Air Canada pilot flew under the radar for 16 years while allegedly operating without a proper license

Oxman

Well-Known Member
Sounds like an HR issue.


TORONTO — A former Air Canada pilot has been charged after flying for years without a proper license, Canadian police said Tuesday.

Geoffrey Wall, of Barrie, Ontario, is alleged to have operated as an airline captain between 2009 and 2025 without a license to fly large commercial passenger planes, according to Peel Regional Police.

He is said to have flown more than 900 flights domestically and internationally without the required license. Air Canada said Wall, 59, held a valid commercial pilot license, but was promoted to captain without the required airline transport pilot license.

“This pilot had a 27-year career and we are alleging that since 2009 has been flying for years misrepresenting himself and his credentials to his employer and regulatory officials using fraudulent licensing documents,” deputy police chief Nick Milinovich said. “He rose to the position of pilot in command where for almost 17 years he flew Boeing 767s, 777s and 787s.”

The airline said he was removed from active duty once it was discovered that he did not have the correct license and that it was voluntarily reported to Transport Canada, the regulator. The pilot is no longer employed by the airline.

Police said anomalies were detected in a documentation check. Transport Canada contacted police earlier this year.

“Safety was not compromised by this incident because all pilots at Air Canada undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months,” the airline said in a statement.

“However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”

The airline declined to comment further due to privacy law and an active criminal investigation.

The airline, which did not name the pilot, said he has been fined by Transport Canada for not having the correct license to be an aircraft captain.
 
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Just like I check everyone’s credentials, by policy, during a line check.
Just had my line check and found out that the new fad causing problems is people cutting the back off their medical instead of folding along the line that says “fold here”.
 
Just had my line check and found out that the new fad causing problems is people cutting the back off their medical instead of folding along the line that says “fold here”.

When I did my first upgrade OE trip we got a fed on the jumpseat on the way home. My check airmen had cut his certificate like that and the inspector was not amused. The best part about it was that they argued about the legality of yhe certificate for almost the whole flight, which saved me from 5 hours of stump the chump.
 
Just had my line check and found out that the new fad causing problems is people cutting the back off their medical instead of folding along the line that says “fold here”.

Both of my AME's have always told me, for years, "DO NOT CUT THIS OFF" :)
 
When I did my first upgrade OE trip we got a fed on the jumpseat on the way home. My check airmen had cut his certificate like that and the inspector was not amused. The best part about it was that they argued about the legality of yhe certificate for almost the whole flight, which saved me from 5 hours of stump the chump.

I hate the 'stump the chump' people. In fact, it's kind of forbidden since you're already type-rated. I'm more like "Hey, lets bridge the gap between the safe simulator world and what's really going to happen out here" type of LCP.
 
I hate the 'stump the chump' people. In fact, it's kind of forbidden since you're already type-rated. I'm more like "Hey, lets bridge the gap between the safe simulator world and what's really going to happen out here" type of LCP.

About 90% of our LCP *cadre* is pretty chill and OE is just an extended discussion about policy and procedures. The remaining 10% either can't wait to show you how smart they are by lecturing about everything or making rapid fire requests for bits of arcane knowledge, or have one or two areas (weather radar lolz) that they (think) they are Rockstars in and spend the entire flight making sure you know how much they think they know about that one thing.
 
My Captain OE on the Airbus was pretty chill except for one guy. I already was a Captain for 4 years on the 190 but this guy had to explain to me how being a Captain on the Airbus was ”different.” From briefing the FAs to preparing every phase of the flight.
 
Just like I check everyone’s credentials, by policy, during a line check.
I checked a jumpseater's stuff once and his medical was out of date. Dude freaked out and pulled out a massive wad of expired medicals that had accumulated in his bag over his career.

Apparently he left it on his desk at home and didn't realize it. He had been flying for several weeks without a valid medical on hand.
 
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