Transport Canada Reaches Out to EAA Canadian Council

August 2019 - One sector of aviation that was not fully represented on Transport Canada’s General Aviation Safety Campaign (GASC) was amateur-built aircraft. Jeff Seaborn had just been appointed chair of the EAA Canadian Council when Francis Mercier, Transport Canada’s General Flight Standards program manager, reached out to him.

Francis Mercier, program manager, General Flight Standards, with the author.

The GASC is a collaborative effort of associations as team members, including Magnes, UPAC, COPA, Aviateurs Québec, Soaring Association Council, NavCanada, Saskatchewan Aviation Council, BC-GA, and since spring 2019, the EAA Canadian Council.

Simon Garrett, General Flight Standards inspector, with Patrick Gilligan.

To increase engagement, Transport Canada consulted with members of the GA community and received lots of helpful feedback.

Transport Canada and COPA meet often to determine issues of contention while also working with the Smart Pilot team on safety materials and seminars. You can find more information here at Transport Canada’s website.

Last year, Transport Canada launched the GASC National Safety Seminar. This seminar addresses pertinent GA safety issues and is available across the country. A list of upcoming seminars can be found on the GASC website.

Working Groups also have been launched, with four of them having had a successful kickoff meeting and the remaining Working Groups last fall.

While Transport Canada’s ability to reach the GA community has increased significantly since the establishment of the focus group and the launch of the website, it’s always looking to expand reach. Furthermore, it’s discussing the possibility of sharing some messaging with individuals through associations’ websites or in newsletters.

Safety Topics

1. Pilot Decision-Making
   • Environment/weather
   • Human factors
   • Flight planning
   • Situational awareness
2. Pilot Proficiency
   • Recurrent training
   • Maintaining skills
3. Best Practices
   • Passenger briefings
   • Personal checklist
   • Safety equipment
   • Maintenance

Working Groups

1. Maintenance
2. Safety equipment
3. TC pilot decision-making interactive scenario
4. Single-pilot resource management
5. Flight risk assessment tool
6. Voluntary reporting system
7. Stabilized approach and landing
8. Angle-of-attack indicators

GASC partners.