The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association was founded in 1952 to speak as the unified voice for GA in Canada. COPA continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of the Canadian aviation community.
The COPA Flight Safety Foundation was founded in 1973 to support safety initiatives and Scholarship Program. The foundation is entirely funded by generous donations of members and the aviation community.
With challenges and obstacles faced by the GA community, COPA sponsors the Freedom to Fly Fund which supports legal actions of national importance and vital to the future of general aviation. To date, Freedom to Fly Fund has provided more than one million dollars to secure general aviation’s future in Canada.
COPA is active at the grassroots level, with over 200 regional COPA Flights. The first flight was formed in Guelph in 1964 and today the program boasts flights in every province and two territories. The COPA Flights are essential to the success of the COPA Discover Aviation Program which introduces general aviation to thousands of people each year and is a vital component of collective outreach and promotion within the broader community.
Through COPA’s Scholarship Program, several worthy candidates are awarded scholarships to offset the costs of flight training, both piloted and remotely piloted aircraft.
Today we are proud to represent significant membership in every province and territory who recognize the need for strong, effective representation resting on our core principles of integrity, commitment, discovery, unity and leadership. COPA’s heritage is an important part of our identity as a community and the same mission that led to our organizations founding in 1952 guides us to this day as we continue to advance, promote, and preserve the Canadian freedom to fly.
Mission: To Advance, Promote, and Preserve the Canadian Freedom to Fly
Vision: We are the influential driving force for a safe and thriving general aviation (GA) community in Canada.