The Wings & Wheels Event Thread

[t0r0nad0]

So as not to keep creating new threads every time one of these comes up, I'm going to just do one big thread and I'll keep replying to it.

For those who are not aware, on the third Saturday of each month, The 1940 Air Terminal Museum at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) hosts a themed event called Wings & Wheels, where we have several planes on display on our ramp at Hobby, as well as several cars on display in our parking lot, and we invite the public to come out and see them and the museum. Admission is $10/adults and $5/children 12 and under - 2 and under are free - and admission includes lunch. The admission is waived for any fly-in visitors (Houston has a very GA-friendly Class B) or anyone putting their classic car on display. Fly-in visitors are encouraged to call ahead and RSVP, as ramp space can be limited. For more information, call the museum at 713-454-1940 or visit the website at http://www.1940airterminal.org.

Also, the museum is raffling off a beautiful 1947 Cessna 140 (pictures attached), which actually won the prize at Osh Kosh in 2005 for being the "Best Continuously Maintained Antique Aircraft". It can be yours if your ticket is the lucky one drawn at our July Wings & Wheels event. Tickets are available with a $50.00 donation to the museum, and are tax-deductible if you do not win the aircraft. We will be selling a maximum of 2500 tickets, so your odds are pretty good. You don't have to be present to win, and anyone in the Continental United States can purchase a ticket (unless your local laws prohibit it).

Anyway, here are the themes for the next several months:

Saturday, March 15, 2008 - Corporate Aviation Day!
This event will feature a variety of business aircraft, from piston singles to twin-jets.

Saturday, April 19, 2008 - AOPA Day!
Any person displaying their AOPA Membership Card at the welcome desk will receive free admission. We are going to work on getting some AOPA Representatives on-hand to talk about the various services that AOPA offers and the Project Pilot program as well.

Saturday, May 17, 2008 - Beechcraft Day!
All models of Beechcraft are welcome to visit our ramp this day - old, new, single, twin, whatever! Staggerwings and Bonanzas and Barons, Oh My! (Spike?)

Saturday, June 21, 2008 - New Aircraft Exposition!
In the market for a new plane? Come by the museum on this day to see the latest offerings* from Cessna/Columbia, Beechcraft, Diamond, CubCrafters, and more!
*participation of listed vendors not yet confirmed nor is guaranteed, claim is based on past participation

Saturday, July 19, 2008 - Raffle Day!
Come to the museum with your raffle ticket in hand as we are giving away our beautiful 1947 Cessna 140 on this day! Your ticket could be the lucky winner! After giving away the Cessna 140, we will be unveiling our new raffle airplane, and tickets will go on sale immediately following the unveiling.

 

[gprellwitz]

Tickets are available with a $50.00 donation to the museum, and are tax-deductible if you do not win the aircraft.

A great cause, but I question whether raffle tickets are tax deductible, even if they're to benefit a 501(c) organization. They may be, but I'd check before using them as a deduction!

Edit: This isn't from the IRS site, but:

Q: Can a donor deduct the cost of a raffle or auction ticket?
A: Payments which provide the donor with an opportunity to acquire something of value are not gifts. No part of any payment for a raffle, lottery, bingo game admission or admission ticket that make a donor eligible for a door prize is deductible whether the donor “wins” or not. If the ticket exceeds the fair market value of the item, the excess may be deductible. So, on a raffle, you hope to win big and pay little - not deductible as a donation. DO NOT print “donation” on your raffle ticket!

I confirmed this (to my satisfaction) in Publication 526:

Costs of raffles, bingo, lottery, etc. You cannot deduct as a charitable contribution amounts you pay to buy raffle or lottery services or to play bingo or other games of chance. For information on how to report gambling winnings and losses, see Deductions Not Subject to the 2% Limit in Publication 529.

 

[t0r0nad0]

Thread bump - Beechcraft Day this Saturday! Anyone arriving by Beechcraft gets free admission! (Man, a P-Baron from the Dallas area would look great on our ramp, hint hint!)