at
work
with...
PHIL ANDERSON
from the Royal Flying Doctors Service
As the newly appointed
Base Manager of the
Royal Flying Doctors
Service in Cairns, pilot
Phil Anderson says no
two days are ever the
same. You truly need to
be prepared for anything.
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P
hil explains that some
days you may be treating
people suffering a snake
bite, jellyfish stings, suffering
burns, or involved in a domestic
violence situation.
Others, you’ll find yourself
transporting patients between
hospitals or ferrying emergency
staff
or
mental
health
professionals to clinics up on
the Cape.
“Every day is completely
different. And as an RFDS pilot,
there is so much more to the role
than just flying the aeroplane,”
he says.
“We have to get in there and
help however we can. Whether
it’s assisting the doctors at the
scene or clearing runways for
take-off.”
Phil explains that, in outback
areas, the airstrips are not
always easy places to land and
take-off, especially after heavy