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The doctor flying solo around Australia to raise funds for sick children

Meet the doctor flying 27,000 kilometres to raise money and change the future for our kids.

By Brooke Le Poer Trench

  • Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, senior neurologist at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), is flying solo across Australia from July 2025.
  • The flight is part of a campaign to raise $4.5 million for a dedicated space at RCH to deliver advanced therapies to children with rare and complex conditions.

When Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, senior neurologist at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), takes off from Melbourne this July, he’ll be flying solo—literally and figuratively.

At the controls of a small-engine aircraft, he’ll navigate 27,000 kilometres of wide-open Australian skies, facing unpredictable weather, exhausting hours and total isolation. But for Kornberg, the gruelling elements of this journey are a small price to pay. “It’s nothing compared to what our families go through every day.” This year’s solo flight is part of a campaign to raise $4.5 million for a dedicated space at RCH to deliver life-changing advanced therapies to children with some of the rarest and most complex conditions in the country.

The heart behind the flight 

To understand why a doctor would swap scrubs for a pilot headset, you need to understand the urgency behind his mission. And that Kornberg’s commitment to his patients goes beyond medicine. “If you met some of my families, they’d say I’m like their uncle,” he says. “I treat them all like my children.” A passionate pilot and tireless advocate, he’s been caring for children with complex neurological conditions for decades.

In 2017, he took to the skies for the first time to raise funds for a deep brain stimulation program—inspired by a teenage girl whose condition had pushed her to the brink. “She told her mum she felt broken and didn’t want to live,” recalls Kornberg. “That moment pushed me to act. I knew we had to bring this treatment to Australia.” He raised the funds, built the program and helped bring life-changing procedures to Australian soil. That patient? She got out of her wheelchair, walked across the room and gave him a hug.

Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg with George, one of the many children he’s helped.

Supporting innovative treatments

This time, Kornberg is flying for a new purpose—and a new generation of kids. “We’re on the edge of something special,” he says. “Gene therapy and advanced treatments have gone from science fiction to real, lifesaving care.”

He explains that spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can now be virtually cured if treated before symptoms begin. “We’ve gone from telling families, ‘Your baby will die,’ to ‘Your child could live a normal life.’ That’s the power of precision medicine.”

But these treatments need more than just innovation. They demand trained staff, infrastructure and dedicated resources—something many Australian hospitals are still building. That’s why Kornberg wants to create a dedicated space for advanced therapies at RCH—something that will serve as a model for the entire country. “Time is neurons,” he says. “You need to move fast. You need the systems in place. That’s what this will do—not just in Melbourne but for all of Australia.”

Flying solo but never alone

This year’s route will take Kornberg across deserts, over coastlines and through weather conditions that even seasoned pilots might hesitate to tackle solo. Flying around the country alone is tiring, mentally taxing and lonely. “You’re up at 5am every day, planning for the weather, checking the aircraft, flying for hours, landing, refuelling and finding a place to stay,” he says. “But I do it with one thing in mind—why I’m doing it. The kids and their families. That’s what keeps me going.” 

Along the way, he’ll visit former and current patients across the country—a reminder that the results of his work aren’t just theoretical. They’re walking, talking, laughing proof that the mission matters. “These kids are funny, vibrant and clever,” he says. “They just want the chance to live the life most of us take for granted.”

Come along for the ride 

Kornberg will be flying solo but he’s not doing this alone. Backed by the Live Life Foundation, the RCH Foundation, CommBank and other organisations, this bold mission needs the support of Australians everywhere—creating a future where children have access to life-changing treatments is something we can all be part of.

Whether it’s donating, fundraising, spreading the word or simply showing compassion to families living with rare conditions, every act of support brings us closer to transforming paediatric care across the country. “Everyone can make a difference,” says Kornberg. “Thoughts, prayers, kindness—they all matter. But yes, to get this off the ground, we also need people to put their hands in their pockets.”

Visit flyforthekids.org.au to donate.

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An earlier version of this article was published in Brighter magazine.

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