight simulator that blends virtual reality with physical aircraft controls, allowing students to experience hyper-realistic training without ever leaving the ground.
“This is a new and emerging technology, and it’s really exciting to us,” said Dallas Derksen, director of PATC. “The simulator includes a full Cessna 172 cockpit layout that’s precise to the real aircraft — all the buttons and dials work, and students see their real hands operating them inside the simulator. But outside the windows, they’re immersed in a completely synthetic environment.”
Derksen emphasized how this realism dramatically enhances student learning and safety. Unlike traditional flight training, the VR system allows instructors to pause or rewind simulations to review critical moments. That’s something you can’t do mid-flight in a real airplane.
“You can’t pause a real flight. With this system, if something happens, we can stop, talk it through, even replay it so the student fully understands what went wrong and how to correct it.”
The simulator also offers practical benefits like reducing the cost and environmental impact of training flights while easing wear on the center’s aircraft. Each hour spent in the simulator translates into less maintenance and fuel consumption, making it a sustainable option as well.
Derksen also emphasized one of the most important goals with the new equipment, it’s about accelerating the path for pilots preparing to serve overseas through mission aviation.
“Our hope is that students leave here more highly trained, faster, and more safely — ready to go wherever God plants them in the world."
With the VR simulator now operational, Prairie Aviation Training Center hopes to scale up its training capacity and inspire a new generation of pilots to serve in hard-to-reach places.