No matter how often a pilot flies, the words "clear to take off" remain magical. It is a single moment of separation from all that holds us. Brian Kissinger finds flying more than this. He sees it as the gift of life.

When Brian was diagnosed with a brain tumor, his life changed forever. Despite all the challenges people experience when fighting a deadly disease, he survived. "The brutal times I faced made me aware of how my survival acknowledges the need to help others in the same situation."

Why is he flying across the country? Brian once heard a quote from Martin Luther King: "The most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing to help others?" but he never truly understood the power of those words...until now. "I honestly feel that I could not sleep at night if I did not help others facing this disease," said Brian. His personal goal is to raise $100,000 for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. These dollars will go to the Foundation's research programs.

When planning the details for the flight, Brian found information about GE producing radar and radio equipment used in World War II. Working in conjunction with the Signal Corps, the Army Air Corps and the Navy, GE participated in the design and manufacture of equipment for planes like the one he will be flying: a 1942 L-4 Cub. "For me, flying an older plane is rewarding for many reasons," said Brian. "Think about it. Everything we consider 'state-of-art' today is based on an idea born years ago: cars, planes, radio systems."

This drive to improve, to exceed all limits, is very important to Brian. "From a personal standpoint, I wonder how I would have survived if diagnosed with brain cancer 15 years ago." Brian compares the leap in technology necessary to defeat brain cancer with the advances in technology brought about in the past century by GE. "There has been research, baby-steps forward, but so much more is needed!"

"Brian Kissinger's approach to raising awareness of this disease, and dollars for research, stands on its own," said Rob Tufel, Executive Director of the National Brain Tumor Foundation. "His flight plan is aggressive, but then so is his heart. What he is doing is important—not only to patients, but for their family and friends who are trying to understand and help. Every day in the United States, 500 adults and children are diagnosed with brain tumors. Awareness of this illness, and a drive to increase research focus on a cure, is overdue."

To help Brian meet his goal, visit his website at http://www.firstgiving.com/brainsflight To learn more about the National Brain Tumor Foundation, call 800.934.CURE (2873) or visit www.braintumor.org