The Flying Doctors

The half-hour tour of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Alice Springs is one of the most inspirational pit-stops I have ever made.  The tour covered the history of this humanitarian organization.  The RFDS began with a Presbyterian minister named John Flynn who lived in the Outback of Australia.  He set up hospitals for the pioneers who settled in this remote area in order to find work in mines or on the railroads.  He witnessed how only two doctors provided care for a two million square kilometer area and began a ten year campaign to bring in aerial medical service.  In 1927, Qantas provided an aerial ambulance.  The early pilots landed in uncharted territory using dry river beds as landing strips.

Dry River Bed outside Alice Springs

By the 1950's, the RFDS was covering all of Australia.  Today, 53 aircraft cover 21 bases across the entire country.

Last winter, while in Baja, we stopped at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and another group came in.  We couldn't help eavesdropping.  Of the four of them, only one spoke Spanish and she was patiently explaining the difference between arroz con pollo and arroz con camarones  to the other three. As we left, we stopped to chat.   They were all Flying Doctors, returning from a remote area of Baja.  As soon as the chips and salsa arrived, however, all talking ceased.  They were ravenous.  Nice to know these Angels of Mercy are human, after all.

Baja