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Cessna Launches Sixth Citation Special Olympics Airlift

Written by thomas · Filed Under Commercial 

October 9, 2008

thomas

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 5, 2008 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today began its call for volunteers to help transport more than 2,000 athletes and coaches from across the nation to the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games in
Lincoln, Neb.

Cessna launched its campaign at a press conference at the National Business Aviation Association Meeting and Convention, where the company introduced actor and Citation owner Harrison Ford as the event’s honorary chairman.

“The Citation Special Olympics Airlift is a unique event that brings together the general aviation community to carry out the largest peacetime airlift in the world,” Ford said. “This is just another example of how GA owners and operators give back, whether it’s encouraging young people to learn to fly through EAA’s Young Eagles organization or providing transportation to special athletes.”

This is the sixth time Cessna will organize the Citation Special Olympics Airlift, which is held every four years. The company expects to recruit at least 325 Citations to transport 2,000 athletes to Lincoln on July 17 and return athletes to their home base on July 24.

The first Citation Special Olympics Airlift in 1987 involved more than 130 Citations carrying nearly 1,000 athletes to and from South Bend, Ind. The last airlift, in 2006, included 235 Citations transporting 1,500 athletes to and from Des Moines, Iowa.

“The success of the airlift starts with our Citation owners committing to provide a safe way for the athletes, coaches and families to travel to the games,” said Cessna Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jack J. Pelton. “We also rely on support from Cessna employees and volunteers, the Federal Aviation Administration, on-site airport officials, local fixed base operators, hundreds of volunteers from the community and the Special Olympics organization. It’s amazing to see the collaboration that happens for this massive event.”

Corporations and individual Citation owners and operators in every state are needed to donate their Citation business jet(s), pilots and fuel for the airlift. While the games are centrally located, more than 3,000 athletes will travel from all over the U.S. to compete.

For the first time, registration is exclusively on line at www.airlift.cessna.com.

“The airlift would not be possible without the support of Citation owners and operators, so our goal as event organizers is to make participation as easy as possible. Going to on line-only registration will streamline the process,” said Rhonda Fullerton, Cessna Community Relations manager and director of the Citation Special Olympics Airlift.

Special Olympics is an international organization that provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Special Olympics offers year-round athletic training and competition in Olympic-type sports, including the USA National Games.

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