A massive tug-of-war involving a 60-tonne cargo plane on Sunday raised $59,870 to end avoidable blindness around the world.
Community members gathered at FedEx's ramp on Aylmer Road at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on June 23 to participate in the annual Orbis Plane Pull for Sight.
The event saw a 18 teams of no more than 20 people competing to see who could be the fastest to pull a FedEx 757 cargo plane for a distance of 20 feet.
Additional team challenges put participants to the test, and kids also got to participate in their own plane pulls, enjoy family-friendly games and learn more about FedEx and YVR Fire-Rescue's operations.
The plane pull is Orbis Canada's signature fundraising event and takes place every year in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. In total, this year's event raised more than $315,000 across three cities.
The fundraiser represents Orbis' Flying Eye Hospital, the world's only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on an MD-10 aircraft. Using the aircraft donated by FedEx, the hospital delivers eye care training to local communities around the world.
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