On Tuesday, September 15, the KF Centre will once again welcome teams to the tarmac for Haul for Hope, a unique aviation challenge raising funds to help Canadians travel for essential medical care.
Hosted by Hope Air, the event challenges teams of 10–12 people to pull a 67,000-pound WestJet Dash 8 aircraft 100 metres, putting teamwork, and probably a few muscles, to the test for an important cause.
For the KF Centre, we’re proud to provide a home for an event that demonstrates one of aviation’s most important roles: connecting people to places and services they otherwise couldn’t reach.
Why the Okanagan Pulls
For patients living throughout the BC Interior, accessing specialized medical care can mean travelling significant distances.
Kelowna serves as an important healthcare hub for communities throughout the region, while for some patients, it’s just the beginning of a longer journey to Vancouver or elsewhere.
In 2025 alone, Hope Air coordinated 21,913 medical travel arrangements for patients in British Columbia, including more than 9,300 free flights and 5,000 nights of accommodation.
The need is significant. According to Hope Air, one in three patients say they would cancel or postpone medical care without its support. Those numbers give a 100-metre aircraft pull a much bigger purpose.
Pulling Together as a Community
Haul for Hope brings businesses, aviation and aerospace organizations, community groups and friends together for a morning that’s a little different from the average team-building exercise.
Each team must raise a minimum of $3,500 to participate, with funds supporting Hope Air’s medical travel programs across Canada.
Once registered, teams are also matched with a Patient Captain, a Hope Air patient whose story provides a personal connection to the reason they’re pulling.
Aviation Making a Difference
We talk a lot at the KF Centre about the importance of aviation to our communities and to Canada’s future.
Haul for Hope is a powerful example of that impact in action.
Aircraft don’t only connect destinations. They connect people to healthcare, family, opportunity and services that can be hundreds or thousands of kilometres away.
We’re proud to welcome Hope Air, participating teams and supporters back to the KF Centre and to see our aviation community rally around a cause where those connections matter so much.
Join Haul for Hope
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
KF Centre for Excellence
5800 Lapointe Drive, Kelowna, BC
Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with opening remarks at 9:00 a.m. Teams should plan for approximately four hours on site.
Teams of 10–12 must raise a combined minimum of $3,500 to qualify for event day. Teams that raise more than $5,000 will also unlock access to Hope Air’s team merchandise and customization options.
Because the aircraft pull takes place airside at an active airport, registered participants will receive specific arrival, parking, security and safety information ahead of the event.
Gather your crew, rally your network and pull for patients this September.
