As you know, we have been working on the search for Bob and Neiba Norton and their passengers, Gladys Zerpa, Flora Mujica and her daughter Juli andPaulina Neri and her infant son Eddi for more than 2 ½ years now. Our team of volunteers has collectively spent thousands of hours on the physical search, the investigative analysis and the development of search technologies that we hope will help us find the crash site in the Venezuelan jungle.
Furthermore, the team is developing technologies and systems for this search that could also be invaluable in aiding future searches. Several of our team members are involved in search and rescue agencies beyond the Norton search. They are interested in its success, not only for its own sake, but for the sake of future searches. In addition, several engineering students fromTennessee Technological University are involved with the design of our Aerial Camera Platforms (ACP-1 and ACP-2), which are capable of scanning the jungle canopy for signs of the crash site.
The next critical step for our team requires an investigator/pilot with specialized skills for locating missing aircraft. The objective of this investigator will be to research new and old leads and to fly possible routes Norton may have flown on Feb 16, 2009. Our team has determined possible routes by conducting numerous flight simulations, based partly on information from witnesses who came forward only after the original, intense air search.
This upcoming trip will also lay the groundwork for bringing our ACP-2 to Venezuela after the first of the year, allowing us to conduct detailed searches of the jungle canopy in our priority zones.
In preparation for the upcoming trip, our U.S. team members are in frequent communication with team members in Venezuela who are coordinating our itinerary. Most of our equipment is donated, loaned or purchased at a reduced rate, which keeps our overall operating expenses at a minimum. In the near future, however, we do need help with travel expenses. Many of us on the team offer whatever financial amounts we can to continue the search effort's forward motion. We initiated a fund raiser approximately one month ago, and our account now holds just over $2,000 as of 10/10/2011. The team needs at least $700 more to cover our travel expenses to and from Venezuela without incurring debt. We need an additional $4,000 for fuel and aircraft rental in order to conduct ALL of the interviews with key eye-witnesses and to fly the simulation routes throughout the jungle region.
If you would like to contribute to this worthwhile cause, any amount will be sincerely appreciated. We are completely a grass-roots organization, and we operate solely on donations, so we need every individual willing to offer their financial assistance. Even quantities of ten or twenty dollars will help if enough people will participate. Please donate (tax deductible donation) through Outpost Centers International, a non-profit agency who has graciously handled all of our donations since the search began. You can donate online at:
http://www.outpostcenters.org/getinvolved/donate
It is VERY important to mark your donations for “Norton Search Effort.”
Or you can mail your donation to:
Outpost Centers International
5340 Layton Lane
Apison, TN 37302 (Remember to mark for "Norton Search Effort")
Thanks once again to all who have helped with this effort and continue to do so. Feel free to call me personally for additional details if you would like and you can follow us on our web site at: www.findingbobnorton.org.
As we press ahead . . .
Bob Edwards | Norton Search Team Lead
Phone: 1-423-280-8217 | E-mail: bobedwards {at} findingbobnorton(.)org
WebSite: www.findingbobnorton.org