InterPilot Aviation Safety Foundation
Who We Are
The InterPilot Aviation Safety Foundation (“IPASF” or “the Foundation”) – is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy, and communications to improve aviation safety. IPASF was established in 2020 as a Canadian charity.
The Foundation’s aim is to connect, influence, and lead international civil aviation safety, security, and environmental sustainability.
Its purpose reads:
“To advance education by providing publicly available scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to individuals for aviation safety courses.”
Initial funding was donated by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA).
Board of Directors
Rod LYPCHUK, President
Airline Pilot, Jazz
Captain Rod Lypchuk has flown for Jazz Airlines for nearly 4 decades and is currently a CRJ Captain based in Vancouver. A graduate of Selkirk college Aviation program in 1982, Rod has worked throughout Canada and the North as a pilot and flight instructor.
At Jazz and its subsidiaries, he has had the opportunity to work and volunteer with ALPA-I(Airline Pilots’ Association-International) in the areas of safety, negotiations, and finance since 1992. Rod participated in the Air Canada restructuring in 2003-2004 and has worked on the negotiations of several contracts as well as with a 4-way merger of airlines.
Rod joined IFALPA (International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations) in 2000 as a member of the Administration & Finance Committee. . Rod has served the Federation as Chair of the Administration & Finance Committee, Executive Vice-President Administration, Membership, & Finance, and currently, as Executive Vice-President Caribbean & North America.
In Canada, Captain Lypchuk has been Vice President of ALPA Canada (Airline pilots Association, International) since 2019. He works with the Canadian government, regulators, and other unions and helps in the organizing of independent pilot groups to get the representation they require. Rod previously served ALPA Canada as Vice President Administration & Finance.
Rod lives in Vancouver BC with his wife Sandy where they enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Ron HAY, Director
Airline pilot, Delta Air Lines
Captain Hay flies the A-350 for Delta Air Lines, based in Los Angeles. He has been an instructor and line pilot for over 35 years with four different airlines. He is currently the President of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) and has previously served IFALPA as EVP AMF, RVP US/CEP, and as Negotiations Seminar instructor. At the Air Line Pilots’ Association International (ALPA-I), Captain Hay negotiated several pilot contracts to include the merger of Northwest and Delta Air Lines. He has also served as a local council representative, as well as on multiple committees including Merger, Grievance, Strategic Planning, and Government Affairs.
John Israel GALAMBOS
Lawyer
John Israel Galambos is a lawyer. He specializes in tax and corporate law and has significant experience with charities and not-for-profit corporations. He also teaches on a part-time basis at the Faculty of Law of McGill University and at the Ordre des CPA du Québec. As a home-grown Montrealer, he is fluently bilingual, and in his spare time acts as assistant coach for his son’s hockey team.
Omar Gabriel GARCIA VAZQUEZ, Director
Airline Pilot, Grupo Aeromexico
Captain Omar Gabriel Garcia Vazquez has been a pilot with Grupo Aeromexico since 2006 and is currently a B737 captain. With ASAP, he has served as Vice President and President of the Savings Trust, as well as Secretary of Minutes and Agreements as the association’s notary. In the Colegio de Pilotos Aviadores de Mexico, he held the roles of Director of Operations and Technical Director.
Akseli MESKANEN, Director
Airline Pilot, Finnair
Akseli Meskanen has been a Finnair pilot since 2006 and is currently an A350 Captain. He served as President of the Finnish Pilots’ Association (2019-2024) and chaired IFALPA’s Professional and Government Affairs Committee. At the Finnish Pilots’ Association, he was a Council Member for 10 years and Board Member for International Affairs for 6. He also led the Oneworld Ockpit Crew Coalition as Chair.
Christoph SCHEWE, Secretary Treasurer
Officer, German Air Force
Born in Northern Germany, Christoph Schewe started his professional career in 1985 in the German military. 14 years as an active officer in the German Air Force in various assignments, including earning a diploma in business administration, shaped Christoph’s planning, leadership, and training skills. Subsequently, he expanded his experience in the private sector in a two-year trainee program at the Allianz Insurance.
Passionate about aviation safety, in 2002, Christoph decided to return to this field and became Technical Director of the German Air Line Pilots’ Association/ Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) in Frankfurt, a non-profit professional organization; his responsibilities included managing national working groups of subject matter expert volunteers, organize their meetings and external engagements, and to advocate for aviation safety. In addition, he served as Head of Personnel for several years.
From 2013 to 2023, Christoph resided in Montreal, Canada, and held the position of Managing Director at the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Association (IFALPA). In this international non-profit organization, he oversaw the personnel, organizational matters, finances, and activities of the Federation with its over 70 member associations, representing over 110,000 airline pilots around the globe.
Since 2024, Christoph resumed his military career with the German Air Force Reserve where he holds the rank of a colonel. He loves to travel the world and to engage in international networking.
Strategic Partners
IPASF and Aéro Montréal recognize the mutual benefits arising from the operation of the Foundation and are jointly committed to collaborating closely in a strategic partnership and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2021.
Created in 2006, Aéro Montréal is a strategic think tank that groups all major decision makers in Québec’s aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, as well as associations and unions.
