A Leading Innovation Hub
The Flight Deck
RCAF Innovation
NEW: Newsletter Issue 41
Who we are
Partnering for Excellence
Inspired by the open, collaborative and creatively designed working spaces, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has established "The Flight Deck” Innovation Lab at the Communitech Hub in Kitchener to push the limits of research and development.
Since November of 2016, we’ve helped the RCAF take their status to the next level by providing them with the tools and technology they need to turn excellent ideas into reality. Get in touch if you believe you have a disruptive idea with potential for growth and success.
What we do
Research and Development
We utilize the latest technology and software to explore and develop innovative solutions for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Industry
Engagement
We partner with start-ups, industry leaders, and academia in order to utilize the latest technologies and their capabilities.
Education Programs
We host basecamps to teach members of the RCAF the innovative mindset of agile, sprint and design thinking methodologies commonly practiced in the tech start-up industry.
Co-op
Program
Every 4 months, the Flight Deck recruits a new round of co-ops from the University of Waterloo. Business Developers, Full Stack Developers, and more. Interested? Apply on WaterlooWorks.
Alumni
Co-Op Testimonials
Joshua Oh
Full Stack Developer
It's been a good eight months. When I first started in September the Maintainer project was just a prototype using fake data. Now it's being used for real-life aircraft maintenance.
This co-op was defining in a few ways. I want to restate that the work I did really felt meaningful.
Going to the Greenwood base and seeing Maintainer in action felt good after putting in the work. It's also helped clarify what I want to explore in the future.
I particularily enjoyed consulting with users to define and implement Maintainer's product needs.
Daniel Huang
Full Stack Developer
I had a fantastic time working on Maintainer for the RCAF. I was given a plenty of freedom on the project, allowing me to learn more about developing from scratch.
I am grateful for this learning experience, as I had the full stack experience building both the backend and frontend.
Aside from technical, this term has also made me fall in love with working in a small team. I will truly miss working with this group of fantastic individuals and I hope we cross paths again in the future. Best of luck to the future Maintainer teams!
Eric Wang
Full Stack Developer
Working at the flight deck for the last 4 months has been a great experience. I've learned a lot about about programming practices and rules while working on Maintainer.
I've also had a lot of fun with my coworkers, especially during the trip to Greenwood where we got to see Maintainer in action. It felt really cool to see people use things that you implemented in person.
I learned a lot during this co-op and I will miss my time here with my coworkers and thank them for this great experience.
Nathan Pipilas
Business Dev. Coordinator
I really enjoyed this term and got to learn a lot along the way.
It is really cool to know that the work you do is meaningful and could have an impact on the daily tasks of air force members.
Working on several project also allowed me to develop my skills and helped me see discover a career I may want to pursue.
Overall, I am so glad I applied for this position back in September and it has been an amazing experience. I am going to miss our daily stand-in calls and our weekly games sessions with everyone.
