AOPA Foundation auctions aviation items

A brand-new Waco Great Lakes Biplane, a “flight” in an Alaska Airlines simulator, an AOPA experience with AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg and Flight Training Editor Ian Twombly, and a Top Gun training experience are among the items available in the AOPA Foundation’s 2013 online auction. All proceeds from the auction, which runs through Saturday, Dec. 14, will benefit the foundation’s ongoing efforts to preserve the future of general aviation.

This year’s items are a mix of aviation experiences and coveted sporting events, including a trip for two to Super Bowl XLVIII and a trip for two to the 2014 NCAA Final Four men’s basketball tournament. The auction also features a Scottsdale, Ariz., golf experience and a Waco radial engine coffee table.

The AOPA Foundation staff called on the general aviation community for the donated items, said Stephanie Kenyon, the foundation’s vice president of strategic philanthropy. “A lot of the items were donated by foundation supporters and organizations that AOPA works with, including Waco, Boeing, Redbird, and Pilatus,” she said. “We wanted to put together a collection of unique items and aviation experiences that are not readily available to pilots.”

Three items—the Pilatus trip and flight in a PC-7, the Boeing Seattle VIP factory tour, and the Richard Petty Driving Experience—sold within 48 hours of being listed. The foundation continues to add items, like a Boeing VIP factory tour at the 787 facility in Charleston, S.C. Check the auction site regularly between now and Dec. 14 to see new items as they are listed.

“We look to the generosity of the general aviation community to help the AOPA Foundation fund efforts that ensure a strong future for GA,” said. Kenyon. “By bidding on these auction items, the GA community can ensure that pilots today and tomorrow enjoy the freedom to fly.”