A long-time Luscombe lover, from a family of Luscombe lovers, is this year’s grand prize winner in the Luscombe Endowment’s “WIN ME” raffle.
The winner, Jack Mason, purchased 10 tickets. He learned to fly while a teen, soloing in his father’s Luscombe 8A N72025 in 1977. 
Jack’s father owned and operated his 8A Luscombe for many years, and was so fond of the airplane that the family included an image of it on his memorial stone after his passing on May 19, 2005.
Jack was surprised by the drawing results, and also noted that it was a fitting memorial to his father that his winning ticket was drawn seven years to the day after his father had passed.
Jack explained that he bought 10 WIN ME tickets to support the Luscombe cause. He noted he had no real expectation of winning an airplane, but wanted to contribute towards Luscombe preservation and support with a donation.
The airplane is expected to be delivered to Jack around July 20 near his home 20 miles west of Boston. Jack plans to operate the airplane from the family home airport (MA52), which his father registered in 1948.
The Luscombe Endowment’s promotional WIN ME drawing launched in June 2010, with the winning ticket drawn on May 19, at Columbia, California, during the annual Gathering of Luscombes.
The Luscombe Endowment provides technical support, many new and used parts, components, and dozens of unique raw materials used for the repair and restoration of Luscombe airplanes. “We strive to keep the Luscombe fleet supported and supplied, so that many more people will discover the unique historical significance of the Luscombe airplanes, as well as their delightful flying characteristics,” said the endowment’s Doug Combs.
Other winners in the drawing were:
- Handheld GPS: Trent Tobias
- Handheld Radio: Patrick Craig
- $200 gift purchase certificates: Dietmarr Kubb and Ray Durkee,
- ‘THE LUSCOMBE’ book by Saletri: Michael Larkin, Donna Stillo, Earl Harquist, and Gary Worm
Cash early bird winners, previously announced, were Alfred Kelp: $500; and Cary Wallace: $500. Luscombe Endowment officials note that the early bird entries were included in the WIN ME grand prize drawing as well.
The WIN ME drawing for 2013 has already kicked off, with a few changes.
The Luscombe Endowment has reduced the number of available tickets in its new drawing, which opened May 24, to just 1,500 winning chances.
The endowment has also doubled the single entry price for participation from $45 to $100 for a single ticket so as to minimize the costs of promotion, advertising, and processing. “We believe this will also shorten the time to the next drawing,” Combs said.
Want to buy more tickets? You can purchase three tickets for $250; six tickets for $450; or 10 tickets for $600. All purchases support Luscombe preservation and parts support for the fleet.
Early bird prizes will be drawn in November 2012 and May 2013, before drawing for the grand prize: A restored Luscombe 8A with electrical system in late 2013.
Details are at www.Luscombe.org, where there are links to enter the drawing online, or to download a form for a mail entry.
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