As part of the Night For Flight benefit dinner to be held during the AOPA Aviation Summit, the AOPA Foundation, charitable arm of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, has launched an online auction. Bidding is now underway and will continue until Saturday, Nov. 13.
“Every item up for bid has been donated, and we are most grateful to every donor,” said Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Foundation. “Their generosity and the interest their donations will generate will provide important support for the foundation’s four strategic initiatives: preserving airports; growing the pilot population; promoting safety education; and enhancing the image of general aviation.”
The biggest-ticket item up for auction is a WACO Classic YMF-5D aircraft. The YMF-5D is a brand new made-to-order aircraft from the WACO Classic Aircraft Corporation. It is an open-cockpit biplane design that offers pilots a happy marriage of barnstorming-era wind-in-your-hair fun with the latest IFR-capable avionics. The aircraft being auctioned is still being built, so the winning bidder will have the opportunity to work directly with Waco Classic Aircraft to further customize the avionics package and other options.
For the adventurous, there’s a chance to be the winning bidder for a day at Tutima Academy flying with air show legend Sean D. Tucker. Or bid for an opportunity to crew for air show performer Mike Goulian.
Also on the auction block are an accelerated 10-day instrument training course, numerous vacation opportunities, even the chance to name a character in an upcoming novel by author Stuart Wood.
Other items include flight bags donated by Brightline, David Clark headsets, iPads, and a Sporty’s SP-400 handheld Nav/Com radio with full ILS display, to name a few.
A portion of each ticket to the Night For Flight benefit dinner and the proceeds from the auction will go to the AOPA Foundation to fund the initiatives to preserve the future of general aviation.
