World record attempt set to pull in the crowds
Howard Lake | 16 July 2008 | News
Farnborough Air Show, July 16: Aviation charity, the British Disabled Flying Association (BDFA) is on a recruiting drive at the Farnborough Air Show to secure volunteers and supporters to be part of a fantastic fundraising drive and world record attempt.
On September 6th 50 disabled individuals, each seated in manual wheelchairs, will attempt to enter into the record books by pulling a 60 tonne DHL 757 airliner along the main runway at Lasham Airfield.
Mike Miller-Smith, BDFA Chief Executive said, “We are really pleased to have the support of DHL who has loaned us one of its £35 million Boeing 757’s and also AmSafe Bridport who are supplying us with innovative harnesses designed specifically to allow us to pull the plane. Without these key sponsors our world record attempt would not be possible.”
The public open day is expected to attract hundreds of spectators and raise money for the charity that offers free trial flying lessons for terminally ill and disabled people and subsidised flying and training for other disability charities across the UK.
“We are hoping that the crowds at this year’s Farnborough Air Show will lend their support in September by either participating in the world record attempt or by coming along to the event which is sure to be a crowd stopper! It is really great to see something that was once just an idea, really start to take-off!”
-ENDS
For more information please contact:
Mike Miller-Smith
BDFA Chief Executive
Email:
mi**@bd**.net
or visit: www.bdfa.net
http://www.gp2008.co.uk/757pull.cgi
Notes to editor:
DHL, UK’s leading logistics and service provider will be flying one its Boeing 757 aircraft to Lasham Airfield on September 6th for the world record attempt. A DHL pilot, also a BDFA volunteer, will be flying the aircraft from DHL’s aviation base at East Midlands and offering tours of the aircraft throughout the day.
www.dhl.co.uk
AmSafe Bridport, a business unit of AmSafe Inc. located in the UK, has utilised its textile engineering expertise to create innovative harnesses that are made of high tenacity fibres specially selected for their strength and elongation characteristics to pull the plane in the world record attempt.
www.amsafe.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.