All Are Welcome!

Please register for this event – the Zoom link is provided in the registration confirmation email. If you experience technical issues with the AGM Zoom link, please text Dave Frank, executive director, at 604-644-6426.

Please Note: Only paying Supporters in good standing can vote. One vote per organization, please.

Look forward to seeing you there!

– Cathy Press, Board Chair, BCAC Committee Chairs, and Dave Frank, Executive Director

Questions? Contact us!

Join Us Tuesday for Hangar Hangout!

Welcome to Hangar Hangout, BC Aviation Council's (BCAC) Youth Engagement Committee's aviation and aerospace community initiative. Here you’ll have an opportunity to connect and converse with fellow aviation enthusiasts and professionals in the BC aviation and aerospace community.

Join us for our in-person, casual get-together. BCAC creates an inclusive, friendly, and inviting environment for everyone to meet new people, socialize, and connect. Open to everyone, young and old. Enjoy light refreshments, a social atmosphere, and a presentation by the hosts on their journey in aviation. 

The Aero Club of BC is the oldest continuously running flying club in the Commonwealth. We want to thank Aero Club of BC for their generosity and providing their space to host the Hangar Hangout. If you want to know more about the Aero Club of BC, please click here.

Please RSVP as we have an event capacity limit for safety reasons.

Please also consider a Voluntary Donation to our Youth Program. Tax receipts will be provided.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Full Address: 300 - 18799 Airport Way, Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2B4

Please Note: The Aero Club of BC building is located on Apron 1 at YPK. If you are unfamiliar with how to get there, please wait inside the Main Terminal building at YPK, and one of our volunteers will escort you to the Aero Club building. 

Parking Info: Please visit www.flyypk.ca/info#parkingfees 

Fly-ins: For itinerant airplane parking, please visit www.flyypk.ca/info#parkingfees for cost and details. For more information, please contact Christina Nicolle at or 604-465-8977 ext. 001.

Public transit: Public transit to the Pitt Meadows Airport (YPK) involves taking a TransLink bus or the West Coast Express Passenger Rail Service to Pitt Meadows Station and transferring to the 719 bus. The most direct transit route to the airport varies depending on your exact origin. Please visit the City of Pitt Meadows "Bus, Train & Skytrain" webpage or the Translink website for bus routes/schedules and West Coast Express schedules

Carpool: Need a ride? Some Hangar Hangout attendees may be willing to carpool. Please contact Aman Rao for details. If needed, Aman's phone number is: 236-833-4224.

Please do not hesitate to email Aman Rao, our Hangar Hangout Committee Chair, with any questions or suggestions.

Tom Rattray is a member of the BCAC Board and the Board Liaison for Hangar Hangout events as part of the Youth Engagement Committee. Please feel free to email Tom Rattray at with any feedback for the BCAC Board.

Questions? Contact us!

Today's Airport Workers Day 2026

On Thursday, June 25th, airports across Canada will celebrate the third annual Airport Workers Day. 

This is a day of recognition for the people who keep Canada moving and to celebrate their vital contribution to our communities and our economies. We project more than 150 million passengers will travel through Canada’s airports this year, creating 224 thousand direct airport jobs.

Airport Workers Day is a coordinated national event where Canadian airports show appreciation for airport employees who go the extra mile every day to connect people, to connect communities, drive our modern economy, and to connect Canada to the world.

Participating airports across the country will host a variety of employee appreciation events, such as barbecues, food trucks, games and prizes, catered coffee breaks, and more.

From equipment operators to above the wing agents, security to below the wing agents, mechanics, firefighters to administration employees – the professions and career paths within our airports are as diverse as the people who fill these roles. Air transportation is only possible because a dynamic network of specialists working diligently in concert to ensure the safe and seamless movement of people and goods.

Airport workers keep Canada’s aviation system moving, and for this we are celebrating and thanking them.

As part of this day, nine airport workers will be honoured with national awards that recognize their dedication and contribution. Award categories include:

Rising Star – A standout individual who has demonstrated exceptional talent, dedication, and promise in their position at an early stage of their airport career. The recipient of this award has shown remarkable drive, dedication to excellence, and a commitment to making a positive impact within their department or organization. This award celebrates their impressive accomplishments and the bright future ahead of them.

Excellence in Efficiency Optimization – Honouring an individual who has demonstrated outstanding skill in streamlining processes, improving workflows, reducing costs, and maximizing productivity across their department or organization. Their ability to strategically refine systems and implement effective changes has made a measurable impact, contributing to short-term success and long-term growth.

Airport Innovator – Whether generating ideas, planning creative solutions, or staying a step ahead of the ever-evolving needs of today’s airports, cargo and passengers – someone who is motivated by change, possessing a unique ability to problem-solve with out-of-the-box solutions to challenges big or small.

Environmental Steward – An airport employee who passionately manages and supports conservation and preservation and who effectively works towards the decarbonization of the airport environment in a long-term sustainable manner.

Outstanding Service – Celebrating a person who provides exemplary support for customers and passengers, demonstrating a commitment to a seamless passenger journey.

Operational Excellence – Shining a spotlight on an airport worker whose contributions may be behind the scenes but are essential to the smooth operation of the airport. This individual demonstrates innovative ideas, exceptional teamwork, and a collaborative spirit.

Outstanding Leadership – A supervisor or manager who has steered their team with outstanding leadership qualities, ensuring smooth travels within their department.

Industry Champion – An individual who inspires the younger generation to consider careers in aviation or airport management by showcasing the exciting and diverse opportunities available within the industry.

A new category has been added this year: Outstanding Contribution to Safety and/or Security – Recognizing an individual whose work has made a measurable impact on mitigating risks associated with safety or security within their airport or across the Canadian airports ecosystem.

Nominations are now open for the 2026 National Airport Workers Day Awards. We invite nominations for those who have demonstrated exemplary service, innovation, and dedication. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the individuals who go above and beyond to ensure smooth operations, positive passenger experiences, and a thriving airport environment. Showcase someone’s talent and commitment by submitting your preliminary nominations here.

READ MORE

(Source/Photo: Canadian Airports Council)

Silver Wings Celebration 2026 – Registration is open!

Our annual Silver Wings Industry and Scholarship Awards Celebration will take place on Friday, November 6th, 2026, at Vancouver Convention Centre West. Last year's Silver Wings Celebration sold out 49 hours before the doors opened so plan accordingly. Please visit bit.ly/SW26 to register – we'll be updating the details on our dedicated Silver Wings webpage in the coming weeks but you can secure your seat today. Scholarship winners are currently being notified and we're already getting all the pieces in place for another stellar celebration this year.

For sponsorship or online auction donation queries, please contact our Executive Director, Dave Frank, at your convenience. Stay tuned for more updates!

(Photos/Brendan McAlpine)

Save the Date – June 7-9, 2027 BCAC Conference Cranbrook (YXC)

A Rocky Mountain High retreat. 

Canadian Rockies International Airport YXC Cranbrook is our host airport for our 2027 Spring Conference. After a sold-out, record-breaking conference in Kelowna (YLW), we're looking forward to creating another dynamic and engaging event for you. Mark you calendars now and keep an eye out for updates in the new year so you don't miss out.

For sponsorship or online auction donation queries, please contact our Executive Director, Dave Frank, at your convenience.

In 2028, after a long absence, Canada's Premier Aviation and Aerospace Policy/Programs Conference returns to Vancouver's Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley region. Stay tuned.

(Photo/YCX)

Give Them Wings is a free event is designed for Indigenous youth (13–30) to explore the world and wonder of aviation. Taking place at the Smithers Regional Airport (YYD) on June 26th from 12:00PM - 4:00PM, Indigenous youth can: 

• Connect with industry professionals
• Experience aircraft up close
• Discover career pathways
• Go up on a flight!

Hosted by the Indigenous Lift Collective and Co-hosted by the Smithers Regional Airport, Co-Chairs Teara Fraser (Indigenous LIFT Collective & Iskwew Air) and Trevin Muscat (Smithers Airport) will start the day in a good way with a warm welcome. Together, we'll learn the NATO phonetic alphabet. Throughout the day Indigenous youth will move through different exploration and experience stations in small groups.​

Smithers Airport Inside the terminal will be meet & greet stations with Iskwew Air, Jazz, Air Canada, NavCanada, Central Mountain Air. Outside the terminal on the ramp will be an aircraft and airport operations static display. Get up close with a variety of aircraft (Skyreach Bushcat, Piper Arrow, Piper Cherokee, and more) and meet the people who fly them and fix them. 

NavCanada Tower Experience Learn how Flight Service Specialists support safe flight operations and explore career opportunities within Canada's air navigation system. Participants will visit the tower in small groups and learn about Flight Service Specialist (FSS) and Air Traffic Control (ATC) career pathways, training requirements, and opportunities available through NAV CANADA.

Walking Hangar Tour Go on a walking hangar tour to meet aviation maintenance professionals and explore both fixed wing and rotary Approved Maintenance Organizations (AMOs).

Flight Experiences Weather permitting, participants may have the opportunity to take part in a short flight experience. Flights are limited and weather dependent. Flight selections may be allocated through a participant lottery system. Fixed-wing aircraft flights are with Alpine Lakes & Iskwew Air and rotary flights with Silverking Helicopters.

To register and learn more about this event, please visit the Give Them Wings website.

SUPPORTER PROFILE

The Infrastructure You Can't See

Written by Chris Thureau, Director – Airside Operations, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) based on popular LinkedIn posting.

When I first became involved in our U.S. preclearance baggage operation, I assumed I understood the system. I didn't. What I underestimated was how much operational performance depended on the data layer underneath it.

Every bag moving through the system generated a complex chain of data: weight, images, security status, and reconciliation records shared across operational and government systems in real time. That data layer was what allowed a Customs officer to clear a passenger and their baggage simultaneously, even when the bags themselves were not physically present.

When the data aligned, the operation felt seamless. When it didn't, delays appeared quickly, and it was often difficult to identify where the breakdown had occurred. The physical infrastructure had not changed. The operational outcome had.

That experience reinforced something I now see repeatedly across complex transport environments: most large-scale operations are governed by more than the physical infrastructure people can see. There is the visible infrastructure: terminals, baggage systems, checkpoints, vehicles, and gates. Underneath it is the data layer: the architecture, identity models, reconciliation logic, and coordination mechanisms that allow the physical operation to function coherently.

Passengers experience the visible layer. Operational performance is determined by the invisible one.

But the data layer does not govern itself. Data systems do not align themselves; they are aligned, or not, by the decisions, protocols, and trust relationships among the organizations operating them. Immigration authorities, airlines, ground handlers, airport operators, and technology providers each hold a piece of the operational environment. Whether those pieces function as a coherent system depends on something that rarely appears in a technical specification: a coordination architecture. This architecture defines who owns what, who resolves exceptions, and how organizations with different mandates can still operate coherently under pressure.

In the preclearance environment, the data layer worked best when the coordination architecture worked best. When agencies aligned on protocols, responsibilities, and operational expectations, the system performed. When they didn't, the data degraded quickly, not because the technology had failed, but because the institutional infrastructure around it had gaps.

The same pattern now appears across almost every major integration effort in the industry. Biometric programs that perform well in testing but stall operationally. Digital identity systems that are technically sound but struggle to scale across institutional boundaries. Border technology deployments where the platform is ready before the trust relationships around it are.

Most organizations invest heavily in physical infrastructure and increasingly in digital systems. Far fewer deliberately design the coordination architecture that allows those layers to function coherently together. The technology stack is usually visible, but the coordination architecture rarely is. Yet in complex aviation operations, it is often the system that matters most.

(Graphic/Supplied)

SUPPORTER PROFILE

Pacific Coastal Airlines' Charity Online Auction Success

We are proud to continue our long-standing tradition of giving back with our 32nd Memorial Charity initiative - this year presented as an online auction.

For more than three decades, this annual effort has been a true labour of love for Pacific Coastal employees. Thanks to the incredible support of our partners and community, we have raised over $1,010,000 since 1992, including $120,000 last year alone.

While we won’t be gathering on the golf course this year, we were excited to enhance this initiative online, making it easier than ever for supporters across the province to participate and contribute.

Supporting Communities Across British Columbia All funds raised through the online auction will provide vital support to one B.C.-based charity, along with three scholarships for students pursuing careers in aviation:

The Source Club Society (Powell River) Dedicated to supporting individuals living with mental illness, The Source Club Society helps people build healthy, productive lives through meaningful employment opportunities.

Aviation Scholarships (in partnership with the British Columbia Aviation Council) These four $10,000 scholarships provide financial support to Indigenous youth and B.C. students pursuing careers in aviation and aerospace. The program helps foster the next generation of aviation professionals while promoting opportunities within the industry. We look forward to bringing our community together online in support of these meaningful causes and continuing the tradition of making a positive impact across British Columbia.

Click here to learn more/donate.

Thank you to our BCAC26 Sponsors

BCAC 2026 Kelowna (YLW): Soaring Above Challenges – Eyes on the Horizon Conference

Interested in Silver Wings '26 or BCAC27 Conference Sponsorship? Please contact Dave Frank.