Expedition to Recover the First Plane to Land in Antarctica while Raising Funds for Parkinson’s Disease

(Los Angeles, CA) – The Byrd Aircraft Recovery Expedition, a recently formed non-profit organization has begun an effort to recover the first plane to land on the Antarctic continent while raising funds and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease.

The kickoff event on October 10, 2009 at the Proud Bird Restaurant near LAX in Los Angeles marks the date that Admiral Byrd’s three expedition planes departed LA’s San Pedro Harbor for Antarctica on October 10, 1928. The first plane of that group was destroyed in a storm while on a reconnaissance trip and sits to this day on Lake Aquamarine in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica near the Rockefeller Mountains. Bob Byrd Breyer, Admiral Byrd’s grandson and construction manager for the South Pole Dome Station says that, “as the third generation Byrd to have worked in Antarctica, I am excited to be bringing this plane back to the United States to share it and the contributions made by American’s to Antarctic exploration.”

The Byrd Aircraft Recovery Expedition organized in 2007 following diagnoses of one of their team members, Andrea Donnellan, with Parkinson’s disease.  “I am a pilot, a scientist, and explorer and I won’t let having Parkinson’s disease impact any of these activities. I have a passion for Antarctica, planes, and beating this exasperating disease. When I expressed a desire to combine the plane recovery with raising awareness for Parkinson’s my fellow adventurers and colleagues immediately made the connection and rallied around the cause,” says Donnellan.

The Expedition plan is to sail an icebreaker to Little America on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.  Helicopters will fly to the site of the airplane where it will be melted out of the ice. It will be brought back to the ship and to the US for restoration and display.  The group is working on obtaining the necessary permits to carry out the expedition. “Adventure is the spice of life,” says board member Dick Rutan, famous for being the first to fly non-stop and unrefueled around the world. “Combining adventure with a purpose helps us to accomplish great things.”

Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive disease resulting in tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowness of movement, postural instability, and impaired balance. The systems of Parkinson's disease can be treated, but there is, as yet, no cure. “Much has been done and there are new treatments for the disease, but so far these treat the symptoms rather than the disease itself,” says Dr. Richard Shubin, adventurer and Expedition board member. “Our goal is to use this expedition to bring awareness to the issues surrounding Parkinson’s, but also spur new avenues of research and improved treatments for those affected by the disease.”

The expedition will be filmed and produced by Charlie Hewitt and Chris Jules of Fly Right Films, and Nathanial Kahn, Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary My Architect. “It is both an honor and a privilege to be able to chronicle and bring to life such vital part of aviation history and support Parkinson's Research at the same time.  Now that's a win-win,” says Fly Right Films President Charlie Hewitt. Nathaniel Kahn hopes to bring many people with Parkinson’s disease down to Antarctica. He says, “They may learn to fight the disease even better, or perhaps may come to terms with the disease for the first time. This expedition provides a great opportunity for exploration in so many ways.”

The first fundraising event will be held on October 10, 2009, at the Proud Bird near LAX.  It will include a one-hour hosted bar, buffet dinner, speakers, dancing to Big Band Theory, autograph opportunities, and the chance to rub elbows with scientists, filmmakers, artists, and adventurers. There will be an auction with items such as a ride in a T-28 aircraft and an autographed scale model of an SR-71 Blackbird. Tickets can be bought online at the Byrd Expedition web site, where donations are also welcome: http://byrdexpedition.org.