AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 131) AOPAPILOT years William T. Piper presented a Piper Tri-Pacer to winner William J. Mecham (far left) and Donald G. Rhodes (below) won a Champion “Sky-Trac” in the 1956 giveaway. Sweepstakes airplanes such as 2006’s Piper Cherokee Six, have come a long way (left). The lucky ones All kinds of winners, all kinds of airplanes in the AOPA sweepstakes BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN I n the 51 years since AOPA gave away its first prize airplanes on national TV, winners have received brand-new aircraft and painstakingly restored antiques. The fortunate few have won singles and twins, fixed gear and retractable models, fabriccovered and metal airplanes. Fewer than half of the winners of AOPA Sweepstakes aircraft owned their own airplanes when they were handed the keys to their gleaming windfalls with wings. A few have kept their airplanes for many years, but most elected to sell—sometimes within days— because AOPA Sweepstakes airplanes are so coveted. The first award in 1956 was covered live on CBS with host and AOPA charter member Arthur Godfrey emceeing the giveaway of two airplanes: a Piper Tri-Pacer and a Champion “Sky-Trac,” a tricyclegear Champ. World War II veterans won both airplanes. The Piper went to William J. Meecham of Ormand Beach, Florida, and the Champion to Donald G. Rhodes of Midvale, Utah. The airplanes were awards in a contest to create the best AOPA slogan or reason for joining the then-70,000member organization. AOPA didn’t have its own membership magazine at the time, so contestants clipped entry forms from AOPA inserts in Flying magazine. The giveaway was so popular that AOPA did it again the following year with a Champion “Tri-Traveler” as top prize. Second prize was a boat, a 25-horsepower Spartan AOPA PILOT • 131 • MARCH 2008
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