Claiming Questions
Where Questions Come From
Questions arrive in two ways. Pilots ask them directly through COPA U, or they escalate a conversation from Commander (the AI assistant) when they want a human expert’s answer. Either way, the question lands in the Open tab of every expert whose categories match.
Deciding Whether to Claim
Before claiming, read the full question. The detail page shows:
- The question itself — What the pilot is asking, including any context, symptoms, or things they’ve already tried
- Aircraft details — Model, avionics suite, year, and other specifics about the pilot’s aircraft
- Category — The expertise area it falls under
- Commander conversation (if escalated) — The AI’s previous attempt at answering, so you can see what the pilot has already been told
Claim a question when you’re confident you can provide a solid answer and have the bandwidth to see it through. There’s no penalty for reading a question and leaving it for someone else.
Claiming
Click Claim This Question in the action bar at the top of the question page. You become the Owner — the expert responsible for driving this question to a published answer. The question moves from “Queued” to “Drafting” status and appears in your Claimed tab.
Declining
If a question matches your categories but falls outside your actual knowledge, click Decline. You can optionally provide a reason. The question stays in the Open queue for other experts. Declining is a service to the pilot — it’s better than claiming something you can’t answer well.