By Adam Hunt
We started off the survey by asking members about
their aviation experiences. The first question asked about which licences,
permits and ratings members hold. The results were:
Private Pilot 53%
Seaplane 25%
Commercial 16%
Multi-Engine 13%
Instrument 11%
Ultralight Permit 7%
Rec Pilot Permit 5%
Airline Transport 4%
Instructor 4%
Glider 4%
Balloon 0.1%
Gyroplane 0.3%
Note: Because some members reported holding more than one licence or rating
these numbers will add up to more than 100 per cent.
The results show that COPA members hold licences in all categories. The
predominant area is Private Pilot Licences, which are held by a majority of
members.
Type of Flying
Recreation 93%
Business 16%
Professionally 3%
Note: Because some members reported flying for more than one purpose these
numbers will add up to more than 100 per cent. These results show that the
majority of COPA members fly for recreation.
Flying Time
The highest number of hours reported was 33,000.
The lowest number of hours reported was 0.
The mean number of hours reported was 1,605.8.
The median number of hours reported was 500.0.
While the average COPA member surveyed has a flying time of 1,605.8 hours, this
result is a bit misleading. The median is a better indication of the typical
pilot in this survey, as it represents the point at which there are an equal
number of pilots above and below that number. The median of 500.0 hours is
considered to be most representative of COPA members.
Categories of Aircraft Flown
We looked at what types of aircraft members are flying right now.
Light certified airplanes 90%
Floatplanes 27%
Amateur-built airplanes 22%
Ultralights 15%
Aerobatic aircraft 10%
Gliders/sailplanes 8%
Transport category airplanes 7%
Owner maintenance airplanes 5%
Jets 4%
Turboprops 4%
Helicopters 3%
Hang gliders 2%
Paragliders 1%
Gyrocopters 0.7%
Balloons 0.5%
Other: parachuting 0.1%
Note: Because some members reported flying more than one category of aircraft
these numbers will add up to more than 100 per cent.
While COPA members are currently flying virtually every category of aircraft,
some specific categories are present in significant numbers and others are not.
COPA members fly light certified aircraft, floatplanes, amateur-builts, owner
maintenance airplanes and ultralights in large numbers. COPA members are less
active in flying other types of aircraft.
One of the complications in estimating the number of Canadian pilots flying
ultralights in Canada, prior to this survey, has always been that ultralights
can be flown legally with any one of five pilot licences and permits – the
PP-UL, PP-Rec, PPL-A, CPL-A and ATPL-A. This means that the proportion of pilots
flying ultralights on PP-ULs versus other types of licences has always been
unknown. Many industry analysts have estimated that about half of ultralight
flying is done by PP-UL holders, but there has never been good data to back up
this estimate.
Comparing what members are flying versus what licences they hold tells the story
here. This survey confirms that approximately 49 per cent of ultralights are
being flown by PP-UL holders, while 51 per cent are being flown by pilots
holding PP-Rec or higher licences.
Owning an aircraft
We asked COPA members whether they own an aircraft or a share of an
aircraft.
Yes 68%
No 30%
Did not answer this question 2%
The make and model data shows a huge diversity of aircraft that are difficult to
present in any form other than a complete list. COPA members own and fly
virtually every type of aircraft available. The two leading brands were:
Cessna 36%
Piper 20%
Most COPA members own an aircraft or a share in an aircraft. More than half of
COPA members own Cessnas or Pipers. While TC statistics show that the number of
certified aircraft in Canada is declining and being replaced by amateur-builts,
owner maintenance airplanes and ultralights, COPA members still predominantly
own certified aircraft at this point in time.
Other Associations
Next we asked what other associations COPA members belong to:
Experimental Aircraft Association 24%
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association 13%
Recreational Aircraft Association 12%
Canadian Seaplane Pilots Association 2%
Ultralight Pilots Association of Canada 3%
United States Ultralight Association 0.03%
Leading “others” were:
Various Type Clubs 1%
CASARA 0.5%
Soaring Association of Canada 0.4%
International Flying Farmers 0.4%
Pilots de Brousse du Quebec 0.3%
99s – The Women’s Pilots Association 0.2%
Most COPA members belong to no other aviation associations. The leading
organization that COPA members also belong to is EAA.
GPS Use
Portable 52%
Panel-mount 16%
No GPS 30%
Did not answer this question 2%
Sixty-eight per cent of COPA members fly with some form of GPS set. It is
interesting to note that almost a third do not fly with a GPS.
We asked if members planned to buy a GPS in the next year.
Portable 30%
Panel-mount 6%
No 52%
Did not answer this question 12%
The popularity of portable GPS sets will continue for the foreseeable future. It
is worth noting that the majority of members indicated that they do not intend
to purchase a GPS in the next year.
Internet Access
We asked whether COPA members have Internet access and where.
At home 84%
At work 49%
Other place (predominantly library) 6%
No access to the Internet 8%
Note: Because some members have reported access at more than one place these
numbers will add up to more than 100 per cent.
The COPA Web site
We asked if members are using the COPA Web site,
www.copanational.org:
Never 30%
1-5 58%
6-10 6%
11-20 1%
More than 20 1%
Did not answer this question 4%
Two thirds of COPA members report regular use of the site.
We went on to look at how members rated the COPA Web site.
Very useful 16%
Quite Useful 28%
Somewhat useful 28%
Not very useful at all 10%
Totally Useless 5%
Did not answer this question 13%
It is noteworthy that 72 per cent of respondents indicate that the site is
“Somewhat Useful” to “Very Useful”, indicating general acceptance.
COPA Membership Numbers
This question was inserted to identify the members for the purposes of the
Garmin 295 prize draw and also to ensure that only one survey per member was
counted. The membership number was not used for any other purposes. COPA Member
Don Evans of Calgary won the GPS as was reported in the September issue of
Canadian Flight.
Age
Oldest 87
Youngest 14
Average age 53
Standard deviation 12
Sixty-eight per cent of COPA members are between age 41 and 65 years old.
We were not surprised that the average COPA member is 53 years old. The vast
bulk of COPA members are over age 40 and there are very few members below age
30.
Click here for Part Two.