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HEPAC announces its interim Board of Directors

June 25, 2008, Ottawa – Over the past year a core group of volunteers has worked diligently to establish HEPAC as a national organization that acts as a voice for engineers and pilots. This core group of volunteers has now been constituted into a proper Interim Board of Directors. This Interim Board will function until an AGM is held this fall, at which point members will vote for an official Board of Directors.

“This is an exciting and logical evolution in HEPAC’s development,” says Lee Johnson, Interim President and official spokesperson. “Almost all of us have been here since the very start. Don McDougall had a vision to create HEPAC, he brought this team together, and it’s because of his vision that HEPAC has become the important organization that is today.”

“I’m very proud of all the hard work that this great team has accomplished in such a short period of time. In particular, Lee has worked very hard to guide HEPAC from an idea to a growing organization,” adds Don McDougall.

Lee further states, “For all intents and purposes, this team has been working in these respective capacities for the past year. We felt it was important for the industry to know who is behind HEPAC and who speaks on its behalf. Furthermore, now that operators are joining HEPAC and our regular membership approaches 100, HEPAC has a responsibility to be transparent and professional.”

The Interim Board of Directors is a follows:

Executive
Lee Johnson – Interim President
Pilot
Lee has 15 years experience in the helicopter industry as a VFR and IFR (ATPL) pilot. He also has experience in management including Chief Pilot, Company Safety Officer and Company Training Pilot.

Bob Kellie – Interim Vice President
Engineer & Pilot
Robert has over 30 years in the helicopter industry working as an engineer, pilot and instructor. He has extensive experience in management including Director of Maintenance, Chief Pilot, Operations Manager and Quality Assurance. He currently works for Canadian/Erickson Air Crane as an S64 captain and instructs on occasion at Chinook Helicopters Ltd in Abbotsford.

Don McDougall – Interim Secretary & Treasurer
Engineer & Pilot
Don has over 49 years in aircraft maintenance as well as over 15,000 flight hours in a large variety of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. He has worked as a Pilot/Engineer, Director of Maintenance, General Manager and Marketing Manager. He has also worked in the private sector and for the government as a Senior Contract Management Officer, Safety Officer and Technical Inspection Officer.

Directors
Dan Mulligan – Chair, Mentorship Committee
Pilot
Dan is a 50-year-old sergeant with the OPP. He has spent the past 7 years flying for the OPP and still considers himself a “new pilot”. Dan is determined to develop the best possible mentorship program to assist low-timers in successfully becoming operational pilots.

Phil Croucher – Director
Pilot
Phil holds JAA, UK, UAE and Canadian licenses for airplanes and helicopters and has over 8500 hours on 37 types. He has been a Chief Pilot, Ops Manager, Training Captain and Type Rating Examiner. He currently writes the safety column for Heli-Ops magazine. Phil has also been successfully publishing ground study material for the worldwide market.

Ronnie Moores – Director
Pilot
Ronnie is currently the Chief Pilot for Cougar Helicopters. He has over 10,000 hours experience on 12 types and holds an instrument rating and instructor rating. He is a Designated Flight Test Examiner (DFTE) for Transport Canada, a Company Training Captain & Simulator Instructor, as well as a Company Check Pilot. He has worked in Canada, the U.S.A, the North Sea (UK and Norwegian Sectors) and in Greenland (high arctic).

MJ Regier – Director, Administrative Support
MJ is a professional copywriter, graphic designer and photographer. With private ties to the Canadian helicopter industry, she volunteers support to a small handful of non-profit organizations.

For more information please contact:
Lee Johnson
Interim President
president@hepac.org

About HEPAC
HEPAC It is a professional, non-profit organization that provides a strong, organized, effective voice for engineers and pilots across the country.

HEPAC aims to improve the Canadian helicopter industry through strategic planning, targeted lobbying, government and corporate relations, the promotion of safety research and advancements, and the improvement in pilot, engineering, employer, customer and regulatory relations.