Are you a COPA member with a friend interested in becoming a pilot-for-the-day? Provide an individual discovery flight for this pilot-in-the-making. Volunteer pilots can enjoy peace of mind with top-up insurance on top of existing aircraft insurance policies at no extra cost through COPA’s Discover Aviation program.
To qualify for the top-up insurance, participating pilots must be a current member of COPA, and the flight must be pre-registered using the form below. Pre-registration can be done at any time, right up until takeoff time.
Note: if you are a member of the public interested in a personal discovery flight and do not know a COPA member in your area, please contact programs@copanational.org. We will aim to connect you with a pilot who will volunteer their time!
Background screening
As COPA’s Discover Aviation introductory flights welcome young people (18 and under) into the world of aviation, all volunteer pilots flying a minor must complete a background check. The following background check options are accepted by COPA:
- A background check conducted by a municipal, provincial or First Nations police service. These checks must be renewed every five years. Expenses are not covered by COPA.
- A Government of Canada security clearance such as a reliability status, secret clearance, top secret clearance or a NEXUS/RAIC pass. These background checks must be active at the time of the Discover Aviation event. Expenses are not covered by COPA.
- A background check conducted by a private business with authority to complete background screenings.
- Completed online via Sterling Backcheck, COPA’s trusted background check partner. These background checks must be renewed every five years. COPA will cover the $25 fee for its members (we require first + last name and emails, this can be inputted in our event registration form). This new option was introduced in 2022 to save COPA members time and money, and should take less than 30 minutes to complete.
Consent Waivers
All participants in the Discover Aviation program must complete the following liability waivers. See below for a variety of waiver forms your COPA Flight can use:
- the print-friendly version / fillable form (please send completed forms to programs@copanational.org)
- the online version (participants must show submission receipts to the COPA member offering the Discover Aviation flight)