Newtown Rotarians Put Out A Call For Volunteers To Pull 80-Ton Plane

NEWTOWN, PA — The Newtown Rotary Club is recruiting volunteers to help pull a 175,000-pound cargo plane down a runway.

Yep, you read that right - an 80-ton FedEx Airbus A300, to be exact - 12 feet down a runway to benefit Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.

The local club is hoping to send at least two teams to the Lehigh International Airport on October 10 to compete in the Greater Lehigh Valley Special Olympics Plane Pull where groups compete for fastest times and least number of hands on the rope as they raise funds for Special Olympics.

“Each team of about 20 to 25 people will be on a very thick rope and will have to pull the plane 12 feet. They will be timed and scored,” said Rotarian Francis Lusardi, who is recruiting volunteers for the event and is the father of a Special Olympian.

“It’s very entertaining whether you’re pulling or watching. It’s quite an event," said Lusardi. "And you will remember it for the rest of your life that you pulled an 80-ton plane.”

Each team must raise a minimum of $2,500 ($100 per team member) to compete with all money benefitting Special Olympics Pennsylvania.

(Special Olympics)

“We need people to volunteer as pullers,” said Lusardi. “The community can also help by raising funds or by making a donation.”

Rotary Club President Shikha Prashar has made the plane pull a signature event for the club this year.

"Participating in the plane pull is a transformative journey and a testament to what we can achieve when we move as one. Pulling an 80-ton aircraft requires strategic communication, teamwork, and absolute trust," said Prashar. "As Newtown Rotary Club's President, my mission is to weave fellowship deeper into our club’s tapestry, and I can think of no more powerful catalyst than this. We aren’t just moving a plane; we are lifting each other up and championing the extraordinary athletes of the Special Olympics. I want our entire community to experience something this enthralling and come together to change lives."

The winning Credit Suisse team from 2016, featuring Nicole Lusardi, a Special Olympics Gold Medalist in cycling, in the front with the poster, and Newtown Rotary Club President Shikha Prashar, middle right holding a young volunteer from the team.

Lusardi, who has personally done the challenge with a corporate team in the past and will again be joining the effort this fall, said it’s a memory and event that will stay with you forever.

“When they walk you out to that plane, everyone’s jaw just drops because that plane is monstrous and your first thought is there’s no way in hell we’re going to be able to pull this plane," said Lusardi. "Then you see other teams moving the plane, and you gain that confidence that you can do this. It’s an intense and emotional experience,” he said. “And it’s an exhilarating feeling when you reach 12 feet. It’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate. And team members will be required to sign a waiver.

This is the third year FedEx is partnering with Lehigh Valley International Airport to host the friendly competition on the FedEx Air Cargo Apron at the airport at 951 Postal Road in Hanover Township.

“When will you ever have the chance to pull a plane down a runway?" asks Lusardi. "This kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. And it’s something you’ll be telling your friends and family about for years.”

To volunteer or for more information, click here.

To make a donation, click here.