Land Owners

Flying sites are our sport’s most precious resource. Good landowner relations and careful stewardship of the site are therefore extremely important to assure continued access to our sites. Using these flying sites is always a privilege, never a right.

Landowners

Please contact the HPAC Office if you should have any questions about the sport, the insurance coverage or use of your land beyond those that can be answered by the local pilot group.

Agreements for the use of flying sites

These take on various forms. They can be formal legal agreements with corporate entities (such as ski resorts, for example), formal tenure agreements with various levels of government (where the site is on public land), or informal verbal agreements with local landowners on the strength of a handshake.

Site Management

Sites throughout Canada are generally managed by local clubs, schools, individual instructors or local pilot groups who enter into agreements with landowners. Local sites are not managed by HPAC.

Landowner Insurance Coverage

Our landowners are covered by HPAC’s third-party liability insurance. Many landowners now require proof that they are Additional-Named-Insured on HPAC’s Insurance Policy. HPAC issues Site Insurance Certificates that name specific landowners.

The Site Insurance certificate is available from the HPAC Office by application by the local club or other group managing the site. There is no fee.

General Guidelines for Site Management:

While each site will have specific requirements as determined by the landowner, the following general guidelines will apply at all sites:

• Insure that good landowner communications and relations are always maintained;
• Make the offer to the landowner that they can receive a Site Insurance Certificate, if they wish;
• Insure that all pilots using the site are current HPAC members or, if students, are under the direct supervision of an HPAC-certified instructor, so that the insurance coverage for the landowner is assured;
• Require that all visiting foreign pilots take out Temporary HPAC membership before flying the site; only HPAC membership provides the coverage for our landowners as they are Additional-Named-Insured; foreign insurance does not name our landowners;
• Provide Site briefings to all new and visiting pilots at the site to insure that everyone is aware of no-go landing areas, etc.;
• Maintain safety at launch and in the landing zone by keeping the launch and landing areas clear of spectators;
• Pack out any garbage.

Careful stewardship and management of flying sites is one of the highest priorities in the sport.