Flying by Dave!

Sunrise from Municipal Airport

Hello from Dave!  Pat invited me to be a guest writer, and since I just returned from picking up two patients in San Pedro now seemed like a good time to give you an update on my flying activities. Besides, she is in front of the TV watching NASCAR and screaming for blood, so you won't hear from her today!

Since today's trip was not atypical, I thought I would share it as a sampling of my work here.  The weekend BERT (Belize Emergency Response Team) dispatcher called me with a recent, critical stroke patient in San Pedro.  I pulled on some decent clothes, got to the airstrip ahead of the medic, and preflighted and backed the plane out of the hangar.  We were quickly on our way, over 30 miles of the Caribbean, to the San Pedro airport.  Due to this frequent route, I carry a life raft and 4 individual preservers at all times.  The elderly patient and much family drove up as soon as we landed.  Not expected was a second unreported patient.  This young woman was doubled over in much pain and was holding a hand-written note from a physician (our medic guessed appendicitis).  So we put the elderly patient on the stretcher, the young woman in the usual passenger seat, and informed family members that we would be unable to transport one companion as usual.  We get very creative attempting to accommodate everyone at minimum expense to the Ministry of Health, but strictly abide by seat belt and insurance requirements.  After the quick 15 minute hop back to Belize City, we were greeted by the BERT ambulance that transported the patients to the hospital.  I snapped some photos along the way today which hopefully will magically appear along with this text.

The Caribbean on the way to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye

                Patient transfer








For you pilots out there and others interested in aviation, I thought I would tell you more about the flying environment.  With the exception of the International Airport and San Pedro (which recently completed an upgrade and runway extension to serve the growing international tourist business), the airstrips I use are around 2000 feet long (about half what we might be accustomed to in the U.S.), with my home Belize Municipal Airstrip the shortest at 1800 feet.  There is no correcting a bad approach on short final; it has to be on the numbers (except there are no numbers) and airspeed to work.  Though the runways are paved, they are rough and there is much loose gravel in the turnouts and parking areas, making protecting the prop a constant concern.  With the exception of ATC radar services in the 25 nm veil around International, all flight is "see and avoid" VFR with voluntary position reporting.  The weather is not usually as violent as a New Mexico thunderstorm, but the constant high moisture (a temperature-dewpoint spread of more than 5 degrees is unusual) and multiple cloud layers are a navigation challenge and the source of frequent pop-up showers and thunder.  There is a welcome doppler radar facility at International (unusual in this part of the world; much larger Guatemala City does not have weather radar) that is accessible through the weather service website. Unfortunately, it is down about half the time (the half when I think I need it!).  Another unique phenomenon is the constant pedestrian flow across the runway in Punta Gorda, including the nerve-racking game of chicken that the school kids sometimes want to play with departing aircraft.  Look at the satellite view on Google Earth of Punta Gorda and you will see the very well worn path that continues a major town street right across the runway.  Belize Municipal, my home airstrip, is listed at 4 feet above sea level, but at high tide with any wind surge from the east, the runway goes underwater and debris is left behind when it recedes.  This closes the airport while a large crew attacks it with shovels and brooms to get the aircraft back in the air.  There is a terrific and much-needed improvement program underway that will double the length of the runway and raise it a few feet, but is likely 2-3 years from completion.

A highlight of this adventure is getting to know the BERT team.  There are, I believe, 17 total employees, virtually all certified medics, that fill roles including driving, dispatch, medic, and training. Yvette, the National Director, is the dynamo that keeps the place going and doesn't seem to realize that you can't do what they do on that budget!  She could be a very successful serial entrepreneur!  Barbara runs the office and handles dispatch on weekdays, but no longer flies.  Dennis is a long-serving BERT veteran who also has the unenviable responsibility for keeping at least 5 of the 8 ambulances running at all times.  Javier, the training director and senior medical advisor to the team, is a professional clown on weekends.  Lavinia is an engaging and energetic presence that takes rotations on call for flying in addition to her other duties in training and administration.  Carla is a team veteran that simply loves to fly.  She usually shuns the headset and chatter and gazes contentedly outside.  Hyram, a bright, earnest young man that soaks up knowledge like a sponge and is very proud of his medic role, is addicted to the flying experience and has determined he wants to be a pilot!  Of course, I am encouraging that by giving him training materials and inflight tips on our way to pick up patients.  His interest has been part of my motivation to begin studying for the written exam in pursuit of my CFI rating.  He has even investigated training possibilities in the U.S. and Canada (learning here is almost not possible).  Juliana's home is Punta Gorda, and each time we land when she is aboard she is greeted by a family member with hot food!  I accuse her of making up these emergencies so she gets fed.   Ronya is a quiet, unflappable young woman that cooly deals with whatever comes her way.  Sam is another relatively short tenure staff member that always reassures me that the co-pilot is ready to take over if needed!  Though Dennis and Javier occasionally fly, the others are the regulars I fly with frequently.  This isn't everyone, but I wanted to give you a sampling.

I've now been "the BERT pilot" for just over 5 months, logging over 200 hours in the process.  This compares with an average of 100+ hours a year in our Bonanza the past decade in the U.S.  I have gained even greater respect for commercial pilots and the demands for precision and consistency along with the need to fly on someone else's schedule, not my own.  While the flying is a huge challenge and rewarding experience, the experiment in a different kind of service and my attempts to judge the value of my contribution is the real lesson.  As the leader of Wings of Hope likes to say: "you are not a pilot but a volunteer field worker that happens to know how to fly a plane."

Many of our patients are not urgent and sometimes you wonder if the plane would really be necessary in this case, but there are many clear illustrations of the value of the service we are providing.  Several weeks ago I was returning from Punta Gorda (our most distant pickup point) with a very tiny premature baby and properly concerned medic as darkness approached and a storm formed in Belize City (our home airstrip has no lights).  Yvette called the International Airport and they stayed open in case I had to divert.  The storm moved out of the way, we met the ambulance in darkness, and I was very certain that we had given that baby a chance.  A great outcome to a great team effort!

So goes a day in the life of a BERT pilot!

Clouds on the mountains of southern Belize