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North Queensland, the size of France, is lucky to enjoy the fantastic
service of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Last Friday night we flew by
a RFDS 7 seater plane to retrieve a 28 week gestation neonate at Ingham, a
kangaroo hop away at 120 km north of Townsville. As the plane descended
and approached the tarmac runaway I saw 2 sets of flashing lights
resembling fireflies going up and down the runaway. When we got out of the
plane I was surprised to see two police cars with their flsahing lights of
red, yellow and blue flashing. "That was a clean landing" said one
burlesque officer to our pilot. The pilot sighed "There was one who came
into view just as I landed, otherwise it was pretty good". It transpired
that the two police cars were dashing up and down the runaway to clear it
of the many kangaroos and wallabies. When we have got the baby and his
mother back on the plane the police officers repeated the same fumigating
act. A kangaroo, with a joey, hopped past my window as the plane took
off.
yours sincerely,
THHG Koh
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Senior Specialist
Kirwan Hospital
Townsville
Great Barrier Reef
Australia
Competing interests:
No competing interests
15 February 1999
T H H G Koh
Senior Specialist
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Kirwan Hospital, Townsville, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Why does one need two police cars and an ambulance to land an aeroplane?
Dear Editor,
North Queensland, the size of France, is lucky to enjoy the fantastic
service of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Last Friday night we flew by
a RFDS 7 seater plane to retrieve a 28 week gestation neonate at Ingham, a
kangaroo hop away at 120 km north of Townsville. As the plane descended
and approached the tarmac runaway I saw 2 sets of flashing lights
resembling fireflies going up and down the runaway. When we got out of the
plane I was surprised to see two police cars with their flsahing lights of
red, yellow and blue flashing. "That was a clean landing" said one
burlesque officer to our pilot. The pilot sighed "There was one who came
into view just as I landed, otherwise it was pretty good". It transpired
that the two police cars were dashing up and down the runaway to clear it
of the many kangaroos and wallabies. When we have got the baby and his
mother back on the plane the police officers repeated the same fumigating
act. A kangaroo, with a joey, hopped past my window as the plane took
off.
yours sincerely,
THHG Koh
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Senior Specialist
Kirwan Hospital
Townsville
Great Barrier Reef
Australia
Competing interests: No competing interests