2009 Let’s Go Flying Sweepstakes Grand Prize Awarded

AOPA surprised FedEx captain Michael Graves on Sunday, naming him the winner of a 2005 Cirrus SR22, the 2009 Let’s Go Flying sweepstakes grand prize.  The SR22 was donated by philanthropist and veteran B-29 pilot Lloyd Huck to build excitement and interest in aviation

“Unbelievable! Awesome!” the Graves, 55, exclaimed while his wife LaDona, 13-year-old daughter Ariel, and friends who had gathered to watch the Superbowl screamed with excitement at the announcement.  Graves flies Airbus A300s primarily within Europe and lives at Alta Sierra, CA, a residential airpark where he flies his Cessna 180.

The sneaky setup started with Graves coworker, Jimmy Rollison flew in a “Sky King” Songbird III Cessna 310, ostensibly for a photo shoot of the famed airplane at the tiny field.  AOPA President Craig Fuller and AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Dave Hirschman soon followed in the Cirrus, with Graves marshalling it in himself, thinking it was the chase plane for the Songbird III. 

Michael Graves in his new SR22

Graves recognized Fuller, but could not place the name or face at first.  "I heard you were doing some filming out here today," Fuller said, continuing with the ruse. He told Graves that he had wanted to stop by to watch some of the filming and had two gifts for him. The first was an AOPA Challenge Coin representing the association’s recent seventieth anniversary.

Then, Fuller proceeded to explain to Graves that AOPA gives away a sweepstakes airplane every year, to which Graves immediately responded that he read all about the airplanes in the magazine. (Yes, he was still clueless.)

"The second thing I want to give you is the key to the airplane," Fuller said, "You’re the winner!"

After taking a quick first flight, Graves said "It’s a fantastic flying airplane.  It’s going to take some getting used to, but I already know we’re going to love it."  LaDona is a nervous passenger, but Graves said she would love flying in an aircraft with a parachute.

File Photo of Cirrus SR22

During the year, AOPA used the Cirrus to demonstrate the utility and versatility of general aviation. This plane took part in AOPA’s advocacy efforts, flying staff to Robertson Field in Connecticut for an open house that was staged to help save the airport. The flying billboard also attended the 100th anniversary of College Park Airport in a suburb of Washington, D.C., and helped transport a wounded soldier from Florida to Washington, DC, through the Veterans Airlift Command.

"The generosity and commitment from individuals like Lloyd Huck, and the enthusiasm of the people who have flown in the airplane and seen it at air shows, has been nothing short of astounding," Hirschman said. "It's been a privilege to see their eyes light up when they see general aviation's potential, and their desire for flying to be an integral part of their lives."

AOPA’s 2010 Fun to Fly sweepstakes is under way with a the grand prize of a light sport aircraft, the 2010 Remos GX.

FMI: www.aopa.org