Mission 1067 - Toowoomba to Cunnamulla

Background

On Friday the 30^th of June 2006 I flew Mission 1067, making it my 39^th Angel Flight.

The mission description from Angel Flight was:

SUBSEQUENT TRIP REQUEST: (3rd & 4th Angel flights)
A 60 year old Mykella, a resident of Cunnamulla, requires radiation treatment for lung cancer at the Toowoomba Base Hospital for an undefined period.
Due to the long distances involved, air transport would greatly reduce the travelling time and amount of discomfort experienced by the patient.

Being based in Archerfield, I will first have to hop across the ranges to Toowoomba (58nm) to pick up my passenger before continuing onto Cunnamulla.

Leg 1: Archerfield to Toowoomba

Following a slight maintenance induced delay (when I got to the aircraft I found that the radio had been removed for maintenance and first needed to be re-installed), I got airborne at 10:05, about 20 minutes behind schedule, but still with enough time up my sleeve to make it to Toowoomba with five minutes to spare for our scheduled departure at 10:30.

Earth Angel Kirsty MacLean had patiently waited with Mykella, who was feeling a little woozy from the morphine tablet she had been given shortly before. With a little tottering I managed to install Mykella in the seat next to me and we fired up for the trip to Cunnamulla.

Leg 2: Toowoomba to Cunnamulla

While the weather was reasonably benign, we had a tremendous 45 knot headwind, slowing us down to 115 or 120 knots. Mykella, still feeling the effects of the drugs soon dropped off to sleep, as we were still climbing to our flight planned 10,000' cruising altitude. Initially we were sitting well below a scattered layer of cloud but this gradually got descended to our level as it got more solid. To avoid the bumps associated with this I descended to 8,000'.

We remained at this altitude until Cunnamulla came into view right up the nose. With the fickle windsock favouring the 'cross strip', I lined up for a landing on it and Mykella had the grace to attribute the effects of my heavy landing to the, relatively, poorer state of this runway.

Mykella's husband was patiently waiting for us, as was the Paroo Shire's refueling operator.

Mykella, with the main effect of the drug having worn off, made her way easily down the wing into her husband's arms. I bade them farewell.

Leg 3: Cunnamulla to Archerfield: Prudent fuel planning essential

After farewelling Mykella, I had to pump some AvGas onboard. The trick here was to pump only as much a I needed to get me back home - plus some reserves. For the fuel at Cunnamulla, even when taking the 12 cent a litre Angel Flight discount into account, is very expensive. So I had only 120 litres added.

The trip back home to Archerfield, this time at 9,000' and with a tail wind at times pushing me along at a groudspeed of 197 knots, was accomplished a lot quicker and I was back in Archerfield at ten past four, with plenty of fuel still in the tanks.

Leg 3.5: Archerfield to Graceville: Prudent fuel planning essential - Take 2

Having tied down the aircraft I drove myself home in my father-in-laws old Mazda that serves us as the family run-about. It is a well worn vehcile with a faulty fuel indicator; It indicates properly from full to half tank and then drops to zero. On handing me the keys Phillip had told me that the car would run "for about 400km" on a tank of petrol.

I was driving home just north of Archerfield airport when the engine surged. As luck would have it, I had enough speed to pull into the drive way of a service station (but not an inch further), and a look at the odometer confirmed 404km. Just as well the fuel gauges in the plane are a little more accurate!

Summary

I was back on the ground in Archerfield after having

spent 5 hours and 54 minutes in the air and taxiing
consumed 298 litres of AvGas,
completed 3 take-offs and landings