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FRCOPA Flight 23 (North Bay) Hosts Annual BBQ
By Carol Cooke
June 15 was a beautiful day for a flight and a COPA social! Aviation enthusiasts and members of the North Bay community gathered for a delightful COPA social event at Ron Miller's hangar. Earlier in the day, three of the resident Slobirds enjoyed a fun flight to Mattawa, thanks to Mark Wilkins for the chauffeured ride to a local restaurant.
At 4 pm, over 60 club members, spouses, and guests gathered at Ron Miller’s hangar (off Apron 3). The event kicked off with an intriguing presentation by Ron, highlighting his summer trip to Yellowknife for fishing and sightseeing flights. Ron’s group flew commercially to Yellowknife, where the adventure began with many photos showcasing the aircraft based in the area, along with some stunning shots of great lake trout fishing!
While Bill Carswell grilled steaks for the group (provided by M&M), the tables was full of salads and desserts, all enjoyed by the group. A big thank you to our wonderful local chefs! After dinner, one of our resident instructors, Andy Smith, took the stage and we played “are you smarter than a student pilot”. Andy took challenging questions from TC exams based on the 5 different sections for PPL exam. Tables were numbered and Andy tallied the score for each table. We had 3 of our local FSS finest in attendance, so they got the meteorological answers correct. No prizes given out as this was the first time we tried this type of activity at our club's socials. Everyone agreed it was great fun and a good review.
Next, we met Nico Anello, a young photographer, whose presentation featured spectacular photos of local aircraft and unusual visitors at YYB. Nico’s keen eye captured breathtaking shots, including CL415 in action north of the airport last summer.
Nico’s collection also featured spectacular photos of local aircraft and unusual visitors at YYB, along with numerous floatplane landings and takeoffs.
The evening wrapped up around 8 p.m., with a few volunteers helping to restore Ron’s hangar to its original condition, stowing tables, chairs, and repositioning aircraft.
Many thanks to Ron and Nancy for the use of their hangar, Bill for cooking the steaks, Andy for his engaging TC questions, Nico for his stunning photos, and Captain Johanna Sanchez for organizing the event. It was heartening to see such great attendance at this annual gathering.
