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General aviation pilots and aircraft owners gather in Burlington for inaugural expo

The inaugural Canadian General Aviation Expo took place on September 7, 2024, at the Burlington Holiday Inn and Conference Centre in Ontario. The day was highlighted by morning and afternoon content provided by Transport Canada, which developed these sessions specifically for conference attendees.

Seventeen exhibitors also provided their expertise to members of the general aviation community, with more than 110 attendees and another 40 industry partners on hand, including the event’s sponsors Marsh Canada and Level Flight.

Transport Canada began the day with a Safety Seminar called Beyond the Stable Approach and Aircraft Modifications. The two-hour seminar, eligible for recurrent pilot training credit, focused on making the right decision when your approach doesn’t go as planned, knowing when to go-around, and knowing what to do. This portion of the session was led by Tracy McCabe Dehaan, Civil Aviation Safety Inspector, Flight Operations, for Transport Canada, who is also a flight instructor and spent a large portion of her career flying 727s.

Transport Canada’s Steve McLeod discusses modifications, specifically the acceptance of FAA Supplemental Type Certificates, at the Canadian GA Expo. (Photo: Jon Robinson)

Steve McLeod, Standards Coordinator, Airworthiness, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada, kicked off the second portion of the Safety Seminar focusing on modifications, specifically the acceptance of FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) on privately owned Canadian aircraft. Simon Collette, a Civil Aviation Safety Inspector for Transport Canada, continued the session by showing attendees how to access resources like NICO to confirm STCs on their aircraft.

In the afternoon, the three Transport Canada leaders then hosted a more informal, interactive session with the group of pilots to field any questions on topics ranging from delays in medicals and document booklets, which are set to go fully electronic in the coming months, to ADS-B and crossing the border.

Marsh Canada’s Greg Wyght leads a session called What You’re Buying to Keep You Flying, Navigating Aviation Insurance, at Wings’ inaugural Canadian GA Expo in Burlington, Ont. (Photo: Jon Robinson)

In between Transport Canada’s two pilot-focused sessions, Marsh Canada led an hour-long presentation called What You’re Buying to Keep You Flying: Navigating Aviation Insurance. Pilot and insurance expert Greg Wyght from Marsh Canada served as a moderator asking important questions of Mary Palleschi, also from Marsh’s aviation team, and Fernando Domingues from McLarens Aviation. Pilots and aircraft owners in the room also spent time asking the three presenters a range of questions on topics ranging from block-time rentals to documentation.

Exhibitors at the event included Airbly, Apex Aircraft Sales, Avworld, Brampton Flight Centre, Great Lakes Helicopter, Level Flight, Macizzle Aero, MAF, Marsh, Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing, Northern Lights Aero Foundation, Fly with AI, Waterloo International Airport, Spectrum Airways, Transport Canada, and Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.