A $30 million gift from Calgary philanthropist David Bissett will fund the Bissett Autonomous Aviation Park at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, a dedicated facility for the training, testing, and certification of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft systems.

The investment, announced October 8, is a significant contribution to SAIT’s $150 million Real Futures campaign, with $6 million earmarked specifically for student awards to expand access to remotely piloted aircraft systems education.

“Autonomous flight is a new industry taking shape in real time,” said Bissett. “I want young Albertans to be building it, not watching it happen somewhere else, and I’m confident SAIT will turn this investment into careers, companies and lasting economic strength for our province.”

The aviation park will bring together three pillars: remotely piloted aviation training, applied research and innovation, and industry engagement. Students will work on research projects, field testing, and co-op placements alongside commercial operations.

SAIT has been building toward this moment for several years. In 2023, it launched western Canada’s first Professional Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems certificate, and this fall added the region’s first Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems diploma. The institute also operates the Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems, an applied research facility focused on heavy-lift and beyond visual line of sight drone applications.

“We’ve trained aviation professionals since 1928,” said Dr. David Ross, President and CEO of SAIT. “This gift will cement SAIT’s position at the centre of autonomous aviation in western Canada.”

The announcement arrives as Alberta’s aerospace sector is expanding rapidly. According to Statistics Canada, the sector contributed $3 billion to Alberta’s GDP in 2024, and Calgary Economic Development has identified autonomous aviation as an economic driver within the city’s aerospace ecosystem. The sector is projected to reach $4.7 billion and nearly 60 per cent employment growth by 2030, according to figures cited in the release.