LLoyd Richards has been a pilot and aircraft owner for the past 40 years. He has flown more than 4200 hours and holds a private pilot license, instrument and float ratings as well as a gliders license. Lloyd currently owns a Beech F33A Bonanza and Cessna 172.

Lloyd has participated in and organized many aviation events in Northern Ontario, Northwestern Quebec and the United States. He has been on the organizing committee of major air shows with Snow Birds and the Italian Demonstration Team, the Friese Tricolorie , as well as organizing many flying events with the American Bonanza Society.

He is a dedicated volunteer at EAA Air Venture since 1981 and Floridas Sunn Fun since 1990. Lloyd is a successful self-taught business man and worked in the trucking industry for the past 51 years. His company, Richards Moving, moves people, air cargo, groceries, freight of all sorts and medical supplies.

LLoy was sales advisor with Air Creebee and Canadian Airlines. As well as work, Lloyd has been involved in many organizations in his professional life:

To name a few:

– Current Director – Canadian owners and Pilots Association 2012 – 2020.
– Serves on COPA Investment Committee
– Served on COPA Advocacy Committee
– Former commissioner – Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.
– Past president – Ontario Movers Association
– Past president – Ontario Dump Truck Owners Association
– Past president – Nighthawk Flying Club
– EAA Young Eagles Field Advisor
– Past President – EAA Chapter 1126
– Past President – COPA Flight 41
– COPA member since 1980
– Founding committee member of the successful Inter-Provincial Air Tour
– Past President – Timmins Rotary – who honoured him as a Paul Harris Fellow.
– Member of EAA since 1981 and current member of the Canadian Council
– Member of AOPA since 1981
– Member of American Bonanza Society since 1990
– Honoured by EAA for his efforts in the Young Eagles Program. He has flown more than 2650 Young Eagles in the past 28 years. He is in the top six for the number of children flown by the Young Eagles Program – and is number one in Canada.
– Lloyd is also an active COPA FOR KIDS PILOT.
– This re-enforces his belief that an early introduction to aviation is important.

As a COPA director, Lloyd would like to forge alliances with other aviation groups. He also wants to obtain funding and create an awareness of how important our smaller community airports really are. Some smaller centres have had the airport given to them by the federal government and they lack the funds to maintain them and many will be forced to cease operation without funding.

Lloyd wants to help establish more flying schools in the Northern Ontario. He wants to look at the possibility of forming a Provincial Aviation Authority – similiar to USA State Authorities.

Anyone who knows Lloyd, would have to agree that aviation is his passion and has been since the early 1950s when, as a little boy, he received his first flight in a J3 Cub off of Porcupine Lake – which at the time – was a hive of aviation activity. Since then aviation has been one of the may things on his mind.