Washington Dulles International (IAD) was the first airport to host a Plane Pull in 1993. Last year, the airport set an attendance record of more than 20,000 – a figure it hopes to top during Saturday’s event, the 2011 Dulles Day family Festival and Plane Pull.
The annual event has raised more than $1.1M to benefit Special Olympics Virginia and its athletes.
This year’s event will include bigger teams, as participation has been increased from 20 to 25 people. The plane also will be bigger: an 82-ton FedEx Airbus A310, which replaced the 55-ton Boeing 727 of past plane pulls. In addition, fans will have dining options including Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Merone’s Italian food, Famous Famiglia pizza, and grill-cooked burgers and hot dogs. Attendees will also be able to participate in a pizza-eating contest, door prize drawings for air travel and hourly airfield tours aboard the airport’s signature “Mobile lounges.” For the youngsters, there will be moon bounces and dunk tanks, and they can participate in a kids’ school bus pull.
More than 60 teams will be pitted in a tug-of-war against the FedEx Express plane. The team doing the 12-foot pull in the fastest time will win the trophy.
Admission and parking are free to the public, and patrons are able to make a donation onsite to Special Olympics Virginia. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
