Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
Encyclopedia
| Type | Not for profit |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario... , Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Membership | Individuals and companies |
| Field | Aviation Aviation Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:... advocacy |
| Number of Members | 18,500 (2007) |
| Key Personnel | Chairman: Bob Kirkby since June 2006. CEO: Kevin Psutka since 1996 |
| Website | www.copanational.org |
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) is a federally registered not-for-profit association that provides information and advocacy services for Canadian pilots who fly for non-commercial purposes. COPA has about 16,000 members which ranks it as the largest aviation association of any kind in Canada.
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 AssociationAircraft Owners and Pilots Association
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is a Frederick, Maryland-based non-profit political organization. Incorporated on 15 May 1939, 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 its 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.
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 run 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 eight who work from the association’s offices in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Today
Marsh & McLennan Companies
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. is a US-based global professional services and insurance brokerage firm. In 2007, it had over 57,000 employees and annual revenues of $10.49 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies was ranked the 221st largest corporation in the United States by the 2009 Fortune 500...
until August 2011 is now run by the Magnes Group.
The association also has a large website, much of it 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 conducts advocacy work on behalf of aircraft owners with Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
, NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA
Nav Canada is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system .The company employs approximately 2,000 air traffic controllers , 800 flight service specialists and 700 technologists...
and other governmental agencies. The association is a member of each of the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council
Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council
The Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council 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....
(CARAC)’s nine Technical Committees. COPA has a large Special Action Fund collected from its members over the years, which is often used to fund court cases.
The association has a network of 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, formerly its convention, which changes location each year.
Youth flying programs
COPA was the Canadian partner in the Experimental Aircraft Association'sExperimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
Young Eagles
Young Eagles
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 children about aviation. This program is offered free of charge with donations and...
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
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
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. COPA President Kevin Psutka stated: