Directors

Soaring Association of Canada

Meet our Directors

SAC Directors

President & Eastern Zone Director

Sylvain Bourque

Sylvain Bourque is the Eastern Zone Director since 2005, VP from 2006 to 2009, and President since 2010.

Sylvain first flew a glider in 1994 with AVV Champlain, involved as instructor, tow pilot and with the treasury. He also holds a CPL-A IFR and an advanced drone pilot certificate with a flight reviewer rating. He also is an aeronautical radio examiner and an authorized person for glider licensing. He is proud to be part of this board which has such a wide variety of backgrounds and a huge involvement in the soaring community.

Treasurer & Prairie Zone Director

Sylvain Bourque Jay Allardyce

Jay Allardyce – Prairie Zone Director since 2012 and Treasurer since 2018. Also served as SAC Secretary from 2014 to 2017

Jay began hanging around the airfield at the age of seven and started taking lessons as soon as he was able to reach the rudder pedals. He has been flying gliders since 2001 and is particularly passionate about cross-country soaring. He is the CFI and a tow pilot at the Winnipeg Gliding Club. He has flown in several soaring competitions and was the junior OLC champion for Canada for several seasons. Jay owns a share in an ASW-19 with two partners and enjoys flying cross-country whenever possible. To fund his addiction, Jay works as an aviation consultant. He enjoys playing hockey and golf when he can’t be in the air.

Eastern Ontario Zone Director & Vice President

George Domaradzki

Eastern Ontario Zone Director since 2014 and Vice-President since 2016

George has been flying gliders since 1998 and is an instructor since 2004. He is currently president and, until recently, was Chief Flight Instructor of Rideau Valley Soaring. He also coordinates the Ottawa area glider pilot ground school and has given theoretical lessons. George is the proud owner of an ASW-20 that he flies whenever he is not scheduled for instruction. George has been retired since 2013, enabling him to carry out more flying and instruction during the weekdays. George has been actively promoting gliding in the Ottawa area and is pleased to see a steady increase in membership at Rideau Valley Soaring.

Southern Ontario Zone Director

Stan Martin

Stan Martin is the Southern Ontario Zone Director since 2023.

Like many, I dreamed of flying from an early age. After college I got my chance and took power lessons at Maple Airport. In 1978 I was invited to take my motorcycle for a destination ride to a glider club (York Soaring). I knew nothing of gliding, but after my first ride I was hooked. I left gliding for university and did not get back to it until the late 80’s. I joined Erin Soaring in 89. There I became an instructor and eventually president. In 2002 we merged Erin Soaring with York Soaring. I served on York’s Board and as president for three years. My club is now
Toronto Soaring. I fly a Mini-Nimbus and a Twin Lark. I have flown many other glider types, participated in Regional, National and Pan-American competitions. I’ve organized wave camps at Sugarbush Soaring in Vermont. I also organize in Florida for winter destination opportunities by staging York equipment at Seminole Gliding. There it is flown by other regional clubs as well as York members.

Alberta Zone Director

Pavan Kumar

Alberta Zone Director since 2019 and SAC Secretary

Pavan first came to soaring as a tow pilot for the Saskatoon Soaring Club in 2011. He was lured into a glider when SSC acquired an L-23 Super Blanik then completed the flight instructor training with John Toles via simulator. After a season of instructing moved to Lethbridge, Alberta in fall 2013 where he was the first CFI of the newly formed Lethbridge Soaring Club for seven years. In 2021 Pavan joined the Edmonton Soaring Club where he completed the Glider Aerobatic Instructor rating with Gary Hill. He currently owns a DG400 in which he completed a Diamond badge in the Columbia Valley with Tim Wood in 2014. Pavan tasted his first contest in 2022 and plans to fly cross-country and aerobatics in the coming 2023 season.

SAC Office Manager

Tom Coulson

Office Manager since 2021.

Tom had his first flight in the fall of 1979, with a then university classmate, at the SOSA Gliding Club. This was “too good” so he started gliding lessons in the spring of 1980. He became an instructor in 1988 and still enjoys passing the joy of soaring on to others. He has held many Board positions over the years and is currently the club’s treasurer. He still finds time to do some cross-country flying in his Mosquito and Arcus. Tom has a CPL and is a tow pilot. Before retiring recently, Tom worked in the aviation industry as a software designer..

Soaring is the sport of flying

A non-profit amateur sports association promoting, enhancing and protecting the sport of soaring in Canada