PPRuNe Forums - Bushcat Prize

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- - Bushcat Prize (https://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/627609-bushcat-prize.html)

I'm sitting over here gaggin for the Bushcat to be drawn from Airventure Parkes.
I messaged the organisers and got a vague response. Radio silence on Airventure social media since the event.

Does anyone know if it's still happening? I bought two event tickets, even though I couldn't attend. Just wanted the comp entry!

I'm not a mind reader.

Can someone please translate the post above? :confused:

My guess:

During this year’s AirVenture in September at Parkes, NSW, a raffle was held the prize of which is a BushCat amateur built aircraft.

Aircraft Giveaway Promotion
Your entrance to the Air Show ticket entitles you at no additional cost have one ticket in the giveaway draw whereby AirVenture shall give away an aircraft after conclusion of the Air Show. If an eligible further entrance to the Air Show ticket is purchased you shall be entitled to an additional ticket in the giveaway for each bona fide further purchase you make. The purchasers of the following classes of ticket only shall be the only persons entitled to take part in the draw for the aircraft giveaway: Online "3 day Pass" tickets and Online "Single Day Pass" tickets; this includes Family, Adult and Pension Card Concessions Card Passes only. Children, camping, free passes and tickets not purchased online are strictly excluded from the Aircraft Giveaway Promotion. The aircraft is intended to be constructed from a Kit Form as a ‘BushCat’ Aircraft (‘the Aircraft’) at the Air Show. Once completed and accepted for registration and flight by Recreational Aviation Australia Limited (RAAus) a winner shall be selected by chance from all eligible tickets. The draw and the transfer of the aircraft shall take place in Brisbane after the conclusion of the Air Show. The terms of the aircraft giveaway and the manner of identifying a winner are set out on the AirVenture website under the heading ‘BushCat Giveaway’. Those terms are the only basis on which any eligible ticket held by you will proceed. If you do not wish to be a party to the draw please inform AirVenture forthwith. Only the nominated person who purchases a ticket to the Air Show shall be entitled to win. If the show is postponed, the draw will take place in any event and your entitlement to take part in the draw is unaltered. The aircraft will be transferred with all faults but registered with RAAus as presently airworthy. No person directly or indirectly associated with AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd, its management, servants or agents shall be entitled to win the giveaway notwithstanding that such person may have purchased a valid ticket for entry to the air show. If there is a breach of any the law of Queensland, NSW or any other States or Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia by the winner taking the prize, then the prize to that ticket holder shall be forfeit and another draw shall be undertaken until an eligible winner is selected. Risks

AND the gossip from another site...not good for our cryptic poster

Dead set,Tailie...5 minutes on google!

Posted by AirVenture Australia one hour ago on social media:

Dear AirVenture Australia supporter,

As many of you know, the 2019 AirVenture Australia event held at Parkes, NSW in September was impacted by a significant weather event. A severe dust storm and strong winds impacted the central west of NSW, including Parkes, over the first two days of the event. On the Saturday, as the wind speed exceeded 43 knots, an emergency evacuation of the event site was required. Our team of volunteers managed this difficult situation capably and no injuries or aircraft damage was recorded. However, as a result of the inclement weather and resulting reduced patronage, the event suffered a significant financial shortfall.

To understand what has since unfolded, it is important to explain the role of AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd. AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd is a company trustee of a trust named “The OzKosh trust” of which the sole beneficiary is Recreational Aviation Australia Inc (RAAus). Our small team are mostly volunteers. We give up our time to plan and stage the ‘AirVenture Australia’ event annually, using trust funds.

In early November this year, AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd made a formal request for RAAus to inject capital into the trust, to offset the losses caused by the inclement weather. This would allow AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd to meet its financial commitments, including finalising payment for the promotional giveaway prize, the BushCat aircraft.

We are disappointed to report that following consideration by their management and board, RAAus have declined to fund the trust. We point out there was no legal obligation for RAAus to do so. No reason was given for their decision. However, without the trust having sufficient funds, the BushCat promotional giveaway is unable to proceed.

We understand this news will be of great disappointment to many. For those who may have questions regarding the terms and conditions of their tickets, please refer to our website.

AirVenture Australia Pty Ltd is now taking the only steps available to it to resolve this situation. Additional to the cancellation of the BushCat promotional giveaway, the AirVenture Australia event will not be conducted in 2020 or beyond.

We take this opportunity to sincerely thank Errol and the team from Global Aviation Products (GAP), who supplied the BushCat, for their support of the event. Without their contribution and significant hard work, the youth aviation and STEM program would not have happened. This program was a huge success, with over 25 high school students coming together to assemble the BushCat at Parkes in the week before the AirVenture event. A number of these students have undertaken to pursue a career in aviation as a direct result of their positive experience in the program. GAP have shown tremendous leadership by putting their money where their mouth is to support and promote the aviation industry to our youth. They deserve all of our congratulations for a job well done.

The AirVenture Team wishes to thank the industry for getting behind the event over the last few years. Our small team is proud to have been given the opportunity to support the industry.

We wish you safe skies and soft landings.

Well thats me never buying a ticket for airventure ever again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spektrum (Post 10628777)

Well thats me never buying a ticket for airventure ever again.

Because you don’t want to or won’t be able to?

I’m not surprised that raaus didn’t want to spend in excess of $50k on a sunken cost.

I wonder if they will be giving back the Rotax 912 to Bert Flood imports whom donated it, or so I’m led to believe?

Would any of you expect any less from aviation in Australia? Every time you get burnt in this game, just wears you down a little more. I really feel for the punters buying tickets in this, would have thought there'd be a contingency for the event to be affected by weather?

Pretty confident the wind didn’t hit 43 knots as I was there for 3 days. They had to evacuate because the forecast (which was 51 knots at 1,000ft) exceeded the safe limit of the hired tents. The rain and dust caused the cancellation of the Saturday air show, however the weather was perfect for Sunday.

There simply weren’t enough punters coming through the gates. Perhaps Parkes wasn’t the ideal location for a large airshow.

Quote:

If the show is postponed, the draw will take place in any event and your entitlement to take part in the draw is unaltered.

Maybe a class action against them ??

A class action action against a structure with no money? Dreamin' No firm would touch it with a barge pole.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The name is Porter (Post 10628875)

A class action action against a structure with no money? Dreamin' No firm would touch it with a barge pole.

There's got to be some money.
You suggesting they have a zero balance in their accounts ??

Quote:

ou suggesting they have a zero balance in their accounts ??

That's what they're saying. It would cost many thousands of forensic dollars to conclude they 'may' have a few thousand. Then what?

Gosh. Tough crowd. I’m not a big fan of these kinds of events but I’m not a detractor, either. Doesn’t take much to turn an event that barely breaks even, with the energetic help of volunteers and modest sponsorships, into a loss-maker.

Perhaps it would hurt less to those who bought tickets if they thought of them as donations to an intended-to-be good cause.

Agree, LB. Some of those kids that DID assemble that aeroplane have taken the plunge. Average of LAMEs is getting closer to retirment age. Endeavours like this are very much needed to ignite the spark.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lead Balloon (Post 10629065)

Absolutely right. The kids got to build the aeroplane, which was the primary purpose of the exercise. I won't be losing any sleep over it-it was about the same as a round of beers at the pub would have cost, and it went towards the good cause of encouraging some aviation minded kids. Boo hoo.

Quote:

Perhaps it would hurt less to those who bought tickets if they thought of them as donations to an intended-to-be good cause.

mmm, I think I'm with the tough crowd on this one. An aircraft was built on the back of donations and future ticket sales. The aircraft is built and it is parked somewhere, so who owns it now? The Bank? AirVenture Australia? Has it been sold to repay debt? If those questions were answered, I wouldn't give two hoots about the money 'donated' but..........

I believe a Sydney based, mid-tier law firm has already been engaged in this matter.
I also believe the circumstances of the raffle are possibly unlawful and prosecution may follow.

THis could turn in to a real debacle! It does show one thing though, the health of GA isn't prosperous!
That raffle sure was an attention grabbing gamble! Hope something can be salvaged out of this mess.

The raffle tickets had to be pre-purchased online. Gate tickets didn't qualify for the raffle apparently, so the weather couldn't have affected the outcome by a massive percentage?
All the pre-advertising nominated a company called Azimuth Partners as the event organiser. So I suppose as a commercial enterprise, they all got paid (first?), and the Bushcat people (and other parties?) didn't. Time will tell.