New drone manufacturing facility at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport
A 32,000 square foot hangar at the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport will soon be home to a new manufacturing facility for Volatus Aerospace.
The company is one of Canada's largest providers of crewless aircraft and drone services.
"Remotely piloted aircraft systems, or more commonly known as drones, are what we will be manufacturing, and we have three different types that we will be building," said sales vice-president Andy Buck.
Buck says this includes 12,000 FIXAR drones, commonly used for things like agricultural surveying and aerial photography.
Once the space is complete, it will create upwards of 25 jobs.
"Simcoe County has been very innovative in what they're trying to do here," Buck said. "We really believe in the ecosystem that they are creating and nurturing here."
The county approved the proposal earlier this year as part of its long-term strategic plan, helping to transform the airport into an economic and innovation hub.
"We want to enhance our operations to ensure that we are able to compete with other airports and provide better services for our airport customers," said Simcoe County airport services director David Parks.
Last January, the county became the majority shareholder of the airport.
Parks says part of the county's long-term vision includes chartered flights to popular tourist destinations and increased commercial aviation.
In addition, he says the county has completed the first phase of widening the runway, which is expected to be complete in the summer of 2021.
Future phases of the airport's expansion include a proposal to lengthen the runway, allowing for larger aircraft.
As for the facility, Buck says it's expected to be up and running in the next few months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.