Great Machines: Aircraft: Pick Me Up
June 1, 2006
Pilot Bill Wagner has already scheduled time off this summer to ref soccer
games at the Special Olympics. “The spirit of these games is bigger than my job. Athletes are throwing away their crutches to compete at very
high levels,” he says with enthusiasm. Wagner will also deliver the first seven athletes via private jet to the Olympic venue in Ames, Iowa.
Cessna expects 400 privately owned Citations to follow, landing once every 60 to 90 seconds for 18 hours, as 2,500 more athletes arrive.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The
July games will be the first Special Olympics USA National Games. The United States has hosted international competitions before, but, as the number of participatory countries grows, berths for American athletes
have become too few. To create ample opportunity for competitors across the country, a national games is now necessary. Special Olympics will
need 8,000 volunteers to serve 3,100 qualifying participants from July 2 to 7. (Click image to enlarge)
Cessna has risen to the event’s transportation challenge. By contacting
customers who have purchased a Citation business jet, 300 owners have volunteered their planes, pilots, and fuel to transport athletes from about
35 states. “If the Citation airlift was not a part of the games, the impact would be significant,” explains Elaine Hieber, chairperson of the
Games Organizing Committee. The financial burden would fall to state organizations, which are committed to making athletes’ participation in
the games cost-free, and would undoubtedly limit the number of competitors. “Some 190 million people suffer from an intellectual
disability,” Hieber says. “These people are contributing members of society. The games develop their physical conditioning, teamwork skills, discipline,
and self image and, at the same time, raise awareness about intellectual disabilities.”
Wagner, who plans to make two flights a day
delivering participants, likes the smiles: “I watch the athletes come off the
airplanes, and it’s like Disneyland. Everyone’s feeling good.”
To learn how to get involved in the Special Olympics National Games, call 515.598.5600 or visit www.2006nationalgames.org. For information about the Cessna Citation Airlift, go to www.cessna.com
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