A surprising find at COPA Migration 2021

Mike Radomsky

flying his Cirrus during the 2021 COPA Migration Partner-in-Command course.

I recently attended the COPA Migration event in Scottsdale, AZ. Although I was only there for less than 24 hours, it was an exciting stop on a cross-country adventure.

The Partner-in-Command course was the main reason to attend. Mike Radomsky, a founding member of COPA and a highly experienced Cirrus pilot, taught the class.

Surprisingly, my favorite part was the attendee introductions. There were over 75 people in the room, and Mike asked each of us to take 15 seconds to introduce ourselves, tell how long we have been flying, and - most importantly - if we like to fly.

The answers were insightful - some partners were terrified or bored, some slept in the back seat, and others were experienced aviators - flight attendants, partners working on their PPL, and regular right-seaters.

Although the introductions took about 45 minutes and shortened the presentation time, it was well worth hearing from other right-seaters.

A few pilots/husbands attended alongside their partners/wives - I think this is a brilliant strategy! My pilot/husband sat in the back of the room for a part of the presentation. We later talked extensively about the information he heard. This conversation was enormously helpful, and I will encourage him to attend the next course with me.

In the following brief clip of Mike explains what happens when you pull the parachute. His fun presentation style had us all entertained throughout the morning.