The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS, informally known as The Flying Doctors) is an air ambulance service for those living in the remote inland areas of Australia. It is a not-for-profit organization which provides both emergency assistance and primary health care to people who cannot easily access a hospital or general practice due to the prohibitive distances of the Outback. The Service also assists with distance education. A Beech KingAir of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. ... A non-profit organization (sometimes abbreviated to not-for-profit or non-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support some issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. ... Health care or healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions [[1]]. The healthcare industry is one of the worlds largest and fastest-growing industries, consuming over 10... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... A general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP) is a physician/doctor who provides primary care. ... A typical outback scene, somewhere north of Coober Pedy. ... Distance education is a method of teaching in which the students are not required to be physically present at a specific location during the term. ...

An RFDS Beech KingAir on a remote airstrip in Queensland, Australia.

An RFDS Beech KingAir on a remote airstrip in Queensland, Australia. ... An RFDS Beech KingAir on a remote airstrip in Queensland, Australia. ...

A "Mantle of Safety" for the Outback

The Service began in 1928, originally as an experiment known as the Aerial Medical Service (AMS) which was to run for a single year. This experiment was based in Cloncurry, Queensland. It was formed by Reverend John Flynn, the first Superintendent of the Australian Inland Mission (AIM), a branch of the Presbyterian Church. 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The town of Cloncurry is situated in north west Queensland, Australia, 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville via the Flinders Highway. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... The Reverend John Flynn (25 November 1880 – 5 May 1951) was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the worlds first air ambulance. ... The Australian Presbyterian Mission was founded by the Presbyterian Church of Australia to reach those beyond the furthest fence with Gods Word. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

Flynn's missionary work involved the establishment of hospitals in bush communities. This, however, did not help those who lived far from any major community. In his public speaking he would often retell the tragic circumstances that had befallen several bush settlers. The fate of Jimmy Darcy was one of these stories. A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ...

Darcy was a stockman in Western Australia. After being found injured by some friends, he was transported over 30 miles (12 hours), to the nearest town, Halls Creek. Here, Darcy was met by FW Tuckett, the Postmaster, and the only man in the settlement trained in first aid. Tuckett said there was nothing he could reliably do for injuries so serious, and tried unsuccessfully to contact doctors at Wyndham, and then Derby, by telegraph. He eventually got through to a doctor in Perth. Through communication by morse code, Dr Holland guided Tuckett through two rather messy bladder operations utilising the only sharp instrument available, a pen knife. Holland then travelled 10 days to Halls Gap on a boat for cattle transport, a Model T Ford, a horse drawn carriage, and even on foot, only to find that Darcy had died the day before. To rub salt in the wound, the operations had been successful, but the stockman had died from an undiagnosed case of malaria and ruptured abscess in his appendix.

It was from stories such as this that Flynn, and his following at the AIM, became inspired to develop a route of communications that could solve the problem of remoteness. However, no feasible technology seemed apparent. Motto: Cygnis Insignis (Distinguished by its swans) Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Governor Premier Const. ... Halls Creek (population 2005 1300) is a small town situated in the East Kimberley of Western Australia. ... The City of Wyndham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. ... Derby is a small town in the Kimberly Region of around 5000. ... Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. ... Morse code is a system of representing letters, numbers and punctuation marks by means of a code signal sent intermittently. ... A penknife (or Swiss Army knife) is a small, rectangular shaped object with several attachments. ... Halls Gap is a town in Victoria, Australia. ... Red blood cell infected with Malaria (Italian: bad air; formerly called ague or marsh fever in English) is an infectious disease which in humans causes about 350-500 million infections and approxomately 1. ... An abscess is a collection of pus collected in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e. ... The word appendix refers to the following things: In publishing, an appendix is a short section at the end of a book, often used for supplementary information. ...

Flight and Radio: The fusion of two fledgling technologies

Victorian Lieutenant Clifford Peel, had heard Flynn's public speeches, and on being shipped out to France for World War I in 1917, sent Flynn a letter explaining how he had seen a missionary doctor visiting isolated patients utilising a plane. Assisted by costing estimates by Peel, Flynn immediately took the idea of using aircraft to incept his idea, and published Peel's idea in the church's newsletter. Sadly Peel died in combat in 1918, probably not even knowing the impact he had in the creation of an Australian icon. World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... KIA is a three-letter abbreviation for killed in action, a term often used in military histories and narratives to count the number of casualties in a conflict, or the status of an individual. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Along with motorised flight, another new technology was being developed that could replace the complicated means of communication by telegraph. Together with Alfred Traeger, Flynn began experiments with radio in the mid 1920s to enable remote outposts to contact a centralised medical base. The pedal radio was the first result of this collaboration. These were distributed gradually to stations, missions and other human residences around Cloncurry, the base site for a 50-watt transmitter. Alfred Hermann Traeger (August 2, 1895 – July 31, 1980) was an Australian inventor, chiefly known for the development of the pedal radio. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly... Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. ... A mission literally means something that is sent, from the Latin word missum, sent. Thus we may refer to space exploration expeditions as space missions, or to a diplomatic outpost in a foreign territory as a diplomatic mission. Christian missions are movements or outposts of Christian proselytism. ... Antenna tower of Crystal Palace transmitter, London A transmitter (sometimes abbreviated XMTR) is an electronic device which with the aid of an antenna propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications. ...

By 1928, Flynn had gathered sufficient funds through fundraising activities to launch the experiment of the AMS on May 15. Its supporters included industrialist HV McKay, medical doctor George Simpson, and Hudson Fysh, one of the founders of Queensland and Northern Territory Air Service, the company which would go on to become QANTAS. QANTAS supplied the first aircraft to the fledgling organisation, a De Havilland model DH50, dubbed "Victory". On May 17, two days after inception, saw the service's first official flight departing from Cloncurry, 85 miles to Julia Creek in Central Queensland, where the plane was met by over 100 people at the airstrip. QANTAS charged two shillings per mile for use of the Victory during the first year of the project. 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Fundraising is the term referring to the process of soliciting and gathering money by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... George Simpson is the name of several people: George Simpson (politician) for Lord Simpson of Dunkeld. ... Wilmot Hudson Fysh (b January 6, 1895, d April 6, 1974). ... QF may also mean Quick firing in British artillery terminology. ... de Havilland UK In 1920 Geoffrey de Havilland changed the name of his company Airco, where he had previously been chief designer, to the De Havilland Aircraft Company. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... Central Queensland is an ambigious geographical division of Queensland (a state in Australia) that centers on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. ... An airstrip is a kind of airport that consists only of a runway with perhaps fueling equipment. ...

Success, and continued success

Within the first year of operations, the service flew approximately 20,000 miles in 50 flights, becoming the first comprehensive air ambulance service in the world. The service persisted through some very tough first few years, dealing with postwar Australia and the Great Depression of the 1930s. During its first few decades the service relied heavily on community fundraising, volunteer support and donations. This is still the mainstay of the services funding, but it benefits greatly from State and Federal Government subsidiaries that have since been introduced. Until the 1960s the service predominantly hired aircraft, pilots and service technicians from contractors. After this point, the service moved on to purchasing its own equipment and employing its own pilots and mechanics. On October 22, 1958, Holden car manufacter's donated their 500, 000^th vehicle to the service in Melbourne. A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... The Great Depression was a massive global economic recession (or depression) that ran from 1929 to 1939. ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Holden Australia is an Australian car manufacturer, originally independent but now a subsidiary of General Motors. ... The City of Melbournes coat of arms Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of 3,600,650 in the Melbourne metropolitan area (June 2004) and 61,670 in the City of...

In 1932, the success from its operations in Cloncurry, and the increasing public awareness to this quite vital rural service, resulted in a push for a national network of flying doctors, hopefully with sponsorship from the government. In 1934, this was realised with the new Australian Aerial Medical Service opening up "Sections" across the nation. Bases were set up in Wyndham, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie, Broken Hill, Alice Springs and Meekatharra. The Queensland experiment was expanded with two additional bases opening in Charters Towers and Charleville. An official Federal Council for the organisation was formed in 1936. In 1942 it was again renamed to Flying Doctor Service, with Royal being bestowed upon the service in 1955. 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The City of Wyndham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. ... Port Hedland Port Hedland is Australias biggest mineral port, with a population of about 18,000 making it the fifth largest country town in Western Australia. ... Kalgoorlie is a large Western Australian mining town located about 600 km east of Perth. ... Broken Hill (31°57′ S 141°27′ E) is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 21,000. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size... Meekatharra is a former Western Australian gold town. ... Charters Towers is a city in northern Queensland, Australia. ... The town of Charleville is located in South Western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of the state capital, Brisbane. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sister Myra Blanche was one of the first nurses, known as "Flying Sisters", to join the service. She was key in the New South Wales Section operations during the 1940s and 50s, even though Flying Nurses didn't actually become regular until the 1960s. Today, 80% of emergency evacuations are performed with only a nurse and pilot being present in person, a doctor directing such actions from a remote location. Nurses have been responsible for two innovations to the service, the "medical chest" (1942), which was later to incorporate the RFDS official "body chart" (1951). The chart is an anatomical representation of a human being, with areas clearly numbered. With such a chart on the scene of a situation, a remote doctor can ask the patient "which number is the pain felt?" and receive an easily comprehendible reply. The medicines contained within the chest are similarily numbered for ease in the communications of specific medical instructions. Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning... This article is about the year. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

The service today

The service is still heavily reliant on community support for funding, and is well respected across the country as an organisation that has contributed so much to rural development. The service basically holds true to the original model set by John Flynn.

Its services include:

• on site emergency first aid
• safe transport to hospitals as needed
• radio advice to remote situations, although most communication these days is by telephone, using satellite-phones when necessary

  taking advantage of technology, the RFDS is happily adopting video conference technology to improve its service

• transportation of a general practictioner for regular clinical visits to remote areas (usually a circuit visiting several communities and/or stations)
• consultation, communication, and support for rural and remote doctors across Australia
• inter-hospital transfer of patients

The service also utilizes not just aircraft but also 4WDs and other utility land vehicles to aid in transportation and communications.

Aircraft

Most of the dedicated aeromedical evacuation aircraft used are either the Beechcraft Super KingAir B200 or the Pilatus PC-12. The internal configuration of these two aircraft varies in the different RFDS sections. Typically they are configured with two rear-facing seats which look onto two stretchers. In some aircraft, one stretcher can be removed quickly and two seats slipped into place instead. Beech King Air Categories: Aircraft stubs | U.S. civil utility aircraft 1960-1969 ... PC-12 of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement The Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. ...

Transport for primary health clinics is often in PC12s, or sometimes in smaller non-pressurised aircraft which may be chartered from local operators.

Both the KingAir and PC12 are pressurised and so can be used to safely transport patients who would not otherwise tolerate the decreased atmospheric pressures involved in non-pressurised aircraft. By flying at a lower altitude than usual, the internal cabin pressure can be maintained throughout the flight at sea level. This is important for patients critically sensitive to pressure changes.

In addition, pressurised aircraft can fly at a sufficiently high altitude in order to be above turbulent weather conditions. This is of great benefit in providing an environment safe for the patient and staff, and also limits complications of aeromedical tranport such as motion sickness and exacerbation of injuries such as unstable fractures. Motion sickness is a condition in which the endolymph (the fluid found in the semicircular canals of the inner ears) becomes stirred up, causing confusion between the difference between apparent perceived movement (none or very little), and actual movement. ...

Organization

The Service is broken up into four "Sections", each of which contains a number of bases from which the Service's aircraft are despatched. They are:

• Central Operations - with bases at Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, Port Augusta, South Australia, and Adelaide.
• South East - Broken Hill, Dubbo, Bankstown, Melbourne, Essendon, and Launceston.
• Queensland - Mount Isa, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Brisbane, Bundaberg, and Charleville
• Western Operations - Derby, Port Hedland, Meekatharra, Perth, and Kalgoorlie

Some bases have been closed, or moved, since inception. Stations at Carnarvon, Geraldton and Wyndham have closed, while the original base at Cloncurry was moved to Mount Isa in 1965 and the early base at Charters Towers moved to Cairns in 1972. Uluru (also Ayers Rock or The Rock) is a large rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size... Port Augusta (32°29′ S 137°46′ E, population 15,250) is a town in South Australia. ... Adelaide is the capital city of the Australian state of South Australia. ... Broken Hill (31°57′ S 141°27′ E) is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 21,000. ... Dubbo is the largest population centre (population 38,000 as of 2004) and a Local Government Area in the central-west of New South Wales, Australia. ... Bankstown is a major suburb in the south-west of Sydney, Australia. ... The City of Melbournes coat of arms Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of 3,600,650 in the Melbourne metropolitan area (June 2004) and 61,670 in the City of... Essendon is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Launceston City Council, Tasmania Launceston is a small city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, population of approximately 98,000, located at the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar rivers. ... Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia Mount Isa is a city and Local Government Area located in north-western Queensland, Australia. ... Cairns is a regional city and Local Government Area located in far north Queensland, Australia. ... Townsville in 2004. ... Mayor Margaret Strelow Area 187 km² Population 58,382 (2001) Time zone UTC + 10 Latitude Longitude 23°22. ... Brisbane by night Brisbane is the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. ... Bundaberg is a city in, and Local Government Area of, Queensland, Australia. ... The town of Charleville is located in South Western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of the state capital, Brisbane. ... Derby is a small town in the Kimberly Region of around 5000. ... Port Hedland Port Hedland is Australias biggest mineral port, with a population of about 18,000 making it the fifth largest country town in Western Australia. ... Meekatharra is a former Western Australian gold town. ... Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. ... Kalgoorlie (30°45′ S 121°27′ E) is a large Western Australian mining town located about 600 km east of Perth. ... Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. ... Geraldton is a town in Western Australia located 424 km north of Perth. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ...

Statistics

According to the RFDS 2003 Annual Report the service owns 36 aircraft, operates 23 bases with 521 employees.

Each day, on average, the service:

• travels 38,550 kilometers by air
• performs 105 landings
• sees 582 patients
• performs 82 emergency evacuations
• conducts 161 telehealth sessions.

In the 2004 Annual Report, the daily averages are: Telehealth is the delivery of health related services, enabled by the innovative use of technology, such as videoconferencing, without the need for travel. ...

• 53,480 km flown
• 159 landings
• 577 patients
• 86 evacuations (this includes inter-hospital transfers)
• 158 telehealth sessions.

There are now 45 aircraft, 471 full time staff and 138 part time staff. Telehealth is the delivery of health related services, enabled by the innovative use of technology, such as videoconferencing, without the need for travel. ...

School of the Air

The School of the Air, which links outback students with centralised teachers, uses the same radio equipment as the RFDS. rfdslabs is a non-profit hacker think-tank based in Recife, Pernambuco. ...

External link

• Official website

• Australian Inland Mission collection - digitised images from the National Library of Australia

• The Pedal Radio

Reference

• Ross J ed. (1999) Chronicle of the 20^th Century, Viking, Ringwood, Victoria, ISBN 0-670-88606-8