The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, formerly the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN), is one of the
Livery Companies of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
. The Company was founded in 1929, and became a Livery Company in 1956.
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
granted Honourable status to the company in February 2014.
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, formally presented the royal charter to the master of the company, Tudor Owen, at a banquet held at the
London Guildhall
Guildhall is a municipal building in the Moorgate area of the City of London, England. It is off Gresham and Basinghall streets, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. The building has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and i ...
on 19 February 2014.
The company ranks eighty-first in the
order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...
of livery companies and fourth in the order of precedence of the modern livery companies.
It is unique amongst City Livery Companies in having active regional committees in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and North America.
The Company's motto is ''
'Per Cælum Via Nostra','' 'Our Way Is By The Heavens'.
Objectives of the Company
![Guild crest](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Guild_crest.jpg)
The objectives of the company are:
* To establish and maintain the highest standards of air safety through the promotion of good
airmanship
Airmanship is skill and knowledge applied to aerial navigation, similar to seamanship in maritime navigation. Airmanship covers a broad range of desirable behaviors and abilities in an aviator. It is not simply a measure of skill or technique, b ...
among pilots and navigators.
* To maintain a liaison with all authorities connected with licensing, training and legislation affecting pilot or navigator whether private, professional, civil or military.
* To constitute a body of experienced airmen available for advice and consultation and to facilitate the exchange of information.
* To strive to enhance the status of air pilots and air navigators.
* To assist air pilots and air navigators in need through the Benevolent Fund.
The Court of the Company
''Note: This information may not be up to date.''
References
External links
The Honourable Company of Air Pilots
Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom
Aviation-related professional associations
Livery companies
Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden
Organizations established in 1929
1929 establishments in England
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