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Community Corner

Dulles Day Plane Pull Team Registration Open

The Dulles Day Plane Pull will feature the classic competition, as well as various festivities including a pizza-eating contest and children's school bus pull.

The 20th annual Dulles Day Plane Pull is set for Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at .

Teams of 25 people can register to see who can pull a Boeing 757 a distance of 12 feet in the shortest amount of time. Each team must raise $1,250 to compete and 100 percent of proceeds benefit Special Olympics Virginia.

The event is put on by Metropolitan Washington Airport Security. Ellen Head, director of Development for Special Olympics Virginia, said Special Olympics is often a charity of choice for law enforcement in Virginia. This event was the first of its kind and Special Olympics owns the trademark for the Plane Pull.

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“Over the past 20 years, mainly because of the ridiculous support from the entire airport security, it has turned into a massive festival,” Head said. “Over the past 20 years it has really grown into a community event.”

Head said she expects about 11,000 people to attend. The festival opens at 11 a.m. and guests can park on airport grounds for free. There is no entrance fee to the festival and shuttle buses will be available to transport people between the parking lot and the festival.

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Plane Pull teams must register by the third week of August to get a customized team T-shirt. Otherwise, registration will continue until space is filled or until the week of the event. In addition to community teams, a Special Olympic team will also compete. Those who want to compete but cannot build a full team will have the opportunity to act as a stand-in and assist other teams who need help throughout the day

“The atmosphere for this event, especially for a competitive event, is like no other; everyone is really in this team mindset,” Head said.

Many of the teams that participate are corporate teams which come together as a form of team building. Head says the companies often pay the minimum donation but encourage members to raise both awareness and funds.

“Part of the team building aspect is not just pulling the plane, but coming together in the time beforehand to raise money and teach people about the Special Olympics,” Head said.

At the entrance to the festival, all attendees older than 18 will receive a door prize ticket. Winners will be drawn for a chance to win roundtrip plane tickets to various destinations, including London, Tokyo, Munich or Frankfurt and Paris.

Aside from the Plane Pull, the festival will also feature a car show, aircraft displays, a Kids’ Zone with moon bounces and other activities. Children will have the opportunity to compete in a school bus pull contest. Informational and food vendors will also be there.

Special Olympics will be collecting donations throughout the day. Attendees will also have the chance to tour Dulles Airport on a 15-20 minute ride for $1 a ticket. For more information on activities and how to register to compete, visit the Dulles Day Plane Pull Web site. 

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