Good governance isn’t sexy or flashy and it doesn’t make headlines. When it’s working well, most members never think about it. But when governance becomes unclear, when roles blur, oversight weakens, or decisions aren’t transparent, trust in the organization erodes quickly. A board’s responsibility is not to run day-to-day operations, micromanage staff, or be a…
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) is the national voice for general aviation in Canada. For decades, it has worked to protect airport access, advocate with government, promote safety, and support a strong community of Canadian pilots. Serving on the COPA Board of Directors is both a privilege and a responsibility. Directors provide governance…
Aviation doesn’t usually change overnight , but when it does, it often does so quietly. Topics such as: New procedures, clarifications, temporary rules that last longer than expected, or important safety notes. That’s where BeforeYouFly.ca comes in. This service exists for one simple reason: to make sure pilots actually see the information that matters before…
When it comes to IFR currency in Canada, all pilots know the “6-6-6” requirement: Under the current regulations, instrument-rated pilots may go up to 12 months following their instrument proficiency check (IPC) before they are required to conduct any actual or simulated instrument flying. After 12 months, the regulations require pilots to have completed 6 hours of instrument…
Wildfire season in Canada typically runs from May to September. Over the past 20 years of flying, it’s become clear to me that wildfire seasons in Canada have grown not just longer—but more intense. I’m not alone in that view: Natural Resources Canada and multiple peer-reviewed studies agree that 2023 was the worst fire season…
What is a Composite Flight Plan? The composite flight plan is a unique type of flight plan that you can file with ATC that combines both VFR and IFR segments. They are designated by either a “Y” (for IFR first, then VFR) or a “Z” (VFR first, then IFR) in item 8 of the ICAO…
Countries around the world are slowly deprecating old radio navigation aids in favour of using GPS for navigation. These old navigation aids include VORs and NDBs. However, GPS specifically is prone to spoofing and jamming. Resulting in aircraft unable to navigate properly. Since 2020, NavCanada has been slowly turning off and decommissioning VORs and NDBs…
Things take time in aviation and that is certainly the case with improving the state of Toronto’s airspace. As they say: “Time heals all”. The airspace review that was promised by NavCanada has been underway since October 2024. In order to do this properly a lot of work needs to be done: The Study will…
Here is AIC 005/2025 for reference. When trying to chart a three dimensional sphere (the earth) on a two dimensional piece of paper. You need two things: NavCanada already used the ICAO standard of Lambert Conformal Conic (LCC) projections for all of its charts. Pilots use aeronautical charts based on LCC because a straight line drawn on a…
Humans have been using radios to communicate for over 130 years now. Ever since Guglielmo Marconi’s invention of the radio telegraph in 1894. From his humble beginnings designing his new radio in the attic of his Italian home to testing his invention by transmitting a signal over 2 kms a year later. Today our limits…