Chocks Away
Posted on Monday 26th May 2008
First off, apologies for the prolonged delay in updating this site. Telstra broke our phone line last Weds and it has taken them 5 days to get it operational again. This also meant disruption of our internet access as it is piped down the same line.
Anyway, we’re back up and running again. Just in time to report my first “mission” with the RAH Mediflight Retrieval Service. We were asked to pick up a female patient from Port Augusta Hospital and transport her to my old haunt, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, back in Adelaide. Since it was beyond easy helicopter range, we were taken there and back by the Royal Flying Doctors Service.
I was highly impressed by the RFDS. The plane was modern and extremely well equipped. The flight was a mere 40 minutes, most of it with very little turbulence. The take-off and landing were far smoother than the average commercial flight, probably since the aircraft has a slow stall speed.
Fortunately all went well, and we delivered the patient in good shape to our colleagues in Adelaide. The successful outcome means I can now do plane transports unaccompanied now, so can start working on the rota properly. I am yet to do a helicopter retrieval, which is the last obstacle to being fully independent.
Well done Rick.
That is fantastic news….you are now a real Royal Flying Doctor.