I'm looking forward to a year filled with lots of perfect flying weather, low fuel prices, and no ATC shortages. You're right, I'm a believer in the power of positive thinking!
Through your aviation connections, I hope you have received the Transport Canada survey on mid-air near misses. If not, it is available further down in this issue. It can be completed by anyone who was flying in Canadian airspace. As you may know, we had several fatal mid-air collisions in 2025 in Canada, and the data from this survey will be invaluable in shaping the narrative on ADS-B in Canada. For me, while I cannot say that I've had a hair-raising close call, I have had many situations where another aircraft ended up being very close by — with no radio calls. I understand NORDO; I understand incorrect frequencies; I understand “see and be seen” — but it's unnerving, spotting an aircraft rocketing by, just 100 feet above, when I wasn't expecting it. I have an ADSB-In device in my 172, and it's been a relief many times. But it's only as good as the data coming in, and as we know, right now, most Canadian aircraft do not have a device emitting a signal out.
In addition to the ADS-B initiative, we continue to advocate for general aviation on a number of topics, including a new Amateur Built Sub-Working Group, under the Maintenance and Airworthiness Working Group, led by Steve McLeod of Transport Canada. You've probably seen the announcement of the implementation of MOSAIC in the United States. A small working group has started discussions on how this will impact GA in Canada. Lastly, we are exploring what the implementation of the recent “beyond the line of sight” regulations for UAVs will have on general aviation. If getting involved on any of these topics interests you, please send me an email.
Our team is working on our presentation schedule for AirVenture 2026. If you will be there, and have a topic to present on, please let me know. Next month, we'll start providing information on our Canadian camping area at AirVenture and before we know it, the countdown to AirVenture 2026 will be on!
