Columbia Aviation Association meets weekly for hangar talk, dinner, and a program relevant to aviators.   Program speakers may be CAA members or someone in their network, or recognized in the aviation community.  

John Lear, son of Bill Lear, shared his world-wide experiences flying in multiple different aircraft types.   Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan spoke about their time with the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping (a 9 day, 3 minute, 44 second endurance record).  Two Russian cosmonauts in town for the Chkalov memorial dedication joined us for dinner one night.   Gen. Merrill McPeak and his staff visited one evening and we listened to his story of tearing the wings of his F-100 while performing a maneuver with the USAF Thunderbirds.  Patty Wagstaff shared her version of hangar talk and her experiences with flying the aerobatic circuits.  

Several meetings each year are devoted to preparing for our Annual Flight Review "Flight Profile" which is a precursor to the FAA Flight Review Requirement.

Typical programs:

• Regulations & Airspace by Mary Schu, CFII, ATP, DME, 2015 CFI of the Year and CAA Member
• Walking Tour of Businesses at Aurora State Airport by Bruce Bennett, CAA Member
• Impact of COVID-19 on PDX Operations, Bob Altemus, Port of Portland Operations and CAA Member
• Skud Running (or Not) by Kevin Padrick, CFII, MEI, ATP and CAA Member
• Rotors in Vietnam by John Johnson, retired Huey pilot and CAA Member
• Oregon and Idaho Backcountry Flying by John Gillett, CAA Member
• Cockpit Resource Management by Steve Bush, Horizon Air and CAA Member 
• An Airline Pilot's View of the 737 Max by Southwest First Officer and former F-16 pilot Travis Swan
• Freestyle Aerobatics by Jim Bourke, 2017 U.S. Aerobatic Team and Corvallis resident
• Fuel and Water Don't Mix by Pat McNamee, CAA Member
• Winter Flying by Kevin Padrick, CFII, MEI, ATP, and CAA Member
• PDX Major Expansions by Vince Granato, Port of Portland COO
• Kenmore Air by Chuck Perry, Chief Pilot
• Flying on the USS Hornet & Sailing on the USCG Eagle by Jake Jacobs, Executive Director of ORAVI and CAA Member
• Marine Aviation Including Helicopters & V-22 Osprey Ops on San Antonio Littoral Ships by Gen. Chris Owens, USMC (ret’d)
• Misadventures in Mexico by Roger May, CAA Member
• Human Factors/Human Errors by Jeff Currin, Lifeflight FOQA Flight Operations Quality Manager
• Losing the Wings on a F100 during a USAF Thunderbird Airshow by Gen. Merrill McPeak, USAF Chief of Staff
• Al Haynes, Captain of United Airlines flight 232, which crashed in Sioux City, ID cornfield