SASAIR INC.

What SASAIR INC. does

Harv's Air, operated through SASAIR INC., is a family-owned Canadian flight training organization founded in 1972 by Harv Penner and headquartered in Steinbach, Manitoba. The company provides recreational and professional pilot licensing, ratings, and aerobatic training, plus air taxi and aircraft maintenance services, from two bases: Steinbach South Airport (a privately owned facility) and St. Andrews Airport (CYAV, a controlled airport north of Winnipeg). It operates one of the largest training fleets in Canada at 36+ aircraft spanning single-engine, multi-engine, taildragger, and aerobatic types, supplemented by five Flight Training Devices (Frasca Cessna 172S G1000, Red Bird, Precision Flight Controls CRX MAX, Piper Seminole PA-44-180 FTD, Tecnam P2006T FTD). The organization is led by the Penner family, with Harv Penner (25,000+ flight hours) as owner, alongside Adam Penner (Admissions), Greg Penner (Accounting), and Luke Penner (Chief Flight Instructor).

The core product is a curriculum of pilot licences (Recreational Pilot Permit, Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence, Airline Transport Pilot Licence) and add-on ratings (Night, Multi-Engine, Single-Engine and Multi-Engine Instrument, Flight Instructor, Aerobatic Instructor), plus licence conversion programmes for FAA and foreign pilots. A proprietary Online Ground School platform (PilotTraining.ca), developed since 1999, reportedly trains more ground school students than all other Canadian flight schools combined and is accessible globally. Revenue is generated primarily through pay-as-you-go flight training billed by flight time (engine-on to engine-off), aircraft rental, on-airport student accommodations at both bases (~40 rooms), an international application fee (C$650), Guard.me health insurance pass-through (C$800/year), and ancillary services. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the website, organic social (Facebook, X, Instagram), discovery flights, and alumni/industry referrals, with international student recruitment (UK, India, China, South Africa, and 12+ other countries) representing roughly 30% of enrollment.

The business model is structurally low-leverage: all aircraft, hangars, offices, and the Steinbach airport are owned outright with no bank financing on aircraft, and Manitoba carries no HST, materially improving unit economics. Differentiators cited include on-staff Pilot Examiners for all ratings (eliminating scheduling delays), over 50 years of continuous family ownership, 310+ VFR flying days per year, and an integrated 11-month Professional Pilot Course designed to meet airline entry-level requirements. Annual throughput is approximately 400 pilots trained, with a roughly 70% professional / 30% recreational mix and an alumni footprint that includes pilots at Indigo Airlines, Bearskin Airlines, and major cargo carriers.

Name

SASAIR INC.

Legal name

Harv's Air Service

Website

https://harvsair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Harv's Air is a family-owned Canadian flight training organization operating since 1972, providing recreational and professional pilot licensing, ratings, and aerobatic training from two Manitoba bases using a fleet of 36+ aircraft and a proprietary online ground school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Steinbach

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Flight Training Services: Revenue from providing flight lessons with instructor (dual) and solo flight training. Charges include fuel, insurance, and oil. Rates based on flight time (engine on to engine off) rather than air time.
2. Aircraft Rental: Hourly rental of training aircraft to students and pilots. Aircraft equipped with GPS, modern avionics. Includes dual Garmin G3X GFC 500 Autopilot GTN650 in some Cessna 172S models.
3. Accommodations: On-airport student housing at both Steinbach and St. Andrews locations. Private rooms $750/month, shared rooms $650/month in Steinbach. Dormitory rooms $790/month in St. Andrews.
4. International Student Fees: Application fee of $650 CAD for international students, plus health insurance at $800 CAD per year through Guard.me.
5. Ground School: Online ground school available through PilotTraining.ca. Classroom and one-on-one ground school options. Remote ground school via Skype.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harv's Air is a family-owned flying school and aviation services company operating from two Manitoba airports (Steinbach South and St. Andrews). It sells pilot licence and rating training courses — from Recreational Pilot Permit through Airline Transport Pilot Licence — plus supplementary services such as aircraft rental, on-airport student housing, ground school, air taxi/charter flights, and aircraft maintenance, delivered on a fleet of 36+ aircraft it owns outright.

Product overview

Harv's Air is a family-owned flight training organisation operating as a single, unified training school offering a comprehensive portfolio of aviation courses. The core offering consists of pilot licences (Recreational Permit, Private Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence, and Airline Transport Pilot Licence) supplemented by ratings (Night Rating, Multi-Engine Rating, Multi-Engine and Single-Engine Instrument Ratings, Flight Instructor Rating, and Aerobatics/Aerobatic Instructor Ratings). Additional offerings include licence conversion programmes for FAA and foreign pilots, the Professional Pilot Course (an integrated programme combining multiple certifications), discovery flights, co-pilot emergency training, and training on a student's own aircraft. Supporting infrastructure includes an Online Ground School (PilotTraining.ca), five Flight Training Devices/simulators, and student accommodations at both operating locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PilotTraining.ca: Online ground school platform offering courses for pilot licenses including Private, Commercial, and Instructor ratings. Also provides FAA conversion and various aviation courses.
• Harv's Air Inverted

Products and services

• Recreational Pilot Permit

Quantifiable outcome

• Trains approximately 400 pilots per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bearskin AirlinesmoderateOthersBearskin Airlines President Harvey Friesen provides industry recommendations for Harv's Air. Former Bearskin employee John Wyndels was recommended to attend Harv's Air for flight training. This represents informal industry endorsement rather than formal partnership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CAE Inc. Global aviation training leader with integrated cadet programs, simulator-based pilot training, and an airline-captive pipeline. Overlaps with Harv's Air career-pilot offering but at substantially larger scale and with broader portfolio including defense and business aviation training.
• FlightSafety International: Largest commercial pilot training provider globally, with a fleet of full-flight simulators and training centers worldwide. Competes for advanced rating training (multi-engine, instrument, type ratings) that complements Harv's Air initial licence offerings.

Direct peers

• Skyborne Airline Academy: Integrated airline pilot training academy offering ab initio ATPL courses globally, similar in scope to Harv's Air Professional Pilot Course but with airline-partner placement. Direct competitor for international students seeking an integrated pathway to an airline career.
• Epic Flight Academy: US Part 141 flight school with strong international student focus from 70+ countries. Operates a similar model to Harv's Air around international recruitment, multi-aircraft fleet, and integrated professional pilot pathway to FAA ATP.
• ATP Flight School: Largest US-based Part 141 flight school network with a similar integrated professional pilot course structure and large owned fleet. Directly comparable in scale (~hundreds of cadets/year) and career-pilot pipeline focus, with shared reliance on multi-aircraft fleet and standardized syllabus.
• Calgary Flying Club: Alberta-based flight training club offering ab initio through commercial pilot training with similar fleet-based model. Comparable in scale and product offering to Harv's Air, with the same western Canadian geographic context.
• Pacific Flying Club: Long-established Canadian flight training club operating in the Vancouver area. Similar product portfolio across PPL, CPL, ratings, and instructor training; competes for the same Canadian and international student cohort with a comparable member-owned operating model.
• Moncton Flight College: One of Canada's largest Transport Canada-approved flight colleges, primarily serving international students — directly competitive with Harv's Air for the same career-pilot cohort and visa pathway driven demand. Operates a similar integrated professional pilot program.

Emerging players

• MzeroA: Online pilot ground school and training content platform — most direct digital competitor to PilotTraining.ca. Represents the emerging self-paced online category that complements but also competes for student time and wallet share on the theory side of pilot training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harvsair
• Facebookfacebook.com/harvsair
• Instagraminstagram.com/harvsairschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SASAIR INC.