Answering the call

Notable was the 1951 evacuation of a seriously injured stockman from Alice Springs to Sydney. After completing the day’s passenger flights at Tamworth, an aircraft was medically configured and piloted by Captain Arch Smith and Captain Chris Braund (owner of immaculate Mustang VH‑FCB) for the five-hour flight to Alice.

The patient and medics loaded, the aircraft flew the near-five-hour evacuation non-stop to Sydney, and ended up back at its base in Tamworth in time to operate the 3. 15pm passenger flight back to Sydney after reconfiguration.

Also in 1951, Bob Norman flew a Tiger Moth into a paddock to retrieve the wife of Cargoon Station grazier Bev Anning, who was bleeding to death. This led to the formation of Bush Pilots Airways. Bushies, especially once equipped with the DC-3, performed many hospital transfers and set up a flying surgeon service at Longreach.

Later, East-West’s DC-3 and F27 fleets were modified to enable the rear right-hand seats to be folded down to accept a stretcher and attendant alongside, with medical equipment attached to overhead locker fittings. These aircraft could be quickly configured by the aircrew at any port.

Many local air ambulance units were also formed, many with small aircraft such as Rockhampton’s original Partenavia P. 68. In Papua New Guinea, just about anything that flew was used as an improvised ambulance – none more interesting than the fixed-gear Cessna 336, with the rear engine hinge mod allowing it to be raised to load long cargo or a stretcher.

Flying padres, stock agents, vets and private owners joined in, and organisations such as Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) were established that today serve several countries. Commercial operators followed.

The Royal Australian Air Force’s C-47s were a loader’s dream due to their double door and bare side-saddle seat layout, which was retained by many civil DC-3s operated in PNG.

Several stretchers, attendants and equipment could be quickly loaded. Retention of RAAF two-

The RAAF’s C-47s were a loader’s dream due to their double door and bare side-saddle seat layout.

stage turbochargers and large paddle props enabled the aircraft to rapidly reach the common 14,000ft+ lowest safe altitudes and handle tight valley or gap manoeuvring.

The RAAF’s Caribou, with a similar cabin, was widely used. For many years an aircraft was kept on standby at Richmond for evacuations from Lord Howe Island. Its short takeoff and landing capability was essential at the island’s airport as well as in PNG.

Today’s C-130J Hercules and C-17 Globemaster continue this capability – as will the C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifter (capable of carrying 24 litters) – and can be used as flying intensive care units.

Eventually specialist civiloperators emerged as suitable aircraft appeared. For example, the RFDS in Queensland recently acquired two new King Airs for hospital transfers that are able to load extremely bariatric patients.

Other operators developed services, with several tasking organisations arranging such flights. Hospitals, the military and insurance companies are regular users.

Three examples illustrate the national capability. The range of the RFDS Hawker 800XP VH-RIO enables transfers from anywhere in Western Australia, as well as from Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. Perth-based Revesco Aviation’s Challenger 600 provides a similar long-range, high-speed capability.

On the other side of the country, CareFlight’s Gold Coast-based smaller medevac-configured Learjet 45s provide rapid long-range capability, and are constantly used to retrieve patients from PNG, New Zealand and island nations.

Growing transfer work saw the MED 1 and MED 2 air traffic control priorities changed to MEDEVAC and HOSPITAL. CASA is expected to place these operations under air transport or a similar new standard.

Some estimate nationally around 60,000 patient transfers including from overseas occur, the RFDS alone performing 46,005 in 2012/13.

The days of private VFR aircraft with minimal equipment declaring a mercy flight are long gone.