Our Down Memory Lane story for today is about a former Air Canada pilot, who faces criminal charges for flying tens of thousands of passengers for nearly 17 years with a fake pilot’s license, Canadian police announced on Tuesday, 9th June, 2026. That was scary!
Geoffrey Wall was arrested June 1 after investigators say he captained over 900 domestic and international flights from 2009 to 2025, without ever obtaining the proper license or completing the mandatory testing.
“This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script,” Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Milinovich said in a news conference in Ontario.
“(Wall) rose to the position of pilot in command where for almost 17 years they flew Boeing 767s, 777, and 787s,” while earning nearly $3 million Canadian dollars (more than $2 million US dollars) salary.
The allegations echo the 2002 film “Catch Me If You Can,” where a teenager talks his way into flying for PanAm.
In this case, Wall was licensed to fly commercial planes for his entire 27 year career with Air Canada, but police say he never possessed an Airline Transport Pilot License for Aeroplanes, also known as an ATPL-A, which was required when he was promoted to captain in 2009.
“This is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine but is doing brain surgery in their office,” Milinovich said.
“There’s additional requirements and regulations to professional designations that exist for a reason.”