The Aero Experience: Wings of Hope Holds First Plane Pull Event Fundraiser to Support Humanitarian Programs

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope held their first plane pull event Saturday at their Spirit of St. Louis Airport World Headquarters facility. "Pulling for Hope" hosted eight teams vying for the bragging rights as "strongest" supporter of the Wings of Hope mission of Changing and Saving Lives Through the Power of Aviation. Team members and their cheering fans gathered at the Wings of Hope hangar before moving to the nearby apron where the Sabreliner and tug were waiting at the starting line. The day began with clouds and mist that later abated to give the event a distinctive autumn feel. Spirits remained high as the momentum built up and the winning team emerged with only a fraction of a second lead over their nearest competitor.

After many months of preparation, the volunteers assembled and the plan came together for a fun and rewarding event. Here we show the team members and guests checking in and enjoying the hangar activities, including music from Carlos Suarez, food trucks, disc throw game and Party Animals available for purchase. The Wings of Hope volunteers working the plane pull were the unsung heroes of the day!

The teams were called about every fifteen minutes for their turn at the best of two timed thirty-foot pulls. After a safety briefing and positioning along the rope, the teams were given the start flag and the stopwatch started counting the seconds. Here we show the teams in the order they competed.

Team Fabick Cat