15th Annual VFW Airlift Honors Late Co-Founder Ron Davies

More than 13,000 pounds of donations were flown to Colorado communities.

Parris Clarke

Monday, December 15, 2025 at 04:28 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Matt Ryan

[Credit: NBAA]

Key Takeaways:

The 15th annual Ron Davies Memorial VFW Air Lift, organized by CABA and VFW Post 9644, transported approximately 13,500 pounds of food, clothing, and toys to needy communities across Colorado.
Volunteers collected and meticulously weighed donations at Centennial Airport before pilots flew them to various locations, where local VFW members assisted with unloading for holiday distribution.
Named in honor of recently passed co-founder Ron Davies, the airlift has delivered over 100,000 pounds of aid in its 15 years of operation.

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The 15th annual Ron Davies Memorial VFW Air Lift, organized by the Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9644, took place on Sunday, where volunteers flew approximately 13,500 pounds of food, clothing, and toys to communities in need across Colorado.

Donations were collected by Post 9644 and staged at Signature Aviation’s facility at Centennial Airport (APA). According to the VFW, volunteers spent the day before the airlift weighing individual donations and pallets, which were then assigned to particular aircraft to prevent overloading.

Once loaded, pilots flew the donations into various communities in Colorado and were met by local VFW members in those communities to unload the donations, which will be dispersed into those areas for the holidays.

Typically, volunteer-flown aircraft featured at the event include Cessna 172s and 182s, along with some Cherokees, Arrows, Mooneys, and Cirrus aircraft in the mix, according to event organizers.

During the 15 years that the airlift has been in operation, more than 100,000 pounds of food and toys have been delivered.

Earlier this year, VFW Post 9644 voted to name the event in the memory of Ron Davies, former VFW state commander, who recently passed away. Davies, along with his daughter, NBAA Regional Director Brittany Davies, and CABA Chair Mike Straka, formed the event in 2011.

“This year, the 15th year, is a huge milestone for the VFW Airlift,” said VFW Post 9644 Commander Todd Van Sant. “Ron served as a state commander and with his passing earlier this year, there’s no better time to raise awareness of this program and acknowledge his and his family’s dedication to the airlift.”