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Canadian Air Line Pilots Association (CALPA)
 "The
Canadian Air Line Pilots Association has made unique contributions to
the advancement of Canadian and International air transport over a span
of half a century."
- Belt of Orion Award citation, 1988
CALPA was formed on
December 1, 1937, to consolidate airline pilots' views regarding
aviation concerns, with the authority to voice them when necessary.
In 1943, on the initiative of CALPA, an agreement of
affiliation was signed between the Canadian, British and American Air
Line Pilots Associations to promote the orderly development of
international civil aviation. This affiliation was the fore-runner of
the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association (IFALPA),
co-founded by CALPA in 1948. At that time, IFALPA represented the pilots
of 65 nations, with CALPA as its second largest member. The Federation's
mandate is to consolidate the opinion of its members on a wide variety
of topics that concern aviation technology and safety, and present these
to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the
International Air Transport Association (IATA), Interpol, and
governments.
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In 1976 bilingual traffic control was instituted at some
Canadian airports. Spirited opposition by CALPA arose from the fact that
it was a political decision with little regard for safety due to a lack
of clear understanding of communications by unilingual pilots. CALPA
helped to ensure that the policy was not instituted until procedures
were developed to safely govern it. The development process took most of
two years and a CALPA member was continuously present.
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A very important division of CALPA worked in the
technical and air safety field. Several committees at the local and
executive council levels dealt with safety concerns and accident
investigation. In 1956 CALPA's Safety Chairman and a Trans-Canada
Airlines engineer graduated from the Accident Investigation course at
the University of Southern California. They became the first trained
accident investigators in Canada.
In 1979 the Dubin Commission was formed to inquire
into aviation safety in Canada. CALPA was represented throughout, and
the inquiry required major effort from CALPA's Technical and Air Safety
Division, which presented 22 witnesses and seven complete briefs during
the 116 days of hearings. CALPA had great influence on the many benefits
to aviation that resulted from the Dubin hearings, such as the creation
of the Canadian Aviation Safety Board, the independent accident
investigation agency whose establishment CALPA had long been promoting.
CALPA worked tirelessly for four years to persuade
the Canadian government to ratify The Hague and Montreal Conventions
against hijacking. Thus security was enhanced at Canadian airports.
CALPA's Aeromedical Committee worked for many years
to obtain a more enlightened attitude by the airlines and the
authorities toward pilot medical fitness. As a result of the work of
this committee, many highly trained pilots have been retained and have
been able to continue their chosen profession.
CALPA has influenced the development of air
transportation in Canada in a number of other ways. It has had impact on
development of procedures for fire fighting, rescue work, and airport
disaster planning. It has been active in the study of bird strike
hazards, has played a major role in formulating procedures for the
handling of dangerous goods, produced a booklet
on the function of an aircraft commander as a peace officer, and has at
all times worked for a safer and more efficient air transportation
system.
Early in its history, the Association began
publication of a quarterly magazine, The Pilot, a widely
respected periodical.
CALPA became a respected voice in aviation and thus
fulfilled the aims of its founders, which were to consolidate and
present the professional views of the airline pilot on his/her
occupation.
In 1996, Air Canada Pilots left CALPA and formed
their own organization, ACPA. The remaining members of CALPA then
arranged a merger with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which
took effect on February 1, 1997. ALPA's head office is in Herndon,
Virginia, U.S.A.
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