Meet Your Board: Glen Rippon

Meet Your Board: Glenn Rippon on flying, the military, the law, and being your new VFC Secretary

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My interests are threefold: aviation, law, and the military. I’ve been able to combine all three—sometimes two at once, sometimes three at once. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to pursue my passions together. You wouldn’t think they would, but they conjoin at various places.

How did that happen?

I’m a lawyer. Growing up, I was interested in aviation, the military, military history, and the law. When I was an undergraduate, my father sent all of his children for career testing. Mine came back as a lawyer or a military officer. At that stage I didn’t know you could do both, but in law school I became aware of military law and the legal branch. I tried private practice for a bit, but when I saw that the Canadian Forces were recruiting lawyers to become officers in the Judge Advocate General branch, I put in my application. That conjoined two of my passions, and when family and finances permitted I got my pilot’s license and completed the set.

What can you tell us about your time in the military?

I joined the Canadian Forces in 1990 and served in Ottawa and at various bases across Canada and on overseas deployments. Because of our military’s size we’re not dedicated to one particular environment, so I had what was called a ‘joint career’ and worked in land, sea, and air. I was in what’s known as a purple trade; called that because it’s the colour you get when you mix the three uniforms together. I went to sea three times, slept in leaky tents in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and spent time with the Maritime Patrols based in the Persian Gulf during sanction enforcement against Iraq.

Which was the most interesting?

Afghanistan was the most interesting and hands-on conflict — and the hottest conflict. We were responsible for the crafting and application of the rules of engagement to achieve that end. We brought to bear, particularly on the air side, issues related to targeting and use of appropriate force to avoid collateral damage. I went twice, the first time a microlevel event that involved a friendly fire inquiry where we had to sort out what happened. The second time I served with the International Stabilization Assistance Force HQ in Kabul. That was a much larger scale, very much the macro-level. It was all interesting and unlike many jobs, there was a sense of purpose in the work. Very gratifying.

I also did some traditional lawyering as counsel at the Somalia Inquiry and for both prosecution and defence at courts martial; including a few flying offenses where I was able to apply training acquired on the CF Flight Safety Investigator Course.

What did you do after the military?

When I retired in 2017, I knew that I wanted to live in one of three places: Ottawa, Calgary, or Victoria. I’d never been posted to Victoria, but I’d been out a number of times and was able to get a position as a Pensions Advocate with Veterans Affairs Canada. I did that for close to three years, getting better pension judgments for veterans, and then decided I wanted to relax a bit.

Then you joined the VFC board?

Well, it’s not full time.

Fair. So what else are you up to?

It’s up in the air right now, but from time to time the UN hires what they call International Consultants. These are people on retainer they send to mentor or support certain projects. One is the Maritime Crime Project in the Indian Ocean, which confronts human trafficking, smuggling, and piracy. I don’t want to work full time anymore, but these smaller, 6-7 week deployments, are perfect.

How did you become a pilot?

I got my private pilot’s license on my own. The Canadian Forces had a program called the Second Career Assistance Network, which I think was designed to help soldiers pick up skills that would help them transition to civilian life. I used the money from that program to cover 3/4s the cost of a commercial pilot license and then got my instructor rating. From there I was able to work as an instructor in Ottawa and then in Edmonton.

Favourite kind of plane?

Either modern aircraft or really, really old ones. I instructed on Katanas, which I loved, and also on the Citabria. I love the center-seating and right-hand stick, left-hand throttle. We have great Cessnas at the club, but I do wish we had tailwheel aircraft. All the fun airplanes are tail-wheeled. I’ve owned a couple of bi-planes, a single seater, a two-seater, and a Stinson. What can I say? I think there’s room in the margins for some of the stranger stuff. The mainland has a couple of places that train on the Citabria.

Do you have a favourite flight?

The first time I flew a single-seat biplane. The joy with single-seaters is that it’s just you and the airplane. The first time you’re flying in it you’re alone. This one was open canopy: very loud, very buffeting, not very relaxing, but exhilarating. It was great.

Do you have any goals for your time on the board?

It’s only been a few months, so I’m still learning the ropes. I don’t know the club’s past experiences, but I want to make sure that every member or student knows that if they do run afoul the rules they’ll get an opportunity to fairly present their side of the story. Our goal is to share all of the information so that we’re able to put things into context and analyze them from all sides. These procedures are in place already, but I want to make sure people know about that procedural framework because it promotes better decisions in the air. You were President of Namao Flying Club and have belonged to several other flying clubs. Anything they do the VFC should look at? We’re doing great in the short term. In the longer term, based on my experience at Namao and observations with mainland clubs I believe that we have the population to support and train in a tail-wheel aircraft. These planes are great for people looking for something different or who are licensed but don’t know how to fly tail-wheel. It only takes ten hours it takes to become a tail-wheel pilot, and I think there’s the scope for that.

Any final advice for newer pilots?

My advice for anybody headed for the career path is to remember that flying is a small community in Canada. Your reputation is paramount.

For recreational folks, basically, it’s a cautionary tale. When I came into aviation it surprised me how often people would choose to ignore the rules. People chafe against government regulations because they don’t seem to make sense, actually don’t make sense, or make sense only if one is aware of the hidden rationale.

The best policy is always to adhere to those rules, no matter how particular or impractical they may seem, because they keep people alive. Aviation attracts people with rebellious streaks, but outlawry has no place in the skies.