The Special Olympics Airlift is the largest peacetime airlift in the world with an aircraft landing every two minutes. [Courtesy: Dick Karl]
Key Takeaways:
The author volunteered his private jet for the Special Olympics Airlift, transporting athletes to Orlando as part of a massive, Textron-coordinated operation involving over 120 private aircraft.
The airlift presented significant logistical and operational challenges, including anxieties over passenger/baggage weights, navigating unexpected severe weather, and complex air traffic control procedures due to the high volume of participating "Dove" aircraft.
Despite these hurdles and the eventual cancellation of the return flight due to passengers testing positive for COVID-19, the author found the overall experience personally "awesome, amazing, and uplifting."
A bowling ball can weigh up to 16 pounds. A Bocce ball weighs 2 pounds. Bocce balls come in eight packs, so 16 pounds. Why would you want to know this?
When I signed up at a Citation Jet Pilots (CJP) meeting to provide support for the Special Olympics Airlift in the Cessna CJ1 that my wife, Cathy, and I own, I had no idea that I’d be looking up bowling ball weights.
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Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.
