The mission description from Angel Flight was:
INITIAL TRIP REQUEST:John Watson, the Angel Flight co-ordinator for this mission, keen to see some of the outback, asked whether he could come along for the ride. Seeing that I has space and weight to spare, I had no hesitation in welcoming him for the mission.This lady faces a 10 hour drive each way to attend her chemotherapy sessions.
Angel flights will ease her discomfort and allow her to attend her sessions without the fatigue and stress that will inevitably occur after such a journey.
John was already waiting for me as I arrived at the aerodrome. He helped me untie and prepare the aeroplane for our day's adventure.
With the weather forecast limited to a single four letter word starting with 'F' (and ending in 'INE'), we had no problems finding Toowoomba which was a mere 26 minutes away.
Annette and Bob were waiting for us and we soon had their luggage stored, the briefing completed and both of them seated in the back.
Even though there was no cloud about, the forecast did call for reasonably strong head winds. While we could comfortably make Blackall on one tank of fuel with reserves, we would not be able to refuel there or continue to a suitable field with fuel from there.
Charleville is the closest spot for fuel in the right direction. So I had planned to drop in on Charleville on the way before proceeding to Blackall, and with the wind pushing us along, go non-stop to Archerfield.
As we approached Roma, I was able to determine that the head winds were not as strong as forecast - hence I would be able to have enough fuel to go to Blackall and then Charleville, saving our passengers about 30 minutes and one descent and climb.
So with a revised flight plan we headed for Blackall, where I landed straight in on the dirt strip. This was not a wise decision - unlike a lot of other country dirt strips, this one was in pretty rough condition and we got thoroughly stirred. Also a cloud of locusts was feasting on the vegetation so that the aeroplane now sports a nice patina of locust carcasses along the leading edge. Some kites or kestrels were feeding on this feast too.
Annette and Bobs were nonetheless pleased to be home in a little over two hours instead of the twelve odd hours it had taken to get to Toowoomba in the bus.
Having negotiated our right to the use of airspace with the twelve or so kestrels, we lined up for departure on the sealed strip this time. With two passengers gone and the tanks less than half full, the Bonanza climbed like a homesick angel to 9,000'.
We alighted on the runway at Charleville about an hour later, where I pumped some 240 litres of AvGas into the tanks.
I had intended to quickly refuel the plane, empty the bladder and maybe grab a quick meat pie. John had other ideas. While I was paying for the engine oil he prepared a veritable feast on the table outside. A fresh salad with a choice bit of salmon, cheese and crackers, malt cake, three choices of soft drink.....
We chatted happily along as the countryside slid under the belly and the sun moved steadily toward the horizon.
We arrived with ten minutes to spare before sunset and had the aeroplane tied down and covered about 20 minutes later. I farewelled John, thanking him for the excellent company (and lunch) he provided.