The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) (french: Association canadienne des pilotes et propriétaires d'aéronefs) is a federally registered

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

association that provides information and

advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

services for Canadian pilots who fly for non-commercial purposes. COPA has close to 15,000 members which ranks it as the largest aviation association of any kind in Canada. Its mission is to "Advance, promote and preserve the Canadian freedom to fly". Its members represent about 50% of all private and commercial pilots in the country.

History

COPA was formed in 1952 by Ottawa aviators Margaret Carson and John Bogie. They saw the need for an organization to represent the interests of private pilots to the government of Canada. Their model was the US-based

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...

(AOPA) which had been formed 13 years earlier in 1939. After meeting with AOPA principals and receiving encouragement from them, COPA was set up with headquarters in Carson's garage. As the association grew, they hired their first paid employees and moved into more permanent offices. Bogie became the association's first president and today continues to serve as an honorary director.Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, "John Bogie: A Lifetime in Aviation," ''Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society,'' (Spring 2009) COPA was a founding member of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) and remains an active participant in this international body.

Organization

COPA is governed by a 15-member board of directors who are elected by the members of the association on a regional basis. They serve four-year terms, with elections held in even-numbered years. Board meetings are held three times a year. COPA has a staff of six who work from the association's offices in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Today

Until May 2016, COPA published a monthly tabloid-format newspaper. Since June 2016, it is full colour magazine still named ''COPA Flight''. The first edition featured

Chris Hadfield Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, and musician. The first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also se ...

(ret. Canadian Astronaut) as the new voice and spokesperson for COPA. It also runs a unique aircraft group insurance program. The insurance program, administered by Marsh Canada Limited until August 2011 is now run by the

Magnes Group Magnes may refer to: * Magnes (son of Aeolus), in Greek mythology, the eponym and first king of Magnesia * Magnes (son of Argos), in Greek mythology, son of Argos and Perimele, and father of Hymenaeus * Magnes the shepherd, possibly mythological, ...

. The association also has a large website, with some sections available to members only. The website includes its ''COPA Guides''. These fifteen books provide information to members on such subjects as buying an aircraft, creating your own aerodrome and dealing with government regulatory enforcement action. There are also guides on each category of aircraft in Canada from ultralights to certified aircraft. The association has an on-line user-editable public airport directory called ''Places to Fly''. COPA also provides technical assistance to its members on aviation questions and problems. COPA is a registered lobbying organization and conducts advocacy work on behalf of aircraft owners with

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act ...

and other governmental agencies. The association is a member of each of the

Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council The Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council (CARAC) is the main public consultative body involved in creating and amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations and is a joint effort of Transport Canada and the Canadian aviation industry. The Cou ...

's (CARAC) nine technical committees. COPA has a large ''Special Action Fund'' renamed the Freedom to Fly Fund collected from its members over the years, which is often used to fund court cases. The association has a network of 207 local chapters across the country. These ''COPA Flights'' annually run many local aviation events, including many of Canada's summertime fly-ins. COPA holds an annual general meeting and two conventions, one in Western and one in Eastern Canada.

Youth flying programs

COPA was the Canadian partner in the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

Young Eagles The Young Eagles is a program created by the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The pr ...

program between 1992 and 2008. Young Eagles was started in 1992 with the goal of flying more than 1,000,000 young people between ages 8 and 17 by the December 2003 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight. The goal was met with COPA's members flying about 10% of the total Young Eagles flown in the world. COPA's participation in the program was terminated on 31 May 2008, due to insurance issues. COPA introduced a replacement program, under the name ''COPA For Kids Aviation Program'' on 11 February 2009. Then COPA President Kevin Psutka stated:

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.copanational.org Aviation organizations based in Canada Organizations based in Ottawa Lobbying organizations in Canada 1952 establishments in Canada