THE GUILD OF AIR PILOTS AND AIR NAVIGATORS (North America)
POBox 31040 RPO Thunderbird
Langley, BC Canada V1M 0A9
Tel: (001) 778-242-7019; Fax: (001) 604-852-6093
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December, 2013
Annual Report
Membership:
The past year was notable in that renewed efforts of increasing membership were initated and produced moderate successes both in Canada and the United States. In 2014 we expect this upward trend in membership to continue as the NAR becomes more publicly active and our “elevator speech” comes on-line.
Elevator Speech:
To most NAR aviators the concept of “Guilds” and “Companies” are rather vague and ill-defined (especially among United States aviators). Because of this information gap we are developing an “elevator speech.” An elevator speech is designed to be brief, to the point, informative and generate interest in additional information and possible membership.
Committee Structure:
After closely reviewing and analyzing the NAR committee’s roles and responsibilities, it was determined that some committees could be merged, thereby reducing potential duplication and increase efficiency. Therefore, in the interest of improved efficiencies and a renewed focus on achieving results, the NAR Executive and Board concluded that reducing the number of committees from nine to four is in order. The new committees are: Technical & Air Safety (merged with Training & Education); Trophies & Awards; Marketing & Public Relations (merged with Industry Liaison); and, Activities (merging Membership, Visits, Div. Activities and Youth Activities).
Technical & Air Safety Committee. We pleased that John Cox assumed the leadership of this core professional committee. To date, he identified a number of key areas demanding immediate attention, among them: the need to address the recurring problem of post-crash fire; the need for an international effort to coordinate the currently disparate, often non-existent national unmanned aerial system policies into internationally acceptable practices. (More on UAV operations later this year). Additionally, John is underscoring the growing imbalance between today’s highly reliable aircraft avionics and basic airmanship, as well as the need to address the current and rapidly growing pilot and technician shortages. Of note, through John’s efforts, the NAR is added to the Flight Safety Foundation’s endorsement of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s 24 recommendations on “Smoke and Fire in Transport Aircraft 2013”.
Marketing and Public Relations:
Our United State and Canada media focals, John Cox and Jacquie Perrin, crafted a press release announcing our name change to The Honourable Company of Air Pilots.
Their knowledge of NAR aviation media ensured appropriate media contacts were identified and notified of the impending name change.
The Master’s NAR Visit:
The Master’s visit to the North America Region (NAR) was well received by notable Canadian and United States public and private aviation officials, as well as by NAR membership. The Master’s visit included stops at Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Washington DC and Seattle. While in Seattle he visited the Boeing Everett Factory and presented the Master's North American Trophy 2012, to Boeing's Training Systems and Government Services division. While in Montreal, the Master presented the Master's North American Award to Bombardier's Montreal factory for its leadership in global Safety Management Systems.
A complete report of the Master’s visit may be found in the October issue of Guild News (
Summary:
The past year in North America has been one of growth and activity. Further, our membership are now coming forward with suggestions on proposed areas interest that the NAR should become more active and perhaps engage publicly. This means the NAR is now not only carrying forward the Company’s over-arching mission, but fine-tuning that mission to be more effective when addressing North American concerns. We envision the up-coming year as a year of opportunity.
Prepared by:
David Jurkowski
Outgoing Chairman
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