Wings of Hope Holds Fourth Annual Plane Pull Fundraiser to Support Humanitarian Programs

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope held their fourth annual Pulling for Hope event Saturday, October 3, at their Spirit of St. Louis Airport world headquarters. Thirteen teams, sponsored by local businesses, competed for the fastest time to pull a Gulfstream jet 60 feet across the taxiway outside of the Wings of Hope hangar. All proceeds will be used to fund humanitarian aviation programs that support the Wings of Hope mission of "Changing and Saving Lives Through the Power of Aviation." 

The teams began arriving prior to the 11:00 A.M. start time and flowed in as their pull time drew near. Wings of Hope volunteers performed the registration duties along with the other roles needed for a fun and safe event, including tug driver, timers, team prep and start/stop signaling.  We begin our coverage with a survey of the activities at the Wings of Hope hangar as the teams arrived and future aviators enjoyed art projects, pedal planes and great food throughout the day. 

The plane pull began with Team 1, Wings of Hope Board, at 11:00 A.M. Each team had two pulls, with the best (lowest) time as the score of record. Here we include some views of the teams during their plane pulls. 

Team 1: Wings of Hope Board 

Team 2: Logan University

Team 3: Grounded Falcons

Team 4: Fabick Cat

Team 5: Monarch Fire Protection District (3rd Place)

Team 7: Garmin (2nd Place)

Team 8: Pulling G's

Team 9: No Plane, No Gain

Team 10: Detail 360

Team 11: Made In MO

Team 12: AVMATS Afterburners (1st Place)

Team 13: Husch Blackwell

Team 14: UHY Team

Special thanks to the Pulling for Hope sponsors:

Fabick Cat, Dierbergs, Garmin, Logan University, Signature Aviation, AERO Charter, GoJet Airlines, Husch Blackwell, Lakenan Insurance, RealClean Aircraft Detailing, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, SpiritJets, St. Luke's, Thaman Family, Patrick and Susan Bowman, Rottler Pest Control, Angela Walleman, West Star Aviation, Detail 360 and Dowco Enterprises. 

The Aero Experience thanks the teams, event and team sponsors, and Wings of Hope volunteers for making this event possible!