Hundreds test their strength for a cause

FUNDRAISER FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Residents, organizations and businesses take part in Plane Pull event

Sally Shaw, a member of a Kaiser Permanente team, strains as she participates in the event. The Plane Pull is a key fundraiser for the organization, with last year’s event raising over $212,000 to support Special Olympics programming.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna cheers on his Twin Towers team during the Special Olympics Southern California Plane Pull fundraiser, a competition to see which team of 25 can pull a 124,000-pound UPS jet 12 feet the fastest, at the Long Beach Airport on Saturday. Photos by Axel Koester

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By Kristy Hutchings

khutchings@scng.com

Hundreds of people came together at the Long Beach Airport on Saturday to help raise money for the Special Olympics Southern California — by putting all their strength together to pull an entire plane.

The annual event, fittingly dubbed the Plane Pull, is an annual team competition that challenges groups of 25 people to see who can pull a 124,000-pound, or 62-ton, UPS jet the fastest.

After an opening ceremony in the morning, teams took turns every five minutes to see who could complete the task at hand.

Besides the main Special Olympics event each year, the Special Olympics Southern California offers programming for 13 sports across all four seasons — serving around 25,000 athletes in both community and school-based programs.

The Plane Pull is an instrumental fundraiser for the organization, with last year’s event raising more than $212,000 to support Special Olympics programming.