Hendrick lends plane to transport personnel and supplies into Haiti for earthquake relief

Hendrick lends plane for Haiti earthquake relief

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hendrick Motorsports has loaned an airplane and two flight crews to an organization that is participating in the Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

The NASCAR team loaned a 45-passenger plane to Missionary Flights International, which will send support teams in and out of Port-au-Prince. The first flight is scheduled to leave Fort Pierce, Fla., on Saturday morning and will take 30 passengers and medical supplies into Haiti.

The HMS aviation team is planning to fly at least one roundtrip per day, with no timeline set on how long the plane and personnel will be on loan. The eight-team crew consists of HMS aviation director Dave Dudley, four captain-level pilots, one mechanic and one flight attendant. All volunteered to participate.

HMS officials have a second plane on standby, and team owner Rick Hendrick is covering all costs associated with the flights.

Hendrick officials said Friday they received a special exemption from the FAA to fly the plane into Port-au-Prince.

The international Red Cross estimates 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake, which devastated the Caribbean nation on Tuesday.

On the Net:

www.hendrickmotorsports.com

www.missionaryflights.org.