In defence of the RFDS. . . . .

[Phil Perry]

I have just pulled up some wanker on a major forum in Europe, who dissed the RFDS, obviously having no knowledge of what it was all about. . . My response is copied here under. . . .If I have anyting wrong,. . .please forgive me,. . .as I am but a mere worm of an internet blogger. . . . . The argument began regarding TV adverts for Aussie branded beers. . . . .

 

All of these adverts actually have a basis in either fact or folklore old chappie. . . . I have encountered a lot of other RFDS funny stories, which didn't make it into geneal folklore. . . . . that one actually occurred in around 1957, when the the RFDS were using old Auster aircraft, with a stretcher slid down the back of the aeroplane,. . .and the machine travelled at around sixty five miles per hour. . . to the nearest hospital facility, which could be,. . .in some circumstances more than 500 miles away. . . . bear in mind that it also took several hours to actually GET TO THE CASUALTY,. . . .and even using the super fast De Havilland Drover,. . .a 3 engined purpose built RFDS aeroplane, immortalised by the 1950s TV series, 'The Flying Doctor' this could only fly at around 130 miles per hour. . . Australia is an Enormous bit of ground,. . .about three thousand miles wide, by two thousand miles top to bottom. . .so the distances travelled were unenviable in those early times. . . .I take off me hat to the pilots and doctors who volunteered for this valuable service, which has no parallel anywhere on the planet. . . . .

 

( See how Phil looks after your interests ?. . . . . ) No charge of couse. . . . .

 

 

[facthunter]

Most who haven't travelled it have no idea of the size of this joint and how few people and facilities exist in some parts of it. Not all are descendants of transported British felons either, although in some quarters it seems almost compulsory to have "found" some dubious ancestors to "belong". Mine on both sides are just people who came in the gold rush and uncertainties around 1865 (OTA) RFDS is certainly needed still. Good work, cobber in informing the ignorant. THAT task will never end. Nev

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Thanks Nev, . . . . Is the RFDS Government funded btw, . . someone, ( I forget whom ) said that it worked on a voluntary donation basis, rather like the Royal National Lifeboat Institute ( RNLI ) which has been saving mariners around the UK coastline for a long time, this is a registered charity with it's frontline staff unpaid volunteer heroes. . . and exists sans any funding from Government; as do most of the UKs helicopter Air Ambulance services. I am forced to wonder why some of the UKs 12 biullion quid 'Foreign Aid' budget, could not be diverted to worthy home grown causes like these. . . especially the bits that go to countries such as Pakistan, which is a nuclear weaponised country and has it's own space programme, India, the fastest growing economy anywhere, another Nuclear power. . . which has already said that our 'Pitiful' few million quid aid money is an insult. . .( True dat ) not forgetting us financing new learjets and fleets of flashy cars for certain despotic African dicators. . .but I digress. . . .

 

May the RFDS live long and prosper . . .( Never Could do that Spock thing with the fingers. . . . )

 

**EDIT** I said that the DH Drover was purpose built, of course it wasn't, but nevertheless did a sterling job. An elderly chap I met in Darwin in 1973 told me that "it was like flying three knackered tiger moths in close formation, on yer own. . ."

 

>

 

 

 

 

Role

 

short-haul airliner

 

Manufacturer de Havilland Australia

 

Designer Martin Warner[1]

 

First flight 23 January 1948

 

Introduction 1949

 

Status Four registered in Australia

 

Primary users Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

 

Qantas

 

Produced 1949–1953

 

Number built 20

 

Unit cost

 

£14,000

 

Developed from de Havilland Dove

 

 

 

**** Jeeze,. . . cost less to buy than a brand new Jabberwocky ? ? ? ? ? *******

 

 

 

[bexrbetter]

5 planes in the air right now ...

 

Flying Doctor planes in real time | Royal Flying Doctor Service

 

Phil, partly Fed, State and Local Government funded, lots depends on donations though, especially for upgraded equipment.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

5 planes in the air right now ...Flying Doctor planes in real time | Royal Flying Doctor Service

 

Phil, partly Fed, State and Local Government funded, lots depends on donations though, especially for upgraded equipment.

Thanks for the info Bex. . . glad to hear the there's ONE country in the world having people in power with at least SOME form of commonsense and due responsibility for the saftety of their own people. . . .

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Thanks for the info Bex. . . glad to hear the there's ONE country in the world having people in power with at least SOME form of commonsense and due responsibility for the safety of their own people. . . .

We gave Vietnam $84 million last year in aid, a country that doesn't need it, nor is a large trade partner ....

 

We could do a lot better for many of our services.

 

 

[red750]

Phil, Post this comparison map to show the knob how big Oz is.

 

 

 

[red750]

As you can see from the RFDS flight map, they now use Beech KingAirs and Pilatus PC12's.

 

Another organisation in Australia is Angel Flight. Here is a link to their home page.

 

Angel Flight | Home Page

 

It is made up of pilots who volunteer their own planes to fly ill passengers for medical treatment on trips which would take 5 hours or more by road. One such pilot featured on TV recently is retiring Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens, who uses his Piper Seneca for this purpose.

 

 

[onetrack]

Phil - The RFDS relies a lot on donations, as well as State & Federal funding. The best donors are the people who have had their lives saved by the RFDS! If it ever happens to you, don't forget to give them a donation.

 

In Western Australia, the State lottery is owned and run by the State Govt - unlike the Eastern States, where a listed company called Tatts, runs all the State Lotteries.

 

Profits from the Eastern States lotteries go to fat, rich shareholders of Tatts. Profits from the W. A. lotteries are spread amongst community groups - and the RFDS is a big beneficiary of LotteryWest grants - to the tune of multiple millions.

 

Lotterywest grant funds new RFDS hangar — Lotterywest

 

I only buy Lotto tickets because I know the profits go to community groups and the likes of the RFDS. I detest buying Eastern States lottery tickets, knowing the profits only go to people who don't need any more money, anyway.

 

The RFDS is the lifeline of the Outback, they save many cattle stockmen from dying from serious injuries, they pick up people critically injured in car and truck smashes and rollovers, on Outback roads.

 

They pick up injured miners from remote minesites. They provide a myriad of mobile health services for people in remote locations and communities.

 

They often land on the road to pick up the injured from vehicle accidents. They fly by the skin of their teeth with seats-of-the-pants flying, often into unlit station airstrips at night. Here's a recent example.

 

RFDS use flaming toilet rolls to light up remote airstrip

 

The amazing part is - the RFDS has been doing this, and more, since 1928!

 

History of the RFDS Sections | Royal Flying Doctor Service

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Phil, Post this comparison map to show the knob how big Oz is.[ATTACH=full]45572[/ATTACH]

Thanks Peter . . I'll keep that in case I encounter the daft sod again, though to be fair, he lived in Brussells, part of a sort of 'Non-country' famous for veggies. . . .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Phil - The RFDS relies a lot on donations, as well as State & Federal funding. The best donors are the

'Profits from the Eastern States lotteries go to fat, rich shareholders of Tatts.'

 

Jeeze,. . .I feel guilty now for buying all those Tattslotto and Tatts tickets when I was in Melbourne ! ! !

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

In 1959, I worked during the summer school holidays as a telegram boy in Alice Springs.

 

There were many telegrams went through the flying doctor radio network, most were to put bets on racehorses and some were about stock prices and some were about ordering urgent supplies for cattle stations. But at the beginning of each session they did the medical calls.

 

There was this guy who had injured his leg badly, and each day he complained and each day he was told that a plane might be sent in a few days if he got worse. They did eventually send a plane but it was too late and he died.

 

Yes this is a sample of one but it is first-hand. I was really there, nearly 60 years ago.

 

 

[onetrack]

I feel guilty now for buying all those Tattslotto and Tatts tickets when I was in Melbourne ! ! !

So you should!! LOL

[pmccarthy]

I once t-boned a ute with an aboriginal couple in it, their fault. It was way west of Alice Springs and the FDS did a great job in coming to assist. They didn't speak English which made it very hard.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I once t-boned a ute with an aboriginal couple in it, their fault. It was way west of Alice Springs and the FDS did a great job in coming to assist. They didn't speak English which made it very hard.

OH NO ! . . .don't tell me that RFDS are using foreign pilots too ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

 

[dutchroll]

Thanks Peter . . I'll keep that in case I encounter the daft sod again, though to be fair, he lived in Brussells, part of a sort of 'Non-country' famous for veggies. . . .

Knowing many people in horsey circles, they use a fair bit of itinerant european backpacker labour on their horse spelling properties. The europeans never cease to be amazed at how bloody long it can take to get places over here. They honestly have no idea when they first arrive.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Bugger, I have just made one of those errors of experession that make me laugh when others do them. Thanks Phil.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

When John Flynn set up the Flying Doctor service, he never intended it to serve Aborigines. How things have changed, sometime for the better huh.

 

 

[Robbo]

Those PC12's are bloody nice to fly.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

When John Flynn set up the Flying Doctor service, he never intended it to serve Aborigines. How things have changed, sometime for the better huh.

.. says the guy who tried to wipe out a couple of Aborigines

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Knowing many people in horsey circles, they use a fair bit of itinerant european backpacker labour on their horse spelling properties. The europeans never cease to be amazed at how bloody long it can take to get places over here. They honestly have no idea when they first arrive.

My friend's Daughter and her young family moved to Adelaide a c ouple of years back. On one of their first 'Sorties' in the car after settling in, was a 'Quick' weekend trip to Sydney to see some old friends. . . they were appalled at how long it took, . . . . she said, " It didn't look That far on the map . . . .I'm really glad we didn't drive to Fremantle to see Aunt Rita . . . " ! ! Probably why so many newbies to the country get into trouble on long journeys. When I drive to London, I take a couple of bottles of water and the odd mars bar, ( It's too dear to buy comestibles down the smoke ) But you just can't travel like that up the Birdsville track. . . Thank heaven for the RFDS.

 

It's true, the scale of that wonderful continent is truly mindblowing. . . .strange that some of my neighbours both in Melbourne and Brisbane had never even travelled outside the city limits. . . I guess the Wanderlust just doesn't appeal to some folks. . .

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Bugger, I have just made one of those errors of experession that make me laugh when others do them. Thanks Phil.

Sorry mate. . . didn't really mean to extract the wee wee. . . . .

 

 

[bexrbetter]

They get a shock when I drive in China somewhere for 3 or 4 hours straight! - "You must be so tired!"

 

Recently drove somewhere for 7 hours straight, 4 car in the group and 3 of them booked into a motel halfway to rest, lol! I just did the lot of course and enjoyed an extra day relaxing. They are GPS mad here, that trip was 6 hours straight North up a major Freeway to one city, as soon as they got on the Freeway leaving, they all stopped to set their GPS's for goodness sakes. Worried they would miss the city 3 hours away where we were stopping for lunch straight up the Freeway! Imagine leaving Melbourne or Sydney and stopping when you got onto the Hume Freeway to set your GPS for Albury.

 

Geez late last year I did Adelaide to Dubbo (non stop) to the air show, then back to Newcastle, then to Sydney, to Taree, back to Sydney again, then to Brissy within a week. Few days later I flew into Adelaide at 7am, by 8am drove a rental to well past Port Augusta, stopped for a few hours and back to Adelaide by evening.

 

 

[IBob]

Thanks Nev, . . . . Is the RFDS Government funded btw, . . someone, ( I forget whom ) said that it worked on a voluntary donation basis, rather like the Royal National Lifeboat Institute ( RNLI ) which has been saving mariners around the UK coastline for a long time, this is a registered charity with it's frontline staff unpaid volunteer heroes. . . and exists sans any funding from Government; as do most of the UKs helicopter Air Ambulance services. I am forced to wonder why some of the UKs 12 biullion quid 'Foreign Aid' budget, could not be diverted to worthy home grown causes like these. . . especially the bits that go to countries such as Pakistan, which is a nuclear weaponised country and has it's own space programme, India, the fastest growing economy anywhere, another Nuclear power. . . which has already said that our 'Pitiful' few million quid aid money is an insult. . .( True dat ) not forgetting us financing new learjets and fleets of flashy cars for certain despotic African dicators. . .but I digress. . . .May the RFDS live long and prosper . . .( Never Could do that Spock thing with the fingers. . . . )

 

**EDIT** I said that the DH Drover was purpose built, of course it wasn't, but nevertheless did a sterling job. An elderly chap I met in Darwin in 1973 told me that "it was like flying three knackered tiger moths in close formation, on yer own. . ."

 

>

 

[ATTACH=full]45564[/ATTACH]

 

 

 

Role

 

short-haul airliner

 

Manufacturer de Havilland Australia

 

Designer Martin Warner[1]

 

First flight 23 January 1948

 

Introduction 1949

 

Status Four registered in Australia

 

Primary users Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

 

Qantas

 

Produced 1949–1953

 

Number built 20

 

Unit cost

 

£14,000

 

Developed from de Havilland Dove

 

 

 

**** Jeeze,. . . cost less to buy than a brand new Jabberwocky ? ? ? ? ? *******

I've flown in a couple of Drovers. Um. Not DH's finest design. For some reason, the one in Oz had a massive dihedral built into the stabiliser. I don't know why some were built or modified that way, but it wallowed along in a horrible tail-down attitude. Here is a pic of one such. Anyone know why?

 

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Probably to give clearance above the saltbush and rabbits.