Mission 1458 - Archerfield to Wondai

Background

On Thursday the 30th of November 2006 I flew Mission 1458, making it my 50th Angel Flight.

The mission description from Angel Flight was:

SUBSEQUENT TRIP REQUEST: (11th and 12th Angel flights)

A fifty-nine year old lady from Wondai requires several radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments for cancer.

She is required to travel to both Brisbane and Toowoomba for this. Her husband is also unwell and is unable to drive.

I had carried Berenece on the return of her maiden voyage, Mission 1055, in June.

This mission was originally scheduled for the 1st of December, but two days earlier it transpired that due some scheduling stuff up at the hospital Berenece's treatment was being brought forward a day. So I was asked to fly a day earlier instead.

Originally I was to have had another passenger, Angel Flight Mission Co-ordinato Geoff Marsh, who only started working at Angel Flight a few months before and had not yet seen a Mission from up close. However, the late change in timing meant that he could not make it.

So with a spare seat begging to be taken, I invited Farhad who works in the same office building as I and is self confessed aviation nut along for the ride. It took him about 20 seconds to agree.

Pre-Flight

The skies were dark and ominous overhead Archerfield as Farhad and I met up at about 10:00. I had already pre-flighted the aircraft, but still needed some muscle power to help me push the the Bonanza back from some other aircraft blocking our exit.

A short time later Geoff Marsh from Angel Flight turned up with Berenece in tow. He brought along another certificate and a trophy as this was my 50th mission.

The ceremonies having been dispensed with, we piled Berenece into the back seat and bade farewell to Geoff.

Archerfield to Wondai

At 11:00 we did the visual departure over Indooroopilly Bridge, but just on passing it, encountered rain showers and some cloud. Just as well that the clearance to climb to our flight planned 8,000' was issued immediately. We spent most of the next half hour scooting either in solid cloud or just between layers of grey.

As we neared Kingaroy, some 17 nm (6 minutes ) from our destination of Wondai, it was still not clear and looked like we would not get visual by the minimum altitude. So I elected to commence an Instrument Approach (NDB) at Kingaroy. If I was to become visual at an appropriate height, I would be able to continue onto Wondai. If, not, we'd drop Berenece off at Kingaroy.

Fortune smiled on us, and we did become visual at 3,500' just as I started the the instrument approach. So I was able to discontinue that approach and proceeded visually to Wondai, where we landed just before 12:00.

The mis-communications that had had us carry Berenece one day earlier than originally planned continued - Berenece had advised her husband to pick her up about an hour later than we arrived. Fortunately Wondai has a very pleasant terminal building with a comfortable bench and it was here that Berenece retired.

Wondai to Archerfield

Farhad and I did an extensive exploration of this major hub of transportation, where we counted not one, but TWO other aircraft.

Thus suitably tired, we hopped back onboard and headed back south to Archerfield.

The trip was easy with us becoming visual again at about 3,000', this time just before Mt Coot'tha from where we proceeded to the airfield, touching down just on 1:00pm

Summary

We were back on the ground in Archerfield after having