Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies

The Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies (CFSAS) was established in 1987 to meet the professional development needs of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and now offers advanced education and training to some 800 officers and non-commissioned members annually.

CFSAS provides education in both aerospace technology and Air Force officer professional development. The school has developed, and continues to perfect, the Aerospace Systems Course, Basic and Advanced Electronic Warfare Courses, the Space Applications and Space Operations Courses.

Curriculum development is underway for CFSAS to support the new requirements of the Officer Professional Development System, which, by late 2007, will see the delivery of an updated Air Force Officer Development programme. A combination of distance learning and in-house training will produce officers who can plan and conduct aerospace operations in a cross-functional environment.

CFSAS is also home to the LGen Lewis Memorial Library, specializing in subjects related to Aerospace warfare and technology, and which provides a wide range of services to 17 Wing. The library is working towards a shared cataloguing system with other Canadian military libraries in order to better serve the military community.

CFSAS also houses the Aerospace Studies Simulation Lab (ASSL). The ASSL was established in 1999 with the aim of enhancing the education delivered by CFSAS. A significant amount of the knowledge and skills within the CFSAS course curricula focus on highly complex concepts and scenarios (such as antenna radiation patterns, orbital mechanics and operational planning). The creation of an experiential learning environment, which is a preferred method of learning for most adults, can be realized within a simulation or synthetic environment.