Behind every Flying Doctor aircraft there are a team of pilots and engineers who ensure our fleet is in the safest working order before take-off.
We wanted to highlight the great work conducted daily by members of the Aviation team, including our Pilots and Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.
Broken Hill’s Hamish Curtis recently completed his four-year engineering apprenticeship with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section) (RFDSSE).
Growing up, Hamish was always tinkering with cars and other machinery, so was more than happy to pursue his passion as a lifelong career.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my four years and hopefully there will be plenty more years to come,” he said.
Hamish described the engineering team as “the invisible force keeping everything going.”
“We’re a cog in the wheel of this massive organisation and we need all the cogs to work. Yes, our job is important, but so are all the other roles,” he explained.
Line Pilot David Stanley commenced flying for RFDSSE in 2006 at Sydney and in 2019 transferred to our Dubbo base as a Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) services pilot.
David said there is a lot of work and support that goes on behind-the-scenes and praised his wider Aviation team.
“I enjoy going to work and flying with my colleagues and knowing you may have saved someone’s life is also rewarding,” he added.
No day is ever the same for the Line Pilot, adding that one shift could cover anywhere from one to three states.
There have been many memorable moments for David during his 16 years with the Flying Doctor. “But one highlight was landing in 2019 at Shannon’s Creek emergency airstrip in the northwest of NSW, as it was the first landing of the new B350 aircraft,” he explained.
