Joe Abley

London, ON

I learnt to fly in the late 80s in the UK, in Cessna 150s and 152s at EGTC. After getting my PPL at age seventeen I spent the better part of three decades first at University where I had no money to fly and later working in the tech industry in Europe, New Zealand and Canada when I had no time. It took me until 2015 to get my priorities straight in the form of a Transport Canada license. I now have a couple of hundred hours logged and hope to complete my instrument rating and commercial license this summer. Turns out, despite all that time not flying, I still get the same giant smile every time I sit in the left seat or open a hangar door to the delicious aroma of oil and avgas.

I own 1992 Grumman AG-5B Tiger C-FBLY which I bought in Kamloops, BC in January 2017 and flew back across the country to CYXU, where it is now hangared. I am a member of Aviateurs Quebec, COPA and COPA Flight 75 based in CYQS, St Thomas, Ontario, which is where I am doing my Instrument and CPL training. I’m also, a current member of AOPA and the AYA (a Grumman type organization).

I would like to be a COPA Director because it seems like a great way to contribute back to the Canadian GA community whilst also getting a better insight into aviation in Canada in general. I have not-for-profit board and governance experience in a consensus/community context through my work designing and operating global Internet infrastructure; however, I think the most useful skill I can contribute is the desire to focus on pragmatic, real-world answers to real-world problems.