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HAC announces new president and CEO

Aug. 11, 2008 – The Board of Directors of the Helicopter Association of Canada is very pleased to welcome Fred L. Jones BA LLB to our Association as President & CEO.

Jones is a current and passionate helicopter pilot (Canadore College graduate) and a fixed wing pilot with over 4500 total flight hours.  Mr. Jones brings many years of varying association knowledge and experience most recently as Vice President Operations and Legal Affairs with the Canadian Airports Council (CAC).  At the CAC he was primarily responsible for operational and regulatory issues and represented CAC in the Canadian Aviation Regulatory Advisory Committee (CARAC) process.

Prior to his service with CAC, Fred spent 12 years with the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) where he served as Vice President, Helicopter, Fixed Wing Air Taxi and Flight Training and then as Vice President of Flight Operations representing ATAC on dozens of CARAC Technical Committees and Working Groups over the years.  He was also ATAC’s operations liaison to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and their principal point of contact with NAV CANADA on Air Navigation Systems and Safety Issues.

Fred is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario where he completed a BA in psychology and then went on to graduate from the University of Ottawa Law School in 1984.  Fred Articled to the Crown Attorney for the County of Middlesex in Ontario and then completed the Law Society of Upper Canada Bar admission course whereupon he was called to the Ontario Bar in 1986.  He is currently licensed to practice law in Ontario. 

In a previous career, Fred worked as a Civil Aviation Inspector and Enforcement Appeals Officer with Transport Canada providing counsel to the Minister on Appeals before the Civil Aviation Tribunal.  He also has a background with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board where he served as a Safety Analyst and Accident Investigator.

Fred has completed courses in; Crew Resource Management with Continental Airlines, Safety Program Management with the Helicopter Association International, FAA Accident investigator training with the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City, and an Accident Investigation course with the Canadian Airlines Training Centre.  Fred has Media Relations training with Temple, Scott Associates and media exposure with CBC radio, Marketplace and CTV News, to name only a few.

When Fred is not busy working and educating himself, he enjoys running and playing with his honey bees as an Apiarist on his property south of Ottawa with his wife Natalie and his two daughters Rachel and Reilly.
Fred will be transitioning to HAC during the next several weeks and will officially start with HAC on September 1st.

Welcome to our Association Fred.