The smooth morning air played out all the way to Flight Level 340. That was great news, for two of our passengers were on their very first flight, and the other two had expressed some worry — if only upon their faces — when getting into an airplane far smaller than any they'd ever encountered before.
Our special mission: to deliver three members of the North Carolina delegation to the Special Olympics 2006 U.S. National Games along with their coach. Three swimmers used to moving fast through the water now flew through the air on their way to Iowa, courtesy of the Cessna Citation Special Olympics Airlift.
A seed is planted
The origins of the airlift lie in an over-the-backyard-fence conversation between then Cessna Aircraft Co. Chairman Russ Meyer and a neighbor. That friend, who was on the board for Special Olympics Kansas, related that several athletes needed transportation from Wichita to the Third International Special Olympics Winter Games in Park City, Utah, in 1985. Cessna provided two of its company jets to carry the athletes.
The experience was so powerful to the pilots involved that, as company spokesperson Marilyn Richwine related, "they couldn't quit talking about what a great experience it was for them but also for the athletes. About a year later, Russ Meyer happened to meet Sarge Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International, in Washington [D.C.] and learned about the summer world games coming up in 1987. That gave Russ the idea and he announced the first Citation Airlift at a banquet in Washington, D.C., in December 1986, when Cessna received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for the safety record of the Citation fleet. Sarge and Eunice Shriver were in the audience with a table of Special Olympics athletes." It has since become part of the company's philanthropic mission.
It turns out that this mission — to bring athletes and coaches from across the country to the national Special Olympics games — is a great fit for a general aviation fleet. In 1987, Cessna put the word out to its Citation customers, who overwhelmingly supported the idea and flew 132 jets carrying more than 1,000 athletes to the Summer Games in South Bend, Indiana. In 1991, 180 jets brought more than 1,400 athletes to the games in Minneapolis/St. Paul. In 1995, 197 Citations delivered more than 1,600 athletes to Hartford, Connecticut. And in 1999, the year of the latest airlift, 275 jets whisked more than 2,000 people to the games in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. That year, 260 companies donated flight time, crews, and fuel to the cause.
Although this year's airlift fell somewhat short of initial expectations in terms of the number of jets involved, it still saw 237 Citations in the air on July 1, bringing more than 1,800 athletes to the 2006 national games in Des Moines and picking them up a week later, on July 8.
Dove 91
Munther Qubain flew in his first Citation airlift this year, bringing three athletes and their coach in from Raleigh, where he bases his 2000 Citation CJ1. N7895Q is the third Citation and the latest in a series of airplanes Qubain has owned since he began flying nearly 20 years ago. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate and flies the CJ1 single pilot; prior to this airplane, he had a Citation Encore that he flew with a second in command.
Qubain joined the airlift with a deep sense of wanting to pay his success forward. "Our family has been so fortunate to be able to fly privately, and I wanted to give back to deserving people. At the same time, it's an exciting aviation event and I'm excited to have a chance to be part of it."
The North Carolina delegation sent 115 athletes and 30 coaches participating in 13 sports to the national games this year. Of these athletes, about 75 rode on the 14 aircraft supplied by the Citation Airlift participants from Raleigh-Durham.
Qubain's CJ1 flew as "Dove 91" on the 2006 airlift; each flight is assigned a Dove call sign for the operation, and it keeps the same call sign for both the inbound and outbound trips on both the delivery and pick-up days of the airlift. The continuity streamlines a busy traffic situation — but can create other minor complications.
On the flight inbound, after crossing the Joliet VOR in northern Illinois for the first leg of the arrival into Des Moines, Dove 91 shared the frequency with Dove 111, and Dove 51, among other Dove flights in the Chicago Center controller's airspace. At least once, either the wrong flight picked up a clearance meant for 91 or the controller confused one flight with another. All Citations — some much faster than others — and all Doves. But everyone sorted it out quickly, and it was probably no different than flying in the thick of the morning rush at O'Hare, with airline crews with similar flight numbers checking in at the same time.
An introduction to aviation
The airlift allows many young athletes to experience their first airplane ride as well as possibly their first exposure to cross-country travel. And there's nothing like getting that first taste of flight in a light aircraft — even if it's a light jet. Although one of our athletes, Maximillian "Ian" Castaneda, 24, originally was from the Philippines and had traveled by airplane there before, Vestal Hughes, 23, and Sarah Baumgartner, 17, had not been on any airplane before climbing into the CJ1 that morning.
About 30 minutes into the flight on the way to the games, Betty Lecher — an assistant aquatics coach with more than 20 years of Special Olympics volunteer experience — indicated to us that Baumgartner hadn't loosened her grip on the seat since takeoff. We had leveled off, so we invited her up front to see the cockpit whenever she felt like it.
A few more minutes passed, and then Qubain got a tap on his shoulder. There was Baumgartner, with wide eyes and the beginnings of a smile, perched on the sideways seat behind us. We explained various instruments, showed her Dove 91's position on the Collins ProLine 21 moving map in the center stack, and pointed out our airspeed — better than 255 knots indicated.
She was quiet for a moment, taking in all the information. Then she pointed at the primary flight display in front of me: "What's that?" The attitude indicator had caught her eye, and we explained how we used it to keep our head while flying through the clouds. She grinned brightly and headed back to her seat, a much more relaxed passenger for the rest of the flight.
It emphasized how different a first flight can be when you can ask questions, gain understanding, and see for yourself what mysteries are going on up front. Those cockpit visits may be lost to the airline world, but we still get them in general aviation.
A nest of activity
The cargo ramp at the Des Moines International Airport was transformed that Saturday and the next. After making the visual to Runway 23, we moved smoothly from the hands of tower, to ground, to a series of marshallers threading our way to the drop-off depot. At any given time, there were three to five Citations (and a few substitute aircraft of other makes) offloading athletes into the welcoming arms of what seemed like Cessna's entire executive management team.
For Cessna employees it's considered a privilege to work the airlift, and many have taken on different jobs each year, from ramp work to baggage handling to pilot coordination. And it's not just those at headquarters who are involved — the airlift would be impossible to pull off logistically without the help of Cessna team members and Special Olympics volunteers across the country, in each participating state.
After completing our special delivery, Qubain accompanied the airplane (now pulled by a tug) over to the refueling station and into parking. (Those aircraft making quick turns could do so in about 30 to 45 minutes, with expedited clearance delivery provided by the airlift operation and Des Moines controllers.) We then adjourned to the pilot hospitality tent to talk with other participating flight crews, get a weather briefing and lunch, and rest up a bit for the trip back to Raleigh.
Steve Rehwinkel is the chief pilot for Modine Manufacturing Co. out of Racine, Wisconsin, and he's been flying in the airlift with Modine since the very first one. Modine usually transports six to eight passengers in one of the company's two Citation Ultras. Rehwinkel's participation in the airlift is personal, and all the more rewarding for it: His brother was a Special Olympian with the Illinois delegation. He credits the Cessna team for a massive effort in preparing the event: "You go over the paperwork for your one flight and multiply it. It's an incredible amount of logistics."
He still keeps a photo sent to him that was taken with a member of the bowling team he transported two airlifts ago. "Sitting up front, that's not even the best part — the athletes are," he said. When interviewed prior to the airlift this year, Rehwinkel wanted to hear from me after the event. "It will change your outlook on things," he insisted. He was right.
Bringing home the medals
Although it's easy to lose sight of the competition amongst all the do-good feelings that surround the Special Olympics, we can't forget the motto of the games: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
Yes, the games are all about striving for the gold. Some athletes participate over the course of 20 years, earning literally hundreds of medals. All three of "our" athletes did well in their events, bringing home several medals each — heavy rectangular ingots on wide ribbons in gold, red, white, and blue. Upon picking up his charges at Des Moines on July 8, the departure day, Qubain related that Baumgartner came running up to him pointing at her medals and ribbons. "She gave me a big hug," said Qubain.
The departure went as smoothly as the arrival. Qubain arrived at the flight line two hours early. "The airplanes were lined up three deep in 10 rows based on their departure sequence [most had arrived the night before], and the bags were loaded early on. Thirty minutes before departure we got our clearance and went out to stand by the airplane. We were tugged in sequence to a startup area [with about six other airplanes] and Dove Control gave the go-ahead to start up when it was our turn."
And any prior nervousness — whether about the flight itself or the greater anticipation of going to the games — among the athletes had all but disappeared. "When our passengers showed up, they were very enthusiastic; I think they were happy to see a familiar face for a pilot," said Qubain. "They seemed a lot less nervous about flying home than they were on the way out."
In addition to medals, athletes also collect friendships, and one way in which this bond is facilitated is through the exchanging of state pins. Each competition boasts delegations from around the country, but some state pins are more sought after than others.
As pilots, we collected a special pin signifying our participation in the airlift. That's one pin to treasure, along with one in the shape of a dove spreading its wings, from our new friends in North Carolina.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
Links to additional information about the Citation airlift may be found on AOPA Online.
Special Olympics facts
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of people with intellectual disabilities, encouraging them to become physically fit.
The concept took root in a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities sponsored by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1962.
The First International Special Olympics Games was held at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 20, 1968. Today, Special Olympics serves roughly 2.25 million athletes in 150 countries around the world.
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