“He told us Dayton would be a good area, and I flew in and saw that you guys had it together,” Niemyer said. He added that Williamson, a member of the association, kicked off the gathering Thursday morning, June 17, with a flight in the Wright “B” Flyer replica at Dayton Wright Brothers Airport.
Niemyer said more than 400 people and almost 200 planes will be in the Dayton area for the event. Dayton/Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Jacquie Powell estimated the convention will generate about $200,000 for the area.
“We’re very pleased that they are here,” Powell said.
Powell also expressed gratitude in Williamson’s role in bringing the event to Dayton.
“That’s what it takes sometimes — a local contact to get these groups to come into town,” she said.
The gathering is the biggest event of the year for COPA, a not-for profit organization of 2,800 owners, pilots and enthusiasts of Cirrus Aircraft, a Duluth, Minn.-based airplane manufacturing company that began in 1984.
Previous gatherings had taken place in Duluth. The move to Dayton came as part of a decision to make the event accessible to more members.
The event runs through Saturday and will feature seminars, speakers and tours at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Cirrus planes have established a loyal following, COPA convention Organizing Committee member Stan Jensen said.
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