Transport Canada Civil Aviation’s (TCCA) first Aviation Safety Letter of 2018 is now available online and it’s of particular interest to COPA members. The ASL is a special edition devoted to general aviation as part of the General Aviation Safety Campaign announced at the 2017 COPA Convention and Trade Show in Kelowna last June. The document has seven feature stories, some provided by COPA, that cover a broad range of GA-related topics. There’s also an item that describes a new approach by TCCA inspectors in their quest to better understand the safety issues involving GA pilots.

Inspectors will fan out over the local airport ramps of the country and in addition to checking documents and certificates, will be asking questions about a variety of topics in an effort to broaden their understanding of GA operations. The so-called “targeted inspections” will be designed to gather information “to uncover why and how things are happening.” TCCA says the focus of the targeted inspections is to allow inspectors to gather information and learn but that doesn’t mean they won’t be doing their jobs. “While our goal is to motivate compliance through oral counselling, if a serious safety concern is identified it will be addressed as is appropriate to the situation. TCCA Inspectors’ first priority is always safety,” the safety letter story says. “Consider this as an opportunity to talk directly to TCCA and help inform the future of general aviation in Canada. Your experiences and insights are important to make the skies safer for everyone.”