A. The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) (French:  Association Association canadienne des propriétaires et pilotes d’aéronefs) 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 close to 15,000 members which ranks us as the largest aviation association of any kind in Canada.

Our mission is to “Advance, promote and preserve the Canadian freedom to fly.“ 

A. Each COPA team member plays an integral role in supporting our thriving association. Below is the list of staff currently working at COPA. 

President and CEO: Oversees all operations of the organization, managing staff, liaising with Board of Directors and sits on external committees.  

Director, Aviation Operations: Our Aviation Operations Director is responsible for raising awareness of safety issues facing General Aviation in Canada and managing membership inquiries relating to medicals, transportation, etc. 

Director, National Programming: Our Director of National Programming plans and executes the programs offered throughout the year, including Discover Aviation (previously Discover GA and COPA for Kids), COPA’s monthly free safety seminars and more.  

Director, External Relations: Are you a member experiencing an issue in your flying community that may similarly affect other pilots? COPA’s Director of External Relations provides guidance on engaging with your local stakeholders. 

Administrative and Membership Coordinator: COPA’s front desk can support you with renewing your membership, updating your contact information and putting you in contact with our other team members at COPA. Phones and emails are answered Monday through Friday during regular business hours. We aim to respond to emails within 3-5 business days. 

Office Manager/Executive Administrator: COPA’s Office Manager and Executive Administrator runs all things related to COPA’s finances, staff and Board of Directors.  

Marketing and Communications Coordinator: Managing COPA’s social media, the Marketing and Communications coordinator responds to your direct messages, comments and shares photos you submit. Other responsibilities include website updates and emails to members. 

Publisher: Annex Business Media  

Webmaster: Flight Plan Marketing  

Contact information can be found by clicking Meet the Team.  

A. There are a few ways you can pay for your membership.  

1. Pay online via our website: Renew Online Here 
2. Call 613.236.4901 ext. 100 between 9 am and 5 pm EST and have your credit card information ready 
3. Add COPA as a payee with your online banking service. Make sure you enter your COPA membership number as the account number. Here is the list of approved banks;
   • ATB Financial, TD, Tangerine, BMO, RBC, Scotiabank, Desjardins, CIBC
4. Fax in your completed renewal form with your credit card information to 613.236.8646,  
5. Mail-in your printed membership renewal form along with payment to:  

75 Albert Street, Suite 903
Ottawa, ON  
K1P 5E7 

A. All regular and corporate memberships have an automatic three-month grace period. This means that your membership will continue like normal. If you pay your membership within the three-month grace period, it will be prorated back to your original expiry date.

It is important to note that your insurance can’t be bound through a voicemail or email to Magnes, our aircraft insurance broker. You can find all of their information here.  

A: Although student memberships are submitted online, there is an approval process to accept them. Please ensure that your student proof provided includes your name, date and that you are currently enrolled in flight training.

• Accepted proof is either a letter from your Flight Training Unit or Flight Instructor. Flight logbooks, receipts of payment, or Government issued forms will not be accepted.

The estimated time for the application to be approved is two to three business days.

If after four business days, you still have not received confirmation, we encourage you to follow up by sending an email to copa@copanational.org.

A. The COPA digital card is the card that will contain your membership expiry date. You will have access to your digital membership card whenever you want, via your members-only profile on our website. This card displays your name, membership ID, expiry date and can be used the same way you would your physical card.

A. You simply need to click on the link provided in your welcome and renewal email, or click on the “my membership card” option in your members-only section and save the PDF. You may also print it and add it to your usual spot in your wallet. 

A. Yes, you can use your new membership card, which will not have an expiry date, that will be mailed to you at your next renewal. All physical membership cards with an expiry date will no longer be accepted for use past their expiry date.  

A. You will receive your new membership card, which will not have an expiry date, at your next scheduled renewal. 

A. If your digital membership card displays inaccurate information, please contact us at copa@copanational.org. A simple change to your profile will correct any inaccurate information. 

A. If you lose your new card, which does not have an expiry date, please contact copa@copanational.org. A replacement card will be issued and a $10 replacement charge will apply.  Payment can be made at the time of the call.

A. Since new cards will no longer be sent out with renewals, COPA decals will come with every COPA Store order, free of charge. Every new and renewing member will receive a one-time use discount code for the COPA Store. 

A. Many COPA members have expressed their desire for a simple renewal process that automatically renews their membership each year. For your convenience, COPA will continue to renew your Membership until you tell us otherwise. Members will receive an e-mail reminder thirty (30) days in advance of their annual, auto–renew date. Auto Renew is only available for one-year memberships.

Thank you for choosing this option. This benefits you by saving time and ensuring your membership is up to date and renewed on time.

You may cancel your auto-renew subscription by contacting the COPA Membership Coordinator or via email at copa@copanational.org up to five (5) business days prior to your auto-renewal date.

An email confirmation of the cancelled membership will be sent to you. If you do not receive the confirmation, please contact COPA immediately. Failure to receive a confirmation may indicate that COPA did not receive your cancellation notice. COPA is not responsible for memberships renewed due to failure to receive a cancellation notice. 

A. Please verify that your membership is active and that your address is up-to-date in your profile. Please note that the delivery date has changed since December 2020 to the first week of each month. Members should receive their magazine during the second week of the month.

Please keep in mind that there are some postal delays while the pandemic is still in effect. You may view the digital copy of the magazine online here.

A. The corporate section in the magazine is reserved for all of COPA’s corporate members. If you are a current holder of a corporate membership and would like your information listed, please email communications@copanational.org with your logo, company description and any additional information you would like displayed. This will also be added to the Corporate Members section of our website. 

A. We highly encourage all members to submit their articles by the 10th of the current month to have them in the upcoming magazine. Please send it to Jon Robinson, Editor, Annex Business Media at  JRobinson@annexbusinessmedia.com. 

A: You can subscribe to the eFlight newsletter using this link. 

A. There are a few things that may be prohibiting you from logging into your members-only profile.  

When logging in, ensure you are using this login page. Try logging in with your member ID first and then try your email. If you click on the “eye” icon, you will be able to view your password and ensure it is entered correctly.  

Your browser may be preventing you from logging in. Try switching browsers and clearing your browsing data (Ctrl+Shift+Del). 

Lastly, below the login boxes, click on “Lost your password?” and try resetting your password.  

If you are still unable to log in after making the above changes, please send us an email at copa@copanational.org to let us know.  

A. COPA’s safety seminars are available to everyone – members or non-members! To register for upcoming events, please visit the COPA Safety Program section on our website where upcoming seminars and registration is posted. Past seminars can be watched on-demand here (registration required). 

The seminars meeting Transport Canada’s pilot recurrency training program (PRTP) are hosted quarterly and will indicate that it meets the PRTP requirements in the description.  

A. All pilots (traditional or remote aviation) can register for our upcoming seminars by clicking the seminar title under Upcoming Live Seminars on the COPA Safety Program webpage.  

A. If you attended a COPA safety seminar that qualifies for pilot recurrent training as per the CARs, simply log the following details of the seminar in your logbook: Name of Seminar Event; Seminar Date; Seminar Instructors.

COPA tracks attendance at every seminar and provides this information to Transport Canada, upon request.

Please note: attendees must attend for at least 90-minutes for credit to be given. Additionally, COPA issues certificates after each safety seminar that qualifies for pilot recurrent and sends directly to attendees who met participation requirements. 

A. COPA has three scholarships available, the COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship, the COPA Advanced Flight Training Scholarship and the COPA RPAS Pilot Scholarship. These scholarships are valued at nearly $25,000 and support up to seven outstanding individuals each year.

The application period is between January 4th and March 1st of each year. For more information, please visit our website here. 

A. Applicants applying for these two scholarships need to be COPA members in good standing prior to submitting their application. To join COPA, click here.  

A. Applicants for the COPA Neil J. Armstrong Ab-Initio Scholarship are not required to be COPA members. Successful applicants are awarded a free one-year COPA Student membership. 

A. To ensure as many aviators benefit from COPA’s scholarship opportunities, successful applicants from previous years of a COPA scholarship are not eligible to re-apply for the same scholarship they were awarded for additional funding.  

A. To learn more about each COPA scholarship opportunity, please visit our website here. On each individual page, eligibility criteria are defined. This information is also included in the Scholarship Guide found on each scholarship page.   

A. Scholarship applicants are encouraged to review the Scholarship Guide to ensure they meet all the eligibility requirements for the scholarship they are applying for. The Scholarship Conditions section within the guideline will cover eligible and ineligible costs. For example, scholarships cannot be used to pay any part of the tuition of a college or university program where flight training costs are subsidized.

A. The Request for Proposal opens once a year and at that time, you are welcome to submit a proposal in response. Please keep an eye on COPA’s website for when the RFP is opened. 

A. Check out COPA’s Advocacy page for up-to-date information on all of our advocacy-related work.

The Flight Safety Foundation is COPA’s charitable arm, if you make a donation over $10.00 to the Neil J. Armstrong Scholarship Fund or the Flight Safety Foundation, you will receive a confirmation email and attached donation receipt. This is not the official charitable tax receipt. An official charitable tax receipt will be emailed to you in February of the following year. If you do not have an email address, a printed copy will be mailed.

Our Freedom to Fly Fund is not a charitable organization, contributions to this fund are not eligible for tax receipts. 

A. As of January 2022, COPA is no longer partnered with the US-based VREF Aircraft Valuation and we are currently exploring our options. We highly encourage our members to use the newly improved Canadian Plane Trade website to view the market value of their aircraft and aviation–related items.