Strategy time. As the clock winds down in the AOPA Foundation’s A Night for Flight online auction, it’s time to get your game face on and plan your path to become the victorious bidder for one of 120 items. With bids from $50 to $275,000 on items ranging from gift certificates or flight bags to vacation getaways or training packages and even an aircraft, there’s something for every interest and budget.
But with the auction ending Sept. 22, when is the best time to place that winning bid? A 2011 Cessna 172 is up for bid at $275,000 with no bidders; do you bid now to stake a claim or hold your cards close and come in at the end? The aircraft is placed for $32,500 less than its value listed on the A Night for Flight auction.
It’s not the only item currently up for bid below its value. A PC dual-screen flight simulator is $1,500 below its listed value; a SimCom Beech Baron or Cessna 300/400 series training package is $1,400 below its value; custom aircraft paint design $1,000 below value; an HS 600 DANR headset $200 below; and Scheyden Precision Eyewear $60 to $70 off. For aviation enthusiasts in the market for practical items similar to these, the charity auction holds some good deals.
Not all items in the auction follow the practical pilot gear and training credo. Some are just fun: like a flight and lunch with actor and pilot Harrison Ford, flying with airshow star Sean D. Tucker, golfing and dining with Ken Griffey Jr. and Cirrus CEO Dale Klapmeier, a P-51C Tuskegee Airmen flight experience, crewing for a day with aerobatic pilot Mike Goulian, dinner with an astronaut, or vacation getaways.
The auction holds good deals for anyone who bids. That’s because the proceeds go to the AOPA Foundation to help preserve and improve community airports, improve general aviation’s safety record through increased pilot education, grow the pilot population to ensure GA’s future, and educate the public on the benefits of GA. Place your bid before it’s too late!
