December 3, 2020
(by Videoconference)
Present:
-
- Nick Jones, HPAC President and Ontario Director
- Randy Parkin, HPAC Vice-President and Alberta Director
- Tim Parker, HPAC Secretary Treasurer
- Chris Jette, Atlantic Canada Director
- Tyler Gillies, BC Director
- Jon Lovering, Prairies Director
- Logan Small, Yukon Director
- Bastien Dufour, Québec Director
- Margit Nance, HPAC Executive Director
ASSOCIATION BUSINESS:
The President, Nick Jones, welcomed back the three Board members recently re-elected to their regions and beginning their new two-year terms January 1, 2021: Tyler Gillies of BC, Jon Lovering of the Prairie Region and Chris Jette of the Atlantic Canada Region. Nick Jones was also re-elected in Ontario. He also gave an overview of developments regarding the new website Member Management System, whose development he was overseeing. He also explained that testing was underway and that the Executive Director had been trained on the system.
The Secretary/Treasurer of HPAC, Tim Parker, reported on the fiscal status of the Association and indicated an increase in membership in 2020, in spite of the pandemic causing an initial delay in instruction by most schools until summer of 2020. He also explained that HPAC is now on calendar year for its fiscal year, January 1-December 31.
The report of the Executive Director, Margit Nance, included an update on the Vancouver Airspace Modernization Project (VAMP) in which HPAC is a stakeholder, an overview of a November 2020 virtual USHPA Board meeting she attended, and recent virtual meetings, in conjunction with Will Gadd and Brandon Hopkins, with Jasper National Park as well as Banff and other Mountain Parks, in HPAC’s ongoing attempt to access those parks for the sport. She also reported on a survey being conducted by Brett Yeates worldwide regarding pilot interactions with ungulates as a way to collect data for parks.
Also mentioned was a request to the Board for future consideration of an environmental policy (SOP) for the Association, in a similar vein as sister associations in Europe.
BC Director Tyler Gillies reported on the progress of a European-style gondola project, called the Cascade Skyline Project, at Bridal Falls in the Fraser Valley of BC.
Québec Director, Bastien Dufour, and the Director with the Safety portfolio, formally presented the redrafting of SOP 400 Flight Safety for Board approval. The Board voted unanimously to adopt the expanded wording on the Association’s Safety policy, which will be posted on the website.
Yukon Director, Logan Small, and the Director with the Technology portfolio, explained the Google Workspace Program (formerly Google G-Suite) which HPAC would be adopting.
INSTRUCTION/TANDEM:
Speedflying: Tyler Gillies, BC reported on further developments in the third branch of instruction in HPAC, Speedflying, (which the Board of Directors had approved in principle at the 2019 ADM) and the status of a Canadian syllabus. In specific, he reviewed consultations he had had with members of USHPA who are also engaged in development of a syllabus. He expressed the high desirability of coordination throughout North America and the Board agreed. He also explained the differences between speedwing and miniwing designations in various jurisdictions. Issues still to be addressed include a certification program for speedflying instructors, development of written examinations specific to speedflying, consultation with the CSI (Council of Senior Instructors) and the recommendations for final approval of these components by HPAC’s Board of Directors.
Tandem Pilot Certification and Recertification: Jon Lovering reviewed the survey he had conducted with tandem pilots across Canada and the key results of that survey. He indicated that he had had good response from tandem pilots willing to act on a Working Committee to develop new tandem certification and recertification criteria. His plan is to develop a potential policy (SOP) based on the results of the survey with the Working Committee and to have a draft proposal for the next Annual Board of Directors Meeting in February of 2021.
HPAC/MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS:
Student Evaluations: Randy Parkin reported on the recent batches of Student Evaluations that he had conducted on Survey Monkey and presented a number of spreadsheets for the Board’s consideration, drawing particular attention to changes from earlier surveys. All pilots receiving a rating from an HPAC-certified instructor are routinely sent a survey to complete regarding their instructional experience. Randy had identified some issues, such as some around the ease of use of the mandatory HG and PG Training Logbook, that might lead to policy adjustments by the Board.