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

Wings of Hope Board of Directors

AVMATS Afterburners

Heirloom Wealth Partners

Husch Blackwell Law Firm

Wing Dings

Secure Data Technologies

UHY Advisors/ADB Companies: The WINNERS!

Sabreliner Corporation Perryville, MO Facility Rolls Out 3 Centennial of U.S. Naval Aviation Aircraft

By Carmelo Turdo

Sabreliner Corporation's Perryville, MO facility rolled out three aircraft in special Centennial of U.S. Naval Aviation celebration paint schemes Monday. The Aero Experience, in cooperation with the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum, was privileged to attend the presentation of aircraft to Navy Captain (Commodore) John R. Rodriguez, TAW-6 commander, NAS Pensacola, Florida. We wish to convey our deepest appreciation to the management and staff of Sabreliner Perryville for their gracious accommodation and professionalism during our visit. We look forward to reporting on future Centennial of U.S. Naval Aviation projects in the near future.

T-39N Bn 165523 is painted to represent 1936/38 Pensacola training colors:

T-34C Bn 161841 is painted to represent 4th section leader USS Ranger circa 1935/36:

T-44A Bn 160984 is painted as a Navy Curtiss NC-4 Flying Boat 1919:

The three aircraft together form a handsome trio:

Navy Captain (Commodore) John Rodriguez arrived with his staff in his own T-39G Sabreliner jet to review the Centennial aircraft:

Captain Rodriguez also toured the Perryville, MO facility...

...where the next Centennial aircraft paint job is completed for T-34C Bn 164169,  commemorating pre-war U.S. Coast Guard colors:

For additional information about Sabreliner Corporation and the Centennial of U.S. Naval Aviation, please visit:

http://www.sabreliner.com/index.php and http://www.amv83.fr/Navycag/centennial.htm.