Fly 4 Rett-Syndrome - LuciaAir - Balaton Sightseeing Flights

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Repülés a Rett-szindrómáért / Flying for Rett Syndrome from Hungary to Australia.

Dec 12, 2002, 01.25 AM IST

From Hungary to Australia. It is a father's flight for a cause. Andor Kantas is a Hungarian pilot who is presently in Kolkata with Csongor Latky to create awareness about a genetic disease called Rett Syndrome.

This rare disease is seen mostly in girls. Due to an abnormality in their chromosome they are left immobile and speechless from childhood.

The two started their flight from Hungary's Keszthely on November 2 in their ultralight aircraft Lucia, named after Kantas' nine-year-old daughter who's a victim of Rett.

"Our aircraft weighs around 450 kg and can only fly 150 km per hour," said Latky. The aircraft is stationed at hanger seven of the Netaji Subhas International Airport presently. The two fly for six hours every day.

"As our aircraft is barely 10 metres long, we have to be cautious about windspeed," said Kantas. Recalling his daughter's disease, he said initially the doctors were unable to diagnose her. "Ultimately in February this year when she had a genetic test she was found to be suffering from the Rett syndrome."

On their way to Kolkata they had stopped at Rumania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they landed in Karachi and then flew to Ahmedabad and Nagpur. They reached Kolkata on Tuesday.

It is a charity flight with the Hungarian Tourist Board, the Red Cross and Red Crescent funding the project. Although they got fuel concession at various airports, Dum Dum charged them for parking and security. Their next destination is Myanmar and they hope to reach Australia by middle of January.

They safely arrived at their destination on the 30th of January, 2003. The journey of the flying shoebox has come to a happy end.

Post from Times of India.