Month: June 2026

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Be Human: Special Olympics Airlift 2026

A woman in a white ball cap and blue zip front top stands in front of a white jet.

Hard to believe it was 20 years ago, but the first Citation Airlift that I crewed on took place in 2006. I joined Munther Qubain in his 2000 Citation CJ1 to fly athletes from the North Carolina delegation from Raleigh (KRDU) to Des Moines, Iowa (KDSM), for the Games that year.

In the intervening years, I’ve crewed on two more flights, and volunteered on the ground for Arrival Day when the flights come in, during the time I worked for Cessna, in 2010. For 2026, I would report on the SOA for AvBrief.com. I wanted to see Departure Day, which would take place on June 27, in St. Paul, Minnesota (KSTP). And I was honored to spend the entire day with the Textron Aviation team, from the first departure, at 7:30 a.m., until nearly the end, when the second-to-last Dove—a demo Citation Latitude called in to replace a King Air that was taken out of service—taxied out around 4:30 p.m.

Nine jet in two rows lined up on a ramp with a bunch of people in red shirts standing in front of them
About 35 Cessna Citation jets positioned overnight to make departures first thing in the morning on June 27 to complete the Special Olympics Airlift from KSTP. [Credit: Julie Boatman]
a white ball cap with the special olympics airlift logo from 2022
Julie flew in the 2022 SOA with friend Jerry Gregoire, in his Citation M2. [Credit: Julie Boatman]
A group of special olympic athletes in mint green shirts standing in front of a white and blue business jet with the pilots on either side
The Dove flights use donated jets and crews dedicating their time and effort and operational cost to the airlift. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

I’ve captured the spirit of the day, along with interviews with key TextAv folks, in this video posted on AvBrief. But the foundational feeling was joy: the joy of being human, and doing something substantial for our fellow humans.

The Airlift Compels Us to Be Human

That’s what Russ Meyer, Jr., former president and CEO of Cessna, intended when he launched the Airlift back in 1987. In doing so, the team started an event that anyone who has witnessed can never forget.

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A D-Day Commemoration to Remember

a street scape with people celebrating

Hard to believe it has been seven years since the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, an occasion that we witnessed first hand in Duxford, England, and in France, from Deauville to St. Mère Église.

On the days leading up to June 6, we spent solemn times visiting the beaches and cemeteries and museums honoring those who gave all. On June 6th itself, we joined the citizens of St. Mère Église in celebration of the town’s liberation by those joint American, British, Australian, and Canadian troops who made the march inland after securing the coastline.

James and Stephen and I took part in the street festival and watched the parade, and took so much heart in the flags of all of our countries proudly displayed together in solidarity. My deepest hope is that we all find that common ground again, and that it doesn’t take an existential threat and a subsequent world war to bring us to that camaraderie.

A toast to those fallen, and those who survived to tell the tale. Most of those alive during that time have left us to join their brothers and sisters in the sky. But we will never forget.