John Leggat

John was born on September 4^th 1946 in Toronto. To be closer to his fathers’ bourgeoning business on Gilles Airfield (later to become Buttonville Municipal Airport), the family moved to Thornhill where he attended Langstaff Public and Thornhill Secondary High Schools.

As a child, John spent many weekends at airports throughout southern Ontario as his father did estimates and consultation on aircraft. As a teenager he started working Saturday’s and holidays in the Family Business.

John attended the University of Waterloo and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970.

Growing up John worked summers and countless weekends with his father. Upon graduating from university in 1970, John started working in the family business and has worked in general aviation for 53 years. The aviation industry as a whole has been a life long passion.

John’s expansive knowledge about general aviation has come from his long career working on, in and around airplanes. Throughout his career, he has worked with Champion/Citabria, Mooney, Waco, Grumman, Piper and Cessna. Leggat Aviation is currently the proud Eastern Canada Authorized Textron Retailer and Service Facility. When he speaks about aviation, his wealth of knowledge and love for the industry is almost palpable. He has come to be a fixture in the industry, not only for his depth of experience and knowledge, but for his trustworthiness. He is always willing to help out and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Leggat Aircraft Limited (later to become Leggat Aviation) was established in 1945 by Jim Leggat. From an early age, John spent time at airports being influenced by Jim’s passion for aviation. Working alongside his Dad, John was further ensconced in the aviation industry by his Dad’s knowledge, wisdom and reverence in the industry. John was also influenced by strong family involvement in aviation, his maternal grandfather, Len Tripp, was a prominent flight instructor in the aviation industry and was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame.He also had two maternal uncles, Ross Tripp and Hedley Tripp, who worked in the aviation industry.

John has been a longtime supporter of Hope Air. He is a member of COPA. Plus, he is member 41 of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association of Ontario, joining in 1984.

He was previously a member of the steering committee for Curriculum Development in Aviation at Centennial College and is an avid supporter and visionary for the future of aviation. He supports the training of the new generation of mechanics/aviation enthusiasts providing mentorship and opportunities for internships. He frequently donates parts and accessories to educational programs for students to use in their learning.

John has received many accolades over the course of his career for his continued work in and support of the aviation community. Most recently, he received the 2021 COPA Directors Award in recognition of his many efforts to advance, promote and preserve our Canadian freedom to fly.

 Reflecting his decades long presence and experience in Canadian aviation, John often reflects on the changes that he has witnessed.  This has helped Leggat Aviation to strike a balance between maintaining strong and consistent core values and reliable customer service levels, while incorporating and keeping pace with industry changes. Adapting and changing to provide exceptional customer service has always been a priority.

The future for John and Leggat Aviation looks bright as he and his staff prepare to say goodbye to Buttonville Municipal Airport and move to the Oshawa Executive Airport where he will continue to uphold his longstanding reputation for quality and reliable service to the aviation community.