The Doves are flying
World’s largest peacetime airlift takes place in June
The Special Olympics USA Games take place every four years at various locations across the country. The 2026 USA games will be hosted at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from June 20 to 26. Organized by Textron Aviation, the airlift will transport Special Olympics athletes from their hometowns to St. Paul Downtown Airport Holman Field (STP) on June 19 and return them home June 27. Often many of the athletes and their coaches have never flown in small aircraft before. The flights are flown by volunteer pilots in various models of Cessna jets. Aircraft are given the call sign of Dove; doves are a symbol of peace. This designation is given to the owners and operators who donate their aircraft to transport the athletes. Doves are given national airspace system priority by the FAA. More than 250 Textron Aviation employees volunteer their time for the event. It takes two years of planning. Passengers onboard vary from three to seven athletes plus coaches and sponsors. The first airlift to South Bend, Indiana, in 1987 transported 1,000 athletes on 165 aircraft. With an aircraft landing every two to four minutes throughout the 10-plus hour day, the airlift is highly choreographed.
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