CAN Auction Will Liven Up NBAA Gala

This year’s NBAA convention fund raiser for the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) will consist of a silent auction and a live auction to be conducted during the NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit on the evening of Oct. 22. If you aren’t among the estimated 900 paid attendees for the closing event, you can still bid online the live auction – starting now – at nbaa.org/2009/auctions. That site also includes detailed instructions and a list of items for the silent and live auctions (though online bidding is for the live-auction items only). Among the top items on the list are a flight in Cessna Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton’s vintage Cessna 195 (and a round of golf with Jack); five flight hours for up to six passengers in a Cessna Citation CJ3, donated by NBAA board member Mike Herman; a trip to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, donated by Bombardier and valued at $20,000; and finally, a Don Imus, Imus in the Morning “show experience.” The WABC morning radio talk host, known for his ill humor, is nevertheless a long-time supporter of CAN, and is offering the winning bidder and a companion the opportunity to sit in on his live broadcast. CAN Executive Director Peter Fleiss said, “He will probably talk to you on the air, at least a little bit. If he likes you, he’ll most likely extend the conversation. If he doesn’t, he won’t.” Online bidding works this way: Bids will be recorded, but the auctioneer will elicit live bids from those attending the dinner. Should the live bidding not meet the highest online bid, the online bidder will win, of course, but will only pay the next highest bid above the highest live bidder. Founded in 1981, CAN arranges empty-seat flights in corporate aircraft for 200 to 250 cancer patients per month. According to Fleiss, the organization is nearing its 33,000th patient. To see a short video on CAN, click here.