Employees from various companies operating at Toronto Pearson International Airport came together on October 23 in the spirit of friendly competition and to raise money for the United Way.

A total of 14 teams (approximately 20 members per team) competed in the second annual plane pull in support of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s (GTAA) United Way campaign. The object: pull the plane 15 feet—the team that does so in the fastest time is the winner. No easy feat considering the airplane being pulled (an Air Canada Embraer 190) weighs in at over 61,000 pounds, stands over 34 feet high and spans 118 feet wide.

This event brought together Air Canada, American Airlines, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), Landmark Aviation and the GTAA. It was a tight competition; however, Landmark Aviation won the airplane pull challenge with a time of 6.31 seconds. A great effort was put forth by all teams and a big thank you is extended to Air Canada for supplying not only a team, but also the aircraft and ground crew support.

A 50-foot airplane pull challenge between the GTAA’s Fire and Emergency Services team and the Peel Regional Police ended the day with a different outcome from last year: the Peel Regional Police squad won with a time of 12.89 seconds.

The airplane pull is just one of many events in support of the GTAA’s United Way campaign, which has been running since the start of October. Keep your eyes open for more public events to come, including a terminal mini putt challenge on Tuesday, November 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sink a putt and you have a chance to be entered into a draw for airline tickets.