Airplanes Invade Car Show

Airplanes could be seen taxiing down the streets of Scottsdale, Arizona, in the early morning hours as they made the two-mile journey from the Scottsdale airport to the WestWorld special events facility where the annual Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is held from January 13-20.

Lancair is one of the manufacturers in attendance with the high-performance turboprop Evolution on display. Lancair was one of the first airplane manufacturers to recognize the value of displaying airplanes at the car show — which attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year — when the Lancair Columbia was showcased in 2005.

Aviat brought in a Husky to the showgrounds and Cessna is one of many show sponsors for this year's event. The Wichita-based airplane manufacturer will have mockups of the Citation Latitude and M2 jets at its booth. The propeller segment of Cessna’s airplane offerings will be represented by the single-engine Corvalis TTx and a custom Turbo C-182 Skylane. The Skylane, which has been adorned with an attacking wildcat on the fuselage, will be auctioned off on the last day of the show.

In addition to the Skylane, more than 1,200 collector cars will be auctioned off during the week-long event. About 30 Shelby Mustangs, the most successful Corvette race car in history and the original Batmobile are just a few examples of what will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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