It’s a well known fact that participating in airshows is expensive – planes, fuel, smoke oil, travel, and hotel costs all take a toll on the airshow performer. It’s harder and harder to get and keep sponsorship now than it used to be. As a result, a few airshow performers have taken to unconventional ways of trying to raise funds.
Patty Wagstaff, a Bill Barber Award for Showmanship recipient and inductee into many airshow and aviation hall of fames is asking for help to raise money for a new airplane. She started a GoFundMe campaign, a popular way to raise money through crowd sourcing.
Since starting on July 3rd, the campaign has raised $3,275 (as of July 10th) and is asking for nearly $450,000. Patty, who started the campaign herself posted an explanation on her Facebook fan page for the campaign after receiving some criticism. In it, she says she figured “why not?” when starting the campaign. She needs “a new airplane and needs support,” and says that she “loves supporting other people and think(s) people have been pretty successful on crowdfunding sites.” Fans so far seem to be supportive of her, at least verbally on her fan pages. The page has accumulated over 1,200 total shares.
In addition to Patty’s campaign, another airshow performer, Scott Yoak, who flies a P-51 Mustang affectionately known as “Quicksilver” is also asking for help. Scott’s campaign won’t require you to pull out your credit card though; Quicksilver is in a contest run by Wells Fargo Bank to help out small businesses. Applicants had to write an essay or submit a video saying why they decided to start their business, their mission, the biggest challenge they face, what upcoming business opportunities they seek in the next 2-5 years, and how they would spend $25,000.
Scott talks about keeping history alive and how he and his father, Bill Yoak created Quicksilver P-51 Airshows to “provide a unique opportunity for airshow audiences to see, feel, and hear the power and vibrations of a historic aircraft that helped free a world at war.”
The finalists and grand prize winners will be announced in September. As of July 10th, the entry had over 3,100 views. The number of votes was not given.
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