Taking flight
<p>Shannon Dunckel, helps a customer with a Southfield Aviation fuel order Wednesday at the Coeur d’Alene Airport in Hayden. Dozens of pilots flew in to the airport to attend the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association Convention.</p>
<p>Rows of airplanes line a ramp at the Coeur d’Alene Airport.</p>
<p>A four prop version of a Piper rests in its spot among dozens parked at the Coeur d’Alene Airport.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - The Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association is bringing its annual fly-in convention to the Lake City this week.
The association is dedicated to the interests and safety of owners and pilots of Malibu, Mirage, Meridian, Matrix and JetProp light aircraft.
"It's basically a four-day safety seminar for owners of these Piper planes," said Bill Alberts, convention coordinator.
The event will host 270 attendees, with many of them flying their planes to Pappy Boyington Field in Hayden.
"We will have about 60 to 80 planes at the airport," Alberts said.
A highlight of the convention is guest speaker Mark W. Tillman, who piloted Air Force One from 2001-2009. His last flight on Air Force One was dropping President George W. Bush at Bush's home in Texas at the end of his second term.
Tillman will be giving accounts of his time flying the president's aircraft, including stories from Sept. 11, 2001, when he kept the president safe in the skies.
The convention will feature three days of speakers, a golf tournament, several seminars and a cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene.
The MMOPA convention is held yearly at vacation destinations like Colorado Springs, Fort Myers and Amelia Island, Fla.
Alberts was in charge of choosing the city for the event this year.
"I've been here five times with other groups," Alberts said. "Coeur d'Alene has The Resort and a good airstrip, so it makes for a great location."
For more information about MMOPA, visit www.mmopa.com.