The Kelowna Flying Club (KFC) is comprised of well over 100 aviation enthusiasts. Members include active pilots, retired pilots, student pilots, friends & partners of pilots and others who share a passion or keen interest in aviation. The Club was founded in 1986 and has operated at YLW, Kelowna’s International Airport, ever since.
KFC also operates as COPA Flight 36, and is thereby the local branch representing the Canadian Owners & Pilots Association, a national organization comprised of over 17,000 Canadian pilots and aircraft owners in nearly 200 chapters - known as COPA Flights - Canada-wide.
KFC and COPA Flight 36 share senior Officers, and operate as a single entity performing two important roles:
- The Kelowna Area’s local Flying Club, registered as a non-profit organization under BC Society Act: BC Society Number S0019061
- COPA Flight 36 - the local voice of Canada’s national General Aviation association.
In 2017, KFC/Flight 36 hosted COPA’s Annual General Meeting, Convention and Trade Show, www.copaagm2018.ca. This was a major event, in fact the largest in COPA’s 80-year history. It attracted more than 140 aircraft and 400 delegates from across Canada as well as 700 members of the public.
The Club operates an attractive Grumman Tiger aircraft, C-GVXY, which is available to those members who choose to join the KFC Flying Program.
Members meet monthly, on the first Tuesday of each month. Members and guests enjoy a BBQ or other seasonal fare before a brief business meeting followed by an aviation-related guest speaker, educational presentation, or other interesting aviation-related activity. The KFC Board also meets monthly, usually on the third Wednesday of each month, to oversee the management of club business and affairs. The club has no employees – all activities are handled by a willing roster of energetic, diverse and talented volunteers.
Throughout the year, the Club hosts a number of aviation events including an annual RUST REMOVER event, the COPA FOR KIDS Junior Aviator Free Flight program, a CHRISTMAS PARTY and its ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
Club members also enjoy a variety of other more spontaneous events including fly-outs, fly-ins and a variety of social & other events – all of which are organized by volunteers.
Members communicate amongst themselves, and with the world at large, using a number of means:
- Our website at kelownaflyingclub.com, is the club’s central communication platform. It has been recently re-vamped and upgraded. It bears a fresh, inviting new look which is similar in theme to the recent re-launch of the COPA
- National site, www.copanational.org
- An active https://www.facebook.com/KelownaFlyingClub/ page onto which members post a large variety of events, stories, pictures and other interesting aviation-related topics. Regular bulletins published by email are also repeated on the club’s FACEBOOK page.
- A newsletter published with some regularity within the club website and via email.
- Two WHATSAPP channels. One used by KFC members at large to announce impromptu fly-outs, co-flying opportunities and a variety of other events or matters of immediate interest. The other, used exclusively by members of the Club’s Flying Program, to facilitate communication related to the Club aircraft and its use.