Special Olympics Airlift: 130 Airplanes and Millions of Smiles

The brainchild of former Cessna President and CEO Russ Meyer, the Special Olympics Airlift began life as the Citation Airlift, with the concept of doing good for others—young people and adults with intellectual disabilities—who could give nothing but smiles in return. Aircraft owners donate the operational expense and time of their airplanes and crews to the mission. The 2026 SOA saw the largest Dove yet, a Boeing 777 donated by the Arizona Cardinals and Gridiron Air, but also Citations down to the Mustang. Textron Aviation employees petition for slots to volunteer on the arrival and departure days, with more than 200 participating this year.

Over the course of two tremendous days, the ninth Special Olympics Airlift brought more than 800 athletes from around the U.S. into the St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP) in more than 130 Cessna Citations and Beech King Airs designated by their “Dove” call signs. For two days, June 19 and 27, those Doves landed at an average rate of every 5 minutes into the urban airport that lies in a bend in the Mississippi River.