Future Pilots Fund Raffle Aircraft Awarded; Proceeds to Benefit Next Generation of the Aerospace Industry

By Carmelo Turdo

The Future Pilots Fund Plane raffle was held on Monday, and the winner was a single ticket holder from the St. Louis area. Anne McGinnis bought her ticket recently just to "support the cause," not anticipating that she would be the winner of a beautiful Piper Cherokee 160 with new interior, new exterior paint, super clean low-time engine and panel upgrades. The story gets better. Her husband, Steve, did not know about the ticket purchase until she won the plane! Needless to say, they were both very excited to see the plane at Piston Aviation yesterday. 

Anne and Steve McGinnis both have experience flying aircraft, and Steve was a Private Pilot at Weiss Airport and later Spirit of St. Louis Airport. He has taken some time away from flying, but now he has some inspiration to become current again and fly this real "prize" of an airplane. Here we show them visiting with Joe and Meghen Ord during their first visit following the drawing.  

The Cherokee was looking her showroom best thanks to the crew at Plane Clean Aviation Detailing Services. Plane Clean regularly services the Piston Aviation fleet, making their aircraft shine beyond their recognizable branding trim. They provide three levels of mobile aircraft detailing services to individual and corporate customers using the Aero Cosmetics line of products. Plane Clean recently prepared the Piston Aviation fleet for their annual holiday party and open house, and they have an impressive record of customers. Here we show some views of the completed Cherokee detailing job from Plane Clean owner, Guy Matthews.

This Cherokee 160 was donated by Piston Aviation to the Future Pilots Fund after serving in the training fleet for less than a year after the major upgrades were completed by the previous owner. The Future Pilots Fund is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded to provide aviation education scholarships through plane and car raffles. The Fund's Independent Selection Committee will meet soon to evaluate and award the first round of scholarships, and more raffles will be announced in the coming months.   

The Aero Experience flew to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 with Piston Aviation Operations Director Phil Pennell in the Cherokee, and it remained on display there for the entirety of the nation's largest aviation event. Thousands of visitors stopped by to learn about the fund and the accompanying Piston Aviation exhibits.

The Future Pilot's Fund Cherokee raffle plane also toured the Midwest last fall, raising awareness for the fundraising effort. Here we show Future Pilots Fund Ambassadors Alexis Noel and Anthony Tornabene at the Midwest LSA Expo at Mount Vernon Outland Airport in September. They remained at the event on Friday, September 8, the second day of the three-day event. 

The Aero Experience thanks the Future Pilots Fund, Piston Aviation, raffle participants and everyone who contributed to making this first plane raffle a success. Check with the Future Pilots Fund soon for the next raffle opportunity or to donate.