The Royal Canadian Air Force Academy (RCAF A, French: ) is a

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

training establishment for non-commissioned members who serve with units of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. Based at

CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Camp Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

in central

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, it is a unit of the RCAF's 16 Wing. It also reports to the 2 Canadian Air Division, which is itself dedicated to the training of RCAF personnel. The RCAF A has five training

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

s in Borden as well as one flight in a detachment within

Camp Aldershot 5th Canadian Division Support Group Detachment Aldershot (also 5 CDSG Det Aldershot) is a training facility for 5th Canadian Division of the Canadian Army. It is located in Kings County, Nova Scotia. 5 Cdn Div Support Group Det Aldershot is loca ...

, Nova Scotia. The RCAF A consists of more than 1,800 students who led by an administrative team consisting of approximately 50 regular force, reserve force, and civilian personnel. The school itself is currently (2024) headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Tan Nguyen and

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank, used in many countries. Canadian Armed Forces In the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member (NCM) rank for army and air fo ...

Fred Nolin. In the early 1990s, the

Air Command became interested in establishing educational facilities to enhance its effectiveness in commissioning officers. As a result, three Junior Leadership schools based in

Summerside, Prince Edward Island Summerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the primary service centre for the western part of the island. History Summerside was ...

and

Penhold, Alberta Penhold is a town in central Alberta, Canada. Penhold is surrounded by Red Deer County, south of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 2A and Highway 42. It is located north of Calgary, east of the Red Deer River. History Originally, Penhol ...

were closed and reassigned to the Air Command Professional Development and Training Centre (ACPDTC) in

Borden, Ontario Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Camp Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

. The RCAF Academy began its operations in renovated post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

barracks. In addition, the Air Force Indoctrination School Detachment in

St-Jean, Quebec Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is situa ...

, as well as the Canadian Forces School of Air Reserve Training in Penhold also saw their cadets move to Borden. The ACPDTC was officially opened in 1994, and was renamed the Air Command Academy in October 2004. The motto of the RCAF A is .

Academy crest

In 1994, the ACPDTC adopted the crest of the former Junior Leader School (JLS) Penhold. It was retained by the unit when it was renamed to the RCAF Academy in 2004. The eagle on a blue field is significant of the Junior Leader School's affiliation with RCAF. The rising sun represents the new horizons and goals attainable by the student, which lead to a brighter future.

References

{{coord, 44.27185, -79.89852, format=dms, type:edu_region:CA-ON, display=title Royal Canadian Air Force Buildings and structures in Simcoe County 1994 establishments in Ontario Air force academies Military academies of Canada