From Combat Missions to Simulator Instruction: A Veteran's Journey
For two decades, Brent Peardon served with distinction in the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying critical missions across the globe. His career included commanding drone reconnaissance operations over Afghanistan to provide vital support for Canadian ground troops. He also piloted long-range maritime surveillance aircraft off Canada's East Coast, navigating through treacherous weather conditions that included dense fog, violent storms, and complete darkness.
Throughout these demanding assignments, Peardon consistently relied on the comprehensive flight simulator training he received early in his military career. He credits this foundational preparation with enabling him to handle the high-risk situations he later encountered during actual operations.
"The simulator training carried over directly to flying aircraft in low visibility and adverse weather conditions, as well as numerous other challenging scenarios," Peardon explains. "That preparation was absolutely essential for mission success and safety."
Passing Experience to the Next Generation
Today, following his retirement from active duty, Peardon has transitioned to a new role as a flight simulator instructor with CAE in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Within the company's advanced simulation facilities, he now trains the next generation of air force pilots through the NATO Flying Training in Canada program. His mission is to prepare these aviators to perform at peak levels when operational stakes are at their highest.
At CAE, Peardon contributes to an organization that plays a pivotal role in Canada's national defence strategy and military preparedness. Headquartered in Montreal, CAE stands as Canada's largest domestically owned defence company, providing comprehensive training, high-fidelity simulation systems, and operational support to the Canadian Armed Forces along with NATO and allied militaries across multiple domains including air, land, sea, cyber, and space operations.
"We help ensure that military personnel are fully mission-ready," states France Hébert, CAE's President of Defence and Security for Canada and International operations. "Our training solutions directly contribute to operational effectiveness and safety."
A Legacy of Defence Support and Innovation
CAE's global influence remains firmly rooted in its Canadian origins. Founded in 1947, the company has supported the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly eight decades. CAE maintains close collaboration with military leadership to ensure training methodologies evolve alongside changing technologies, emerging threats, and contemporary tactical requirements.
One particularly significant initiative is the Future Aircrew Training program, which Hébert describes as the most substantial air force training undertaking since the Second World War. Based across multiple locations including Moose Jaw, Winnipeg, and Southport, Manitoba, this comprehensive program integrates all phases of pilot and aircrew instruction.
"This represents a massive program and a long-term commitment to excellence," Hébert emphasizes. "The FAcT program will deliver everything from specialized courseware to advanced simulation to live aircraft learning for decades ahead. What makes this particularly exciting is our close partnership with the air force to fundamentally reinvent training for future operational needs."
Adapting to Modern Military Complexity
This collaborative approach proves essential for developing military forces that demonstrate both flexibility and readiness for emerging challenges. As military missions grow increasingly complex, training must accurately reflect this operational reality, according to Hébert. CAE's sophisticated systems enable personnel to practice realistic scenarios that mirror contemporary challenges.
"We're observing far more integrated missions across multiple operational domains," Hébert notes. "Training is no longer platform-specific. Modern operations involve coordinated efforts between crewed and uncrewed aircraft, where speed, adaptability, and interoperability have become more critical than ever before."
Technological advancement remains central to CAE's methodology. The company continuously enhances its simulation tools and data-driven systems to make training more realistic, efficient, and cost-effective. This approach allows military personnel to conduct substantial training on the ground while preserving actual aircraft for real-world operational requirements.
"We consistently hear feedback from pilots," Hébert shares. "They'll train a specific scenario in the simulator, then execute the same maneuver in an actual aircraft and remark on how authentically the simulation replicated real flight conditions."
The Human Element in Advanced Training
This authenticity proves absolutely critical, according to Joel Ellis, a civilian qualified flying instructor with CAE in Moose Jaw. "Flying represents a see-it, feel-it, do-it environment that fundamentally builds on accumulated experience," Ellis explains. "We simulate everything a pilot would encounter in an actual aircraft, from core flying skills and low-level navigation to formation flying and, for fighter pilots, the advanced aerobatic maneuvers like loops and rolls required in combat situations."
Beyond technological capabilities, CAE's personnel represent the company's greatest strength. The organization employs more than 13,000 people worldwide, including over 1,900 veterans globally. Within Canada, more than 60 percent of employees at CAE training centers possess direct military experience.
"Our veteran instructors understand the operational environment because they've personally experienced it," Hébert emphasizes. "They work alongside active military members, utilizing advanced technology to maintain training realism and ensure alignment with contemporary mission requirements."
Expanding Beyond Traditional Training Domains
CAE's contributions extend well beyond pilot and aircrew instruction. The company's work with the Canadian military reflects how modern defence now encompasses not only traditional air, land, and sea domains but also emerging technological frontiers.
For instance, CAE currently partners with the Canadian Armed Forces to deliver comprehensive aircrew training and maintenance support for the RCAF's MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft. These advanced drones have become increasingly important tools for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, playing a growing role in Canada's continental defence responsibilities through NORAD.
In maritime operations, CAE leads development of training solutions for the communications, integrated bridge, and navigation systems aboard the Royal Canadian Navy's new River-class destroyers. These vessels, designed for global deployment capabilities, represent a cornerstone of the navy's future fleet modernization.
Strengthening Canada's Global Defence Partnerships
CAE's specialized expertise significantly strengthens Canada's international defence relationships. By supporting allied forces across Europe, NATO, the Indo-Pacific region, and the Middle East with advanced training solutions, the company enhances interoperability among partner nations.
"Our approach truly begins at home, where we develop and advance our training models," Hébert concludes. "We then deliver these next-generation training and simulation solutions to our own military while simultaneously supporting our international allies with the same cutting-edge capabilities."
This advertising feature was produced by Globe Content Studio with CAE. The editorial department of The Globe was not involved in its creation.
