Page 19 - 2018-Issue2

19 PILOT GENERATIONS

PIERRE BIDOT

ANDRÉ BIDOT

JEAN-MICHEL BIDOT

AURELIEN BIDOT

Multi-Generational Pilot Families

In honour of IFALPA’s 70th Anniversary year, IFALPA Senior Technical Officer, Carole Couchman has spoken to some amazing
multi-generational pilot families. David Edward, a retired Air Canada pilot, contacted IFALPA with the story of his 4 generation pilot
family:

“My father - A.G.K. (Gath) Edward was born in 1910. He obtained his flying license in 1927 and flew as a bush pilot, a test pilot with
Curtis Reid, a pilot with General Airways, a corporate pilot for McIntyre Gold Mines, and was hired by Trans Canada Airlines (TCA), now
Air Canada, in 1940. He retired in 1970. His log books show that he flew 43 different types of aircraft from Jenny to Jets including the CF-104.

“I was born in 1938 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1956. I got my wings in 1958 and flew with 401 Sqn. (Reserve) until
1961. I was hired by TCA, now Air Canada, in 1958.

“A four-year furlough saw my wife and I in Dublin, Ireland, on a four-year stint with Aer Lingus/Irish International Airlines. I returned
to Air Canada in 1965 and was seconded to the start-up of Air Jamaica in 1969. I returned to Air Canada for promotion to Captain in 1971.
I retired (as #1 on the active pilot seniority list) in 1998.

ISSUE 2 | 2018 InterPilot | The Safety and Technical Journal of IFALPA