COPA Migration 11 in Mobile, AL -- a Gulf Coast Adventure

Since folks hanging out here in the Guest forum don’t have access to the conversations “on the other side of the fence”, I thought that I better mention that everyone is welcome at Migration - members and non-members alike! While we do a reasonably good job of letting the COPA membership know about Migration, reaching nonmembers who might be interested in Migration or fly Cirrus aircraft (or other TAA planes) is more of a challenge. So, here’s some info that will be posted shortly on the event registration website. (Much of this has been announced on the membership site although not in this format.) Please forgive the formatting; I don’t have much control with this editor and sometimes it does strange stuff:


When: June
24-26 for unique, pre-Migration
vacation activities

                  June

27-29 for traditional Migration
events

Where: Mobile ,
Ala. (KBFM)

COPA’s
annual “migration” event is the largest event of the year for Cirrus pilots! This year, our annual flying adventure takes
us to Mobile, Ala.,
a wonderful Gulf Coast location with outstanding
opportunities for leisure activities of all types. Because of this year’s location, we’re
embarking on something new and have added pre-Migration
vacation events to our traditional Migration
mix of meetings, seminars, trade-show, and dinners.

Here’s
a quick view from 10,000 feet:

Pre-Migration
Vacation Activities
(Monday, June 24 through Wednesday, June
26)

If
your past-time tends to the aquatic, arrive early and enjoy some unique Gulf Coast
possibilities: SCUBA dive on a sunken
aircraft carrier, enjoy a day at the seashore, head out on a deep-sea fishing
trip, or tour the lower Delta by kayak. For
those who prefer dry-land activities, there is plenty to see and do! Enjoy a golf outing/tournament on the famous
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove. Visit
Battleship Memorial
Park and tour Battleship Alabama as well as the
park’s 36,000 square-foot aircraft pavilion. And, don’t forget the USS Drum, an on-site
submarine! If that’s not enough, join us
for an all-day trip to the Pensacola Naval Air Station, including the Navy’s
largest aviation museum as well as the training facilities that produce some of
our nation’s finest military aviators. These are optional pre-Migration events selected to pique the interests of
both pilots and non-pilots.
For more
information, select the “M11-Pre-migration Information” link located on the
COPA home page under “Announcements” – click here.

Traditional
Migration Events
(Wednesday evening, June 26 through Saturday, June 29)

If
“traditional” implies “been there, done that”, then we’re using the wrong
terminology! If your busy schedule
causes you to miss the first half of the week, be sure and arrive in time for
COPA Cabana on Wednesday evening, June 26. Then, on Thursday, enjoy an all-day tour of
Continental Motors, the factory that manufactures the engines powering our
aircraft. After that, two great dinner
events, our annual COPA meeting, a trade-show featuring all-things aviation,
and a fabulous seminar program will easily consume the remainder of your
week. You can expect to see a few
changes here, as well. This year, we’ve
enhanced our aviation seminar program to include things of interest to both pilot and non-pilot alike. The
“technical” thread consists primarily of seminars that will interest our pilot
cadre. However, the “adventure” seminar
thread expresses some of the incredible potential of general aviation – where
we can go and what can we do! In this
thread, our speakers share ideas and dreams that have taken shape to become
their own personal adventures.

Suggested fly-in arrival:

For pre-Migration
activities, as early as Sunday, June 23, 9:00
AM – 4:00 PM

For traditional Migration events, Wednesday, June 26, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Suggested
fly-in departure: Sunday, June 30

If you register June 1(or later),
we cannot guarantee that you will receive items such as clothing in the sizes
you requested or meal menu selections.

Registration
Options

Adult/main: Admission to all tours, conferences,
seminars, and trade-show, including Wednesday evening COPA Cabana event,
Thursday tour of Continental Motors facility (with lunch), Thursday &
Friday dinners, as well as lunch Friday and Saturday at the trade-show in the
Mobile Convention Center.

Adult/spouse (or Domestic Partner): This registration is valid only for a spouse
or domestic partner (residing in the same household and registering together
using a single payment) accompanying another registrant who is paying the full
Adult event fee. Admission to all tours,
conferences, seminars, and trade-show, including Wednesday evening COPA Cabana
event, Thursday tour of Continental Motors facility (with lunch), Thursday
& Friday dinners, as well as lunch Friday and Saturday at the trade-show in
the Mobile Convention Center.

Junior/student (age 16-22): This registration type is valid only for a
junior accompanying an adult registrant who is paying the full Adult event fee.
Admission to all tours, conferences,
seminars, and trade-show, including Wednesday evening COPA Cabana event,
Thursday tour of Continental Motors facility (with lunch), Thursday &
Friday dinners, as well as lunch Friday and Saturday at the trade-show in the
Mobile Convention Center.

**Child/youth (age 5-15): **This registration type is valid only for a child/youth accompanying an
adult registrant who is paying the full Adult event fee. Admission to all pre-Migration
activities and tours, including COPA Cabana on Wednesday night and the Thursday
tour of Continental Motors facility (with lunch). (Other than COPA Cabana, evening events are
not included.) As in the past, we are
offering activities for youth in a camp-based setting, but this year there will
be a new spin on Camp
COPA. The Gulf Coast Exploreum is offering one of
their summer camp programs (with age-appropriate activities) specifically for
the COPA kids – Principles of Flight
will explore the scientific principles of flight and uncover the engineering
secrets of modern aircraft. Offered June
27-29 from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., the Exploreum is within walking distance from The
Battle House Hotel. In addition to Migration registration, the daily cost is $40/camper
payable to the Gulf Coast Exploreum; reservations
are required
. Each camper must
provide their own sack lunch. For more
information, contact Don Comeaux (Associate Director of Education, Gulf Coast
Exploreum) via email dcomeaux@exploreum.com or by phone at (251) 208-6855.

**One-day Registration: ** Includes Friday dinner
& Saturday trade-show & seminars.

Registration Fees

Early

(by
6/1/13)

Late

(after
6/1/13)

4-plus
days: pre-Migration
activities + all traditional Migration
events

Adult/main

$395

$445

Adult/spouse

$350

$400

Junior/student (age
16-22)

$340

$390

Child/youth (age 5-15)

$75

$125

3
days: Migration
events (Thursday – Saturday)

Adult/main

$340

$390

Adult/spouse

$295

$345

Junior/student (age
16-22)

$285

$335

Child/youth (age 5-15)

$30

$80

One
day: Migration
events (Friday dinner & Saturday trade-show & seminars)

Adult/main

$225

$250

Adult/spouse

$225

$250

Junior/student (age
16-22)

$200

$225


If this looks interesting (and I hope that it does), you need to reserve your lodging NOW. June-July is high-season in Mobile, AL. And, our reserved block of rooms is being consumed. Here’s all of the information necessary to make a reservation. Again, this is a copy from information that has been posted previously on the members portion of the COPA website:


HOTELS

Lodging is not included
in the price of your Migration
registration. Please make your lodging
reservations directly with the hotel.

The Battle House Hotel

26 North Royal Street
· Mobile, Alabama
36602

Our host hotel for Migration
11 is
The
Battle House Hotel, a Renaissance hotel and spa by Marriott and one of Mobile’s finest. The hotel
stands on the site of an old military headquarters set up by Andrew Jackson
during the War of 1812 and is a member of Historic Hotels of America. Named one
of the “Top 500 Hotels in the World” by Travel + Leisure magazine, The
Battle House Hotel is located downtown, directly across the street from the Convention
Center which will host Migration 11’s
seminars and exhibitor trade show as well as COPA’s annual meeting.

Offerings of the
hotel include a full European spa and sauna, outdoor pool and whirlpool, fitness
center, tennis court, driving range, and the nearby, 54-hole championship
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove.

Our COPA group rate is
$149 (plus tax) per night for their “Deluxe Guestroom.” Click HERE to make your reservation online today!

Telephone registration: If you’d
prefer to make your reservation by phone, call (866) 316-5957 and tell
them you are part of the COPA group. They
are expecting you!

To make sure that there
is something for everyone, we’ve also identified a couple of hotel options that
are nearby. You may be able to
find a slightly lower rate. However,
ground transportation may be necessary, and that will be your
responsibility. Two other downtown
hotels you could consider are: Hampton
Inn & Suites Mobile, telephone number (251) 436-8787, and Holiday Inn Mobile – Downtown, telephone
number (800)
315-2621. Neither of these
hotels have been contacted about special pricing for Migration.

Please keep in mind that
M11 occurs during “high season” in Mobile,
and hotel rates will increase significantly by the time Migration occurs. So, the sooner you secure your room for your
stay, the better!


I know, there are a zillion other things to know about Migration. But, take a look at our pre-Migration activities. Then, check your calendar for the dates. And, if the basics work for you, reserve a room! When Registration comes on-line, you can further explore the details, look at the seminars, and review your decision. If M11 is not what you want to do this year, OK – just cancel your room reservation. On the other hand, when you discover that we’re having separate “adventure” and “technical” seminar presentations (of interest to the non-pilot as well as the pilot), and that John and Martha King will be featured speakers at M11, I suspect that you’ll be glad you already have a room! And, that doesn’t even count the all-day tour of Continental Motors’ factory on Thursday…

If you have questions, this is the place to post them!

Blue skies,

Craig

Craig Albright, Chairman

COPA Migration 11