Canadian Owners And Pilots Association Eyes Name Change

The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association’s (COPA’s) board of directors is proposing the name of the organization be changed to Aviators Canada Association, which it believes will be truncated to Aviators Canada in normal communications. Whether the name will be changed will be up for discussion at COPA’s annual general meeting in Vernon, B.C., on June 21. Members unable to attend the AGM can sign proxies for members in attendance to vote on their behalf. There has been some discussion on social media among members.

In a letter to members, COPA president Doug Ronan said the current name no longer represents the broad range of participation by other sectors of the aviation industry and is actually a barrier to entry by those who don’t fly or own aircraft. “General Aviation in Canada encompasses a far broader group of people and professions—including student pilots, drone operators, aircraft mechanics, airport and aerodrome operators, aviation parts suppliers, flight school personnel, regional commercial operators, aviation enthusiasts and future flyers,” he said. “To grow and thrive our community must be open to all those who believe in and contribute to general aviation.”

The current name has stood since the organization’s inception in 1952. It’s a founding member of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations and remains the second largest member behind AOPA. Membership has been slipping in recent years and now stands at about 11,000 members. The group recently hired Marcia Kim as president and CEO, saying she has 15 years of leadership experience in the not-for-profit sector. She replaced businessman Mark van Berkel, who led the organization for two years. AVweb received a statement from the COPA board and it’s copied as follows:

Statement From Canadian Owners and Pilots Association

“Accessing the skies is a privilege that citizens of few countries enjoy as freely as we do in Canada (and the USA). Sadly, fewer and fewer Canadians are taking to the skies—the number of private pilots in Canada has been in severe decline and doing so despite an increasing population. Many Canadians believe that flying is beyond them … exclusive, unattainable— something reserved for ‘other people.’ 

Before Canadians can become pilots or aircraft owners, they need to be able to visualize themselves as aviators … to dare to dream that the passion for flight is open to them as well. Being an ‘aviator’ starts in the heart. And it manifests itself in individuals becoming pilots and owners, but also AMEs, air traffic controllers, aerodrome operators, flight school operators, etc… 

Only with more pilots, more flight schools, healthy airports, accessible AMEs, etc … will we, together, be able to preserve the remarkable freedom to fly that we enjoy in Canada. Those of us who are privileged to know the bliss of ‘slipping the surly bonds of Earth’ must open our arms wide and welcome others into our organization and into aviation.”