Looks For Donations From The Public With A Goal Of $450K

Patty Wagstaff has been flying airshows for more than 25 years. She's an inductee in the National Aviation Hall of Fame ... and she says she needs a new airplane to continue to perform.

In call to Aero-News, the performer says that the effort is legitimate. "I thought why not? I love supporting other people and think people have been pretty successful on crowdfunding sites. I need a new airplane and need support, so why not," Wagstaff said.

Wagstaff said she has received both support and criticism for the effort, and that she has considered taking the GoFundMe site down. But on balance, she said that her effort is certainly not as outlandish as some of the things people have tried to fund using crowdsourcing.

There is a link to a page on the crowdfunding site "GoFundMe.com". On the site, Wagstaff writes "I have flown airshows full time for over 25 years all over the world, in front of millions of people.  I need help getting a new airplane so I can continue to spread the message of aviation.  My message is especially for girls and women that women rock in all sorts of fields - science math technology and engineering.  We are often victims of our own lack of self confidence - go for it and excel in everything you do."

The Facebook post and a link to GoFundMe are also on the homepage of Patty Wagstaff Airshows.

Wagstaff said that she thought the crowdfunding idea "would be fun, and it's also a way to highlight airshows and how important they are to bringing aviation to the public. That's the gist of my campaign."

She is hoping to raise $450,000 through the effort. The first two days brought in a little over $3,200, according to the site. 

FMI: www.gofundme.com/yhax8w, www.pattywagstaff.com