Founded

1947

Headquarters

Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada

Key People

Marc Parent, president and CEO

Number of Employees

more than 10,000

Website

CAE

CAE

CAE (formerly known as Canadian Aviation Electronics) provides virtual-to-live training solutions for the civil aviation, defense and security, and healthcare markets. Reportedly the largest civil aviation training company in the world, it delivered more than one million hours of such training in 2019. 

Ex-Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) officer Ken Patrick founded CAE in 1947 to repair and overhaul ground communication equipment for the RCAF. The company won an RCAF contract to build a CF 100 flight simulator in 1952 and built the first Canadian commercial airline flight simulator in 1955.

The company shifted from analog to digital technology in the early 1960s, allowing giant leaps forward in visual systems and motion technology. It delivered its groundbreaking six-degree-of-freedom motion system on a KLM Boeing 747 flight simulator in 1967 and adapted the technology to helicopter simulators by the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, CAE began developing advanced full-motion simulator technologies for realistic combat simulation. By the 1990s CAE had captured 67 percent of the commercial simulation market and 15 percent of the military simulation market.

In the early 2000s, CAE shifted focus from system manufacturer to training provider, creating a global network of training centers through openings and acquisitions. Its 2002 acquisition of SimuFlite secured its entry into the business aviation training market. In 2006, CAE launched a network of ab initio flight schools that reportedly became the largest in the world.

What CAE Offers

Flight simulators. Having simulated more than 150 aircraft platforms, CAE manufactures a wide range of full-motion simulators and stationary flight-training devices for use at its training centers and for sale to customers. 

Training centers and aviation academies. CAE runs more than 50 civil aviation training centers and academies around the world, offering courses for cadets, captains, and cabin crew, among others. CAE also offers pilot training on about 80 models of business aircraft.