DULLES, Va. (DC News Now) –People from across the DMV gathered at Dulles International Airport on Saturday, raising $580,000 for the Special Olympics in the annual Dulles Day Plane Pull.
The Virginia tradition entails teams of up to 25 people competing to see who can most quickly pull an 82-ton FedEx Airbus A320 or United Boeing 757 airplane 12 feet. Participants line up along a large rope attached to the aircraft to pull it.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, $2,000 per team is donated to Special Olympics Virginia.
Participants include professionals from the entire Metropolitan area. Companies and organizations also support the annual event by participating in Plane Pull teams or acting as vendors, sponsors or volunteers.
In addition to the competition, the Dulles Day Plane Pull is a festival featuring live music, food vendors, games and more.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department sponsors the competition. Joe Hurtuk, a retired deputy chief for the department, held the first Plane Pull contest in 1992. The initial event raised $15,000 to benefit Special Olympics athletes, sparking the annual phenomenon.
At Saturday’s event, the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) supported the cause by participating in the pull.
“Incredible strength meets a great cause,” FCPD said in an X post.
Other departments also participated. The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office took the cake for the fastest time, pulling the FedEx Plane in 5.921 seconds.
The Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office raised the most money to support the cause.
To view the complete list of the competition results, click here.
