INDIANAPOLIS — The Republic Airways 12th annual Plane Pull is celebrating a historic year. The event brings people together from all over central Indiana to pull a 24 ton airplane. That is nearly 50,000 pounds.
“The participants absolutely love being out there, getting to do something that not everyone gets to do,” said Paul Kinstedt, the Chief Operating Officer with Republic Airways.
Since the event first started 12 years ago, the Plane Pull has raised millions of dollars for kids battling life-threatening illnesses. The grand total is now up to $5 million with more than $700,000 raised for this year’s event.
One of Saturday’s participants who also works at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent said the impact of this event is truly life-changing for so many kids.
“I work day in and day out with these patients and families facing really tough things at the hospital, so it's just so special to connect the two at the Plane Pull,” said Laura Keefe, one of the participants. ”[The kids] face big things… So it's just really special to overcome something as large as this that our patients and families do in day in and day out when they are facing a cancer diagnosis,”
The Plane Pull is dedicated to the memory of a young boy from Carmel, Tyler Frenzel. He suffered from Leukemia and passed away in 2004. The money raised this year will benefit the Riley Children’s Foundation, Peyton Manning Children’s Foundation at Ascension St. Vincent, Indiana Wish, and A Kid Again.
To learn more about this year’s event, click here.