For the first time ever, a major aeronautics annual general meeting touched down in Vernon over the weekend.
The Vernon Flying Club hosted the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association's (COPA) AGM at the Vernon Regional Airport Saturday, June 21, bringing together pilots and aviation experts to discuss COPA's mission statement and plans for the next year.
The Vernon Flying Club was asked if it would host this year's AGM after it took home an award of excellence last year.
The COPA meeting was a chance to give members "an idea of where the organization is going," said Rob McDicken, Vernon Flying Club volunteer and organizer of Discover Aviation Day, which will see a number of kids take flight for the first time on Saturday, June 28.
People from across Canada attended Saturday's AGM, which was a chance to go over what small airports like Vernon's have to offer.
"Most of the members of the Flying Club are COPA members, (which is) an advocacy group for general aviation and for small aircraft," McDicken said. "They promote general aviation and make people aware of what small aircraft and small airports really can do to benefit a community."
McDicken has been a COPA member for five years and this was the first COPA AGM he was able to attend. He won an award last year but the AGM was in Hamilton, Ont., so he wasn't able to collect it in person, making this year's meeting at his home airport extra special.
McDicken and his team of dedicated club volunteers are prepared for the annual Discover Aviation Day June 28 at the Vernon airport. So far, 120 people aged eight to 20 have been accepted to go up in the air, and even more will get to go on a flight from a standby list. Those who haven't yet registered need only meet at the airport at 8 a.m. to get put on the list.
For more information on Discover Aviation, email McDicken at disc.av.vernon@gmail.com.
