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Tim Cole Announces His Retirement as BC/YT COPA Director

11/30/2016

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It is with mixed feelings that I share the news that Tim Cole has announced his retirement as a COPA director. For nearly 7 years Tim has selflessly advocated for British Columbia and Yukon's pilots on the national scale. Tim has never been more than one phone call or email away. As a director, Tim has drawn on his experience as a bush pilot, Transport Canada Inspector and recreational pilot to become a trusted advisor and confidant of many aviators in Western Canada. 

Tim Cole has been a very vocal supporter and advocate of the BC General Aviation Association. Tim recognized the value of the BCGA early on and was not shy to share that support with COPA members accross the country with his column in the COPA magazine on more than one occaision. As an organization and community it is now our turn to serve Tim as well as he has served us for the entirety of his career.

Respectfully Yours,
Ryan Van Haren
BC General Aviation Association (COPA Flight #194)  

Announcement Letter From Tim Cole:

This is a note to my many friends in the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, and friends of COPA,  that effective December 31, 2016 I have decided to retire from my position as a COPA director for BC & YT.      

This action will allow me to:  spend more time with my family;  to travel;  to fly my aircraft; and to devote my time to a long deferred personal literary project.   

I have enjoyed my six and one half years as: COPA’s BC & YT representative; COPA’s Treasurer; and Chairman of the Audit Committee. I am leaving this office with eighteen months remaining in the term, however I am comfortable in doing so in that I am confident that our recently elected director, Joe Hessberger, will  provide outstanding service to the BC & YT members, and to the Board. 

I believe that COPA has played, and needs to continue to play, a very prominent role in the aviation community in Canada.    I remain a staunch supporter of COPA and I encourage all of you to support COPA in it’s efforts to represent the GA community and to protect Canadians  “Freedom to Fly.”    

Being a member of five COPA Flights/Flying Clubs, as well as the RAA and EAA, I still plan to be active in the BC flying community.    Until I see you at the airport, I wish you all that old bush pilot’s blessing:   

“May you have tight floats & tailwinds.”
  W.T. (Tim) Cole 
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New! BCGA Members Helping Members Directory

11/18/2016

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What is the BCGA Members Helping Members Directory?
The BC General Aviation Association has become a great community of aviators across British Columbia. We take your privacy very seriously and therefore have not distributed any membership lists to our members.

The MHM directory is a great way to connect with other BCGA members as you travel around the province. It is an opt-in directory meaning that you can be a member of the association and not share your information or you can choose to share with the other members and in return view the information of members that are also sharing.

Who can view the BCGA Members Helping Members Directory?
The directory is only accessible to those members that have also shared their information. Members must log-in with their individual BCGA website login information. Viewing permission will be granted when your listing is added to the directory.

What are the benefits of the directory?
There are many benefits of the directory aside from just connecting with your fellow BCGA members. Get-home-itis  is a very real phenomenon. We are hoping that by creating a directory where members can offer to host a member who may be stranded in your town due to a mechanical break down or weather we can not only build camaraderie but also encourage safe decision making by removing the pressure of needing to find accommodations. Offering to host a visiting or stranded pilot is in no way mandatory and completely optional in the directory.

How often will the directory be updated?
We will make an effort to keep the directory as current as possible. The goal is to update it weekly. You will be given login access once your information has been added to the list and it has been published in the secure section of the website.

Privacy
Member who partake in the MHM directory are asked to exercise discretion and vigilance in guarding the personal information of your fellow members. At no time shall the contents of the list be shared with other members, non-members or third parties. This list shall not be used for any personal benefit other than connecting with members for non commercial purposes. We are confident that our fantastic group of members will be respectful of the MHM contents allowing us to keep this great resource available to those members that wish to partake.

Sample Listings
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View The HMH Directory
Register For the MHM Directory
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Canadian Aviation Medical Reform Survey

11/9/2016

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Recently AOPA and EAA have been successful in getting the class 3 medical rules changed in the USA.

The new law was signed by President Obama July 12th 2016. So, What Does This Mean for Pilots?


After doing some research, it doesn’t appear that the rule will go into effect for another year but as of July 12th your active drivers license may act as your medical verification while flying as a private pilot.

The FAA will be going through the rulemaking process which could take up to one year.  In the meantime, here are the important facts about the 3rd Class Medical allowances:


•Aircraft: Up to 6 seats, no greater than 6,000 pounds, and covered (unlike the previous iterations, no restrictions on complexity, horsepower, etc.) – sorry folks, no biplanes
•Flight rules: Day/Night VFR and IFR
•Passengers:  Up to 5
•Aeromedical:  Pilots must take a free online aeromedical course every two years
•Altitude:  Up to 18,000 feet
•Airspeed:  No greater than 250 knots indicated airspeed
•Pilot:  A pilot cannot fly for compensation or hire

Pilots looking to take advantage of this new rule need only to have a valid U.S. driver’s license and have had held a medical certificate (regular or special issuance) in the last 10 years from the date the legislation became law.

Canada already has a non-ICAO program in place with the Recreational Permit and the class 4 medical but it is very limited compared to this new USA program.
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BCGA To Oshkosh 2017

11/9/2016

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BCGA Member Dr. Keith Wilson is organizing a group of BC aviators that would like to come together and travel to Airventure Oshkosh 2017. Oshkosh is truly the greatest aviation celebration on earth and can be intimidating for first time attendees. By sharing knowledge and going as a group we can make the experience even more special and less daunting.

For more information and to join the discussion visit the BCGA to Oshkosh Page
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Declaring an Emergency by: Mark Dixon TC Inspector

11/5/2016

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Declaring an Emergency
by Mark Dixon, Civil Aviation Safety Inspector, General Aviation, Ontario Region, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada

"TOWER, THIS IS HOTEL ECHO LIMA PAPA, WE ARE DECLARING AN EMERGENCY 10MILES OUT, 4PEOPLE ON BOARD, 1 000 POUNDS OF FUEL AND NO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS."

What does it mean to declare an emergency? Is the pilot-in-command (PIC) going to have to face an inquiry? Does the PIC have to pay for emergency services? Does the PIC need permission to do this? Is declaring an emergency a really big inconvenience to air traffic control (ATC) and other aircraft?
This article will look at declaring an emergency from a decision-making standpoint, and shed some light on the why and when to declare an emergency.

First, read the following report taken from the Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS) and, assuming you were the PIC, make a quick decision if you would declare an emergency or not:

The (a/c type) turbojet aircraft (operating as XXXX) was on an IFR flight from Chicago (O'Hare) International Airport (KORD) to Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport (CYOW). The flight crew reported that they had a flap problem and requested to land on Runway32. They advised that they were not declaring an emergency and that no emergency equipment would be required. However, NAV CANADA tower staff declared an emergency and the crash crews and airport duty manager were advised. The aircraft landed without incident at 0329Z, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) stood down at 0330Z. Operational impact-unknown.
Well, would you or not? Let's look at the situation.

Having declared many emergencies over the years, I feel there is no such thing as a "slight" or "kind of" emergency. It is either an emergency or it is not. To decide if you should declare an emergency depends on the situation. The decision to declare should be made as early as possible, and communicated to ATC right away. Generally speaking, you should never be afraid to declare the emergency. If the situation that you are experiencing is in any way, or could become, unsafe or dangerous, declare the emergency. Humming and hawing, delaying, declaring "kind of an emergency" or a "small emergency" leaves a lot of uncertainty. You owe it to your passengers, crew, and the aircraft owner to declare an emergency if you have a problem that warrants it. ATC will only be able to coordinate emergency resources and help out if they know you have a problem. If they are left out, or uncertain of the degree of the situation, it makes it difficult to help. Emergency services personnel are professionals who will not give you a hard time about declaring the emergency- it's their job, and they are always happy to help. You will not face an inquiry or be liable for fees or fines.
A CADORS report is generated by NAV CANADA and is followed up by Transport Canada or the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). When contacted, we like to get details and discuss the incident. For all of the CADORS reports that I have followed up, I have told the PIC that declaring an emergency was a good decision, and that we are following up from an "educational safety" point of view.
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For the purposes of this newsletter, I ran the above CADORS report by a wide variety of Transport Canada inspectors, private pilots, flight instructors and senior airline check pilots.
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Emergency vehicles responding to an aircraft emergency

Not surprisingly, the opinions varied wildly. Some pilots will declare an emergency if their watch stops working within a control zone on a VFR day; others would only declare if three of the four engines were on fire, the first officer was incapacitated while doing an ADF approach to minima, with no electrics, hydraulics, or hand held radio, 10 min of fuel remaining, and no suitable alternate within 1 000 mi. OK, that's an exaggeration, but the feedback clearly makes declaring an emergency a pilot decision-making topic.

The Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TCAIM) makes several references to emergencies-SAR4.1, COM5.11, and RAC1.8. Go and look up these references, I'll wait while you do this...When an emergency is declared, flight priority is also being requested. It is then up to the pilot to decide if emergency response vehicles (fire, ambulance) are needed on site for the landing. This decision essentially rests with the pilot, although NAV CANADA or the airport authority may also call for emergency response vehicles (as was the case in our CADORS report). Declaring an emergency is not exactly the same as a MAYDAY or PANPAN call; however, they do often come together. A MAYDAY is a situation of distress where safety is being threatened by grave and imminent danger, and requires immediate assistance. A PANPAN call is used in a situation of urgency where safety is threatened, but does not require immediate assistance. To sum up, MAYDAY and PANPAN calls are the communication tools, and declaring an emergency is the request for "flight priority."

Every sound decision requires an assessment of the situation and the various options. Sometimes you have very little time to make a choice. Let's assume time was limited for our crew in the CADORS report; therefore, the best choice in my opinion is the safest one-declare the emergency and get ARFF on site. Taking the high road will generate less second-guessing and doubt from the crew, and allow you to proceed with checklists, standard operating procedures (SOPs), briefings, abnormalities, and ensure everyone is clear on the plan. This should lead to the least risk to passengers, crew, and others. Money concerns should be very low on the consideration pole.

In general aviation, the need to declare the emergency should be elevated. If you are a private pilot with 100 hr, but only flew 15hr in the past year, you should never hesitate to get help. From my inquiries, the bulk of our professional pilots have no problem requesting assistance.

Here's an analogy to consider: You live next door to a neurosurgeon, and someone in your house just slipped, fell, and is unconscious. You look out the window and your neighbour is washing his Lexus in the driveway. Would you hesitate to run out and ask him to get his wife to come over and diagnose your friend? (He is an Embraer145 first officer on three-months unpaid leave for not declaring an emergency and not following SOPs during a pilot proficiency check, so you wouldn't want to take his advice about any kind of emergency situation!)

Whatever type of aircraft you are flying, chances are there is another pilot or controller within radio range who has been there and done that, and I have yet to meet one who would not lend a hand.
When in doubt, don't worry about it, and declare! The answers to the five questions at the beginning, then, are respectively: a bit of excitement, no, no, no and no.
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IFR Equipment & Model Aircraft/UAV Survey From COPA

11/3/2016

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The COPA Membership Satisfaction Survey is in full swing, 1,000 COPA members were selected in stratified sampling across Canada by KC Surveys.
 
Since the last survey in 2012, COPA Directors and members have forwarded the National office additional questions to be included in the next Membership Satisfaction Survey. Some of these questions were not applicable for the current Satisfaction survey but are nevertheless good and important feedback for COPA National.
 
For the reasons above COPA has launched two surveys and is asking if you can forward these to all your members.
 
IFR Equipage Survey, 12 questions:                                           
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IFR_Equipage
               
UAV/Drone/ModelAircraftSurvey, 7 questions:                 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UAV_Model_Aircraft_Survey

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YXX Control Tower Tour For BCGA Members

11/3/2016

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The BCGA and NavCanada are pleased to bring you two tour dates for the control tower at YXX. This is open to BCGA members however each date is limited to 10 participants. For more information or to RSVP CLICK HERE or click the photo of above.

​Tours will be held on November 18th and December 9th

We are also in the process of arranging tours of YLW Tower and the Vancouver Area Control Centre.
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YYJ Control Tower Tour For BCGA Members

11/1/2016

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The BCGA and NavCanada are pleased to bring you two tour dates for the control tower at YYJ. This is open to BCGA members however each date is limited to 10 participants. For more information or to RSVP CLICK HERE or click the photo of above.

​Tours will be held on November 18th and December 9th

We are also in the process of arranging tours of YXX Tower, YLW Tower and the Vancouver Area Control Centre.
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