A Brief History

The Christmas Airlift began in 1985, when Dick McColley, in his role as President of the Honeywell Flying Club, researched and considered various community service opportunities that would allow General Aviation Aircraft pilots to assist the underprivileged at Christmas. His attention eventually centered on the Navajo Reservation, which is heavily rural, and with much of the nation living without many of the comforts so much of our country takes for granted. There remain communities throughout the Reservation that survive essentially in third world conditions, without running water or electricity.

Dick, along with his wife Betty, created the initial project, which allowed for eight planes to fly in the first Airlift to the Navajo Nation. Over the years the program expanded, as those involved grew to appreciate and embrace even more the rich and precious heritage of the Navajo Nation, including “breaking bread” with Nation representatives and leadership after flying in their planes filled with donations. 

Over the years, the annual Christmas Airlift has grown to be a much-anticipated “holiday tradition for both the pilots and their supporting donors who participate year after year. In addition to the rewarding aspects for the pilots, the tradition of giving truly shares the spirit and meaning of Christmas with the Navajo people.

Evolution

From eight planes in 1985, the Airlift has grown to provide over seven tons of donations flown in by over fifty aircraft missions, providing an incredible difference each year in the lives of those living on the Reservation.

Following the 1999 Airlift, Dick and Betty McColley retired and relocated from Phoenix to Sierra Vista, which served to spawn further growth for the Airlift. Starting in 2000, the Navajo Airlift saw dual coordination from Phoenix and Sierra Vista, with representation from many airports across the region having been set in place over the years. In 2021 this included pilots from:

Arizona - Montezuma, Mogollon, Show Low, Sierra Vista, Chandler, Falcon Field, Goodyear, Deer Valley 

New Mexico - Albuquerque, Sandia / Edgewood, Taos, and Santa Fe. . . . .  and hopefully continuing to expand.

Historically, the Airlift had been scheduled on the first Saturday of December. With the growth in the number of aircraft, expansion of supporting donors, and the resulting increased volume of donations, Navajo Social Services requested that we select an earlier date to better enable effective distribution of the donations throughout the Reservation by the holidays – another indicator of our success. As a result, we have moved the Airlift to early November. Further, given the increased participation from pilots across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado the Airlift extended over three days to more comfortably and safely manage the aircraft and donation volume. Considering the unpredictable weather conditions throughout the state and region at that time of year, the combination of the earlier date and extended schedule provides improved options to assure successful scheduling for individual pilots.