Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association

What Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association does

Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association (COPA) is a 501(c)(7) non-profit founded in 2005 and headquartered in Sanford, North Carolina, serving the global community of Cirrus aircraft owners, pilots, enthusiasts, and industry insiders. The organization provides safety advocacy, structured flight training (notably the COPA Pilot Proficiency Program and miniCPPP delivered via a network of Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots), a Discourse-based community forum, a bi-monthly COPA Pilot Magazine in its 21st year of publication, and a Member Advantage Program offering discounts with aviation vendors such as Jeppesen, Garmin, and Best Tugs. COPA also operates two affiliated entities — the COPA Safety & Education Foundation (501(c)(3)) and COPA Training Foundation LLC (Phoenix, AZ) — to separate charitable and training functions from the membership association.

COPA's core technology assets are the cirruspilots.org web platform, the active online forum (forum.cirruspilots.org), and the recently introduced COPA.fyi Suite of three digital pilot tools (COPA.fyi, COPA Commander, Ask COPA U) available to members. The organization maintains a proprietary CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System) event-tracking database documenting 148 saves and 297 survivors as of July 2026, and a content library of 345+ member-contributed articles. The business is supported by a small staff of 1-10 employees and led by President Erik Gundersen and Vice President / Director of IT Mitchel Sellers.

The business model is fundamentally a recurring subscription: $95 per year per member generates the bulk of revenue, supplemented by donations to the 501(c)(3) foundation and revenue-sharing from the Member Advantage Program. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging word-of-mouth within the Cirrus pilot ecosystem, regional fly-ins, COPA Migrations (North America and Europe), formation flying clinics, and training events. Membership is priced at a level the organization claims is offset by an average $1,000 in annual member savings through partner discounts, while members are reported to be 50% less likely to crash than non-members — both claims used as primary acquisition messaging.

Name

Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association

Legal name

Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association

Website

https://cirruspilots.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COPA is a 501(c)(7) non-profit membership association serving over 7,000 global owners and pilots of Cirrus aircraft with safety programs, proficiency flight training, an online community forum, and a partner discount program at $95 per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues at $95 per year, providing access to all COPA benefits including training programs, forum, magazine, events, and member discounts.
2. Member Advantage Program: Partner discounts with aviation suppliers including Jeppesen (20% off subscriptions), Best Tugs (10% off purchases), Garmin Pilot (10% off annual subscription), and other aviation product/service providers. Revenue appears to flow through member purchases rather than direct commission.
3. Donations to COPA SEF: The COPA Safety & Education Foundation (501(c)(3)) accepts donations including one-time, recurring, planned giving, and endowed gifts to support aviation safety mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association (COPA) is a global 501(c)(7) non-profit membership organization serving Cirrus aircraft owners and pilots. It sells annual memberships that provide access to safety and proficiency training programs (CPPP), an online community forum, a bi-monthly magazine, partner discounts through the Member Advantage Program, and CAPS safety tracking, all aimed at reducing crash rates and connecting the Cirrus aviation community.

Product overview

The Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association (COPA) offers a membership-based platform for Cirrus aircraft pilots and enthusiasts, centered around three core pillars: safety/proficiency training, community connection, and member benefits. The primary offerings include the COPA.fyi Suite (three web-based pilot tools), the COPA Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) and miniCPPP training courses, the COPA Forums community discussion board, COPA Pilot Magazine (bi-monthly publication), the Member Advantage Program (discounts on aviation products), the CAPS safety tracking program, COPA SEF (Safety and Education Foundation), formation flying events, and annual migrations. The organization also offers online flight training programs (CPPPNow) and a library of over 345 member-contributed articles covering aviation topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COPA.fyi: Suite of digital tools for Cirrus pilots including COPA.fyi, COPA Commander, and Ask COPA U
• COPA Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP)
• COPA Pilot Magazine

Products and services

• COPA.fyi Suite A suite of three web-based tools for Cirrus pilots consisting of COPA.fyi (general pilot resource), COPA Commander (aircraft management/pilot tool), and Ask COPA U (Q&A platform). Available to all COPA members.
• COPA Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) A structured flight training program offering ground courses and flight training with Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots (CSIPs), including multi-day mountain flying courses and member-only online flight training (CPPPNow). Designed to improve Cirrus pilot proficiency and safety.
• miniCPPP A one-day condensed version of the COPA Pilot Proficiency Program offering abbreviated Cirrus-specific proficiency training for pilots seeking a shorter training option.
• Partner in Command (PIC) A training program within the CPPP framework focused on enabling partners and spouses to participate in Cirrus flight training.
• COPA Forums Discourse-based online community discussion forum for pilots, enthusiasts, and industry insiders to ask questions, troubleshoot aircraft issues, and plan trips. Records show thousands of weekly posts and active users.
• COPA Pilot Magazine A bi-monthly aviation magazine delivered to all COPA members covering safety, operations, maintenance, technology, and community stories. Published since 2006 and currently in Volume 21.
• Member Advantage Program A membership benefit program offering exclusive discounts on aviation products and services from partner brands including Jeppesen (20% off), Best Tugs (10% off), Garmin Pilot (10% off annual subscription), Airtug, FireFrost, and Steel Aviation. Members report average annual savings of $1,000.
• CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System) Program A safety initiative that tracks and publishes Cirrus Airframe Parachute System deployments and saves, documenting 148 total saves and 297 survivors as of July 2026.
• COPA Safety & Education Foundation (SEF) A 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation affiliated with COPA that accepts donations including one-time, recurring, planned giving, and endowed gifts to support aviation safety and education for Cirrus owners and pilots worldwide.
• COPA Migrations Annual fly-in events including North America Migration and Europe Migration that allow members to fly together, network, and connect with the Cirrus community across regions.
• COPA Articles Library A searchable database of over 345 member-contributed and researched articles covering categories including Training, Operations, Maintenance, Technology, Purchase, Safety, Legal, Trip Reports, and Partner Perspectives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members are 50% less likely to crash
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• JeppesenminorOthersJeppesen, a leading aviation navigation and flight planning services provider, offers 20% off aircraft subscriptions to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.
• Best TugsminorOthersBest Tugs, an aircraft towing equipment manufacturer, offers 10% off tug purchases to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.
• GarminminorOthersGarmin offers 10% off annual subscription for Garmin Pilot to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.
• AirtugminorOthersAirtug, an aircraft tug manufacturer, offers discounts to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.
• FireFrostminorOthersFireFrost (aviation product brand) offers discounts to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.
• Steel AviationminorOthersSteel Aviation offers products/services to COPA members through the Member Advantage Program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Piper Pilots Society: Community and resource network for Piper aircraft owners and pilots. Another OEM-specific pilot association paralleling COPA's niche community approach.
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA): Sport aviation and homebuilt/community, best known for AirVenture Oshkosh. Same nonprofit membership model, magazine, training programs, and community events — a direct peer in mission and operating model.
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA): The largest US general-aviation membership association (~300,000 members), offering advocacy, training resources, magazines, and member benefits. Directly comparable as a pilot/owner membership organization, though COPA is OEM-specific (Cirrus) while AOPA is fleet-agnostic.
• Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association: Pilot-owner community focused on Mooney Aircraft, offering forums, technical resources, and fly-in events — a small but structurally similar aircraft-specific membership community.
• Cessna Pilots Association: Membership association specifically for Cessna aircraft owners and pilots. Closest analog to COPA's OEM-specific community model, applied to the world's largest piston-aircraft fleet.
• American Bonanza Society: Member society serving Beechcraft Bonanza, Baron, and Travel Air owners/pilots with training clinics (BPPP), magazine, and safety programs. Structurally almost identical to COPA, just for a different Beechcraft pilot community.

Broad incumbents

• Cirrus Aircraft: The OEM whose installed fleet defines COPA's market. Not a competitor but the central ecosystem player around which COPA's value proposition is built, including overlapping CSIP training content.
• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA): Larger business and general-aviation trade association with membership programs, events (NBAA-BACE), and training resources. Comparable mission scale and member-benefit structure at the broader aviation level.

Others

• Jeppesen: Aviation navigation, charts, and flight-planning vendor. Listed as a COPA Member Advantage partner (20% off) and an adjacent ecosystem participant that benefits from COPA's engaged pilot base.

Emerging players

• Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE): Professional society for flight instructors. Comparable in offering instructor-focused training, mentoring, and continuing education programs that compete/overlap with COPA's CSIP and CPPP curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/copasafety
• Xx.com/copa_pilot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association