THE HISTORY OF THE AERONAUTICS INDUSTRY IN QUEBEC
The first ever balloon ride carrying passengers took place in Montreal in 1856, heralding the debut of air transport in Quebec. However, we have to wait until the beginning of the 20th century to witness the first airplanes take flight here in Quebec and in the rest of the world. In 1910, the first large-scale meeting on aviation was held in Pointe Claire. Not long after, the first bush flights took place in 1919 and in June of 1930, a Montrealer named J. Errol Boyd was the first Canadian to cross the Atlantic on board his Bellanca monoplane, called the Maple Leaf.

It is therefore no surprise that Quebec became the cradle of the modern aeronautics industry in Canada. During WWII, the famous flying fortresses of the American B17 Bombers, the Avro Lancaster and the B24 Liberators all took off from Dorval to fight the war in England. In the 1920s, the Montreal region became one of the world leaders in aeronautics with pioneering companies such as Canadian Vickers (which became Canadair in 1944) and Pratt & Whitney. The world leader inflight simulators, Canadian Aviation Electronics (C.A.E.), started up in 1947 at the St-Hubert airport. Since 1986, Bell Helicopter Textron has built more than 2,000 helicopters at its factory in Mirabel. These events were all key to the birth of the aeronautics industry in Quebec, which has since become very powerful.

MONTREAL RANKED 2nd IN THE WORLD IN AERONAUTICS
60% of the production in the Canadian aeronautic industry is concentrated in the province of Quebec with sales totalling over 10 billion dollars in 2004. 80% of this production is destined for the international market, placing aeronautics in the top rank of exports from Quebec. The aeronautics industry is comprised of 260 companies which employ nearly 43,000 people, which make up half of the Canadian workforce in this field. The majority of jobs are centred in the Montreal area, where 1 out of 90 people work in this sector. In terms of job density, Seattle may be the industry leader, but Montreal is not too far behind, in second place, beating out Toulouse, which is third.

The principal area of activity in Quebec consists mainly of large special orders for big enterprises (Bombardier Aéronautique, Bell Helicopter, C.A.E., Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce Canada) and for parts manufacturers at the international level (GE Canada, Héroux-Devtek, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Oerlikon, EMS Technologies, CMC Électronique, Messier-Dowty, Turbomeca, Thales Avionique) which are then doled out to more than 200 sub-contractors. The industry is further strengthened by the presence of many international organizations such as the Organisation de l’aviation civile internationale (OACI), the Association du transport aérien international IATA (International Civil Aviation Organization) and the Conseil international de l’aviation d’affaires (IBAC) (the Association of International Air Transport and the Council of Aviation Affairs).

PERSPECTIVES FROM THE AERONAUTICS SECTOR
The aeronautics sector has gone through some ups and downs recently, but things are looking up. At the beginning of the decade, two main factors had a negative impact on the Quebec aeronautics industry. First of all, there was an economic recession in the US and then the financial health of the air transport industry further deteriorated in the wake of Sept. 11. Bombardier, providing 40% of employment in this sector on the island of Montreal, had to cut 10,000 jobs in the last four years. Nevertheless, the industry has experienced an economic upturn since 2004. In 2005, employment figures in this sector reached pre-Sept. 11 levels and job prospects now look much more favourable compared to the beginning of 2000.

Other good news is that the Association du transport aérien international (IATA) (International Civil Aviation Organization) expects that the number of passengers using air transport will double in the next fifteen years. Moreover, according to an annual study conducted by Honeywell Global Business Outlook, the number of airplanes will increase from 500 units sold in 2003 to 800 in 2008. In addition, a new family of Series C models of 100-seater commercial jets will be produced by Bombardier in Mirabel. As a result, 5,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created. Last year, Bell Helicopter obtained an order for more than 100 units of its new model, the light Bell 429, and the company also plans to invest 700 million dollars in the next twelve years to fine tune a new concept of modular units. Pratt & Whitney Canada also experienced an upswing when in 2005 it landed a contract from the Brazilian company Embraer, one of Bombardier’s competitors, to supply twin-engine business jets.

Pratt & Whitney will also outfit the new Series C from Bombardier with their engines.

TRADES WANTED
As a result of improved economic circumstances, job prospects in the aeronautics industry in Quebec are now very positive, although they may vary according to the type of work. In fact, chances of finding a job in this sector are getting even better since many people will be taking their retirement soon. According to the Centre d’adaptation de la main-d’oeuvre aérospatiale au Québec (CAMAQ) (Centre for the Adaptation of the Aerospace Workforce in Quebec), since the end of 2004, more than 1,100 jobs have not been filled yet due to a lack of qualified workers.

1. Aircraft Fitters and Assemblers :
After a steady increase in the number of fitters and assemblers in 1990-2001, the demand for this type of technician has experienced a certain amount of fluctuation, depending on the number of orders from aircraft builders. Bombardier, one of the main companies, employs 85% of these specialized technicians. Faced with increased international competition and reduced profit margins, employers are tightening production rates according to demand, which can bring about periodic unemployment for this type of work.

2. Assembly mechanics and assembly cable installers :
Jobs in this field are spread quite evenly among a large number of enterprises. There is less risk of fluctuation in the market and mobility for workers is somewhat better since each company does not necessarily experience the same economic difficulties at the same time (Bell Helicopter and Pratt & Whitney versus Bombardier). Consequently, these workers are less likely to experience periods of unemployment.

3. Jobs in finishing aircraft
Ils s’agit de métiers comme ceux d’ébéniste d’aéronefs, de mécanicien ou mécanicienne de métal en feuille, de rembourreur ou rembourreuse d’aéronefs ou de peintre d’aéronefs. Ces spécialités, touchant aux marchés des avions régionaux et commerciaux comme à celui des avions d’affaires, seront moins sujets aux aléas économiques.

4. Aircraft maintenance technicians
Future growth in global air traffic will bring increased demand for maintenance work. A study carried out by the Conseil canadien de l’entretien des aéronefs (CCEA) (Canadian Council of Aircraft Maintenance) has concluded that maintenance work could increase by 5% a year from now until 2016. What’s more, the study has estimated that more than two thirds of maintenance technicians will be retiring in that same time frame, therefore freeing up many more jobs for the next generation of workers.