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Is there a doctor on this plane?

BHunt

Well Known Member
So, there we were. My 7month pregnant wife and I in our RV-8 flying back to Wichita Falls from Salt Lake City where we attended my Vice Wing Commanders retirement. We were over Cortez, NM enrout to KSAF for a fuel stop when my wife taps me on the shoulder and says, "is there any place to land?" I respond with the expected, "why," at which she tells me she thinks her water just broke. Holy schnekies! I look down at Cortez, which didn't look promising. Went to NRST to find the closest towered field. Four Courners Regional off the nose for 50nm/ 12mins. I ask her if she's good till there and get the affirmative. Call up Denver ARTCC, declare the emergency, pass the data, and request they contact Four Corners to get an ambulance.

We land, eye watering landing by the way, taxi up to the tower where the ambulance is waiting. They put her on the bed and say "lets go, this is imminent." As we are driving over, the med said he could feel the head. We get to the hospital and 20 minutes later my first child is born. 2 months early but incredibly healthy and breathing on his own.

With his age, they wanted to get him to a level 3 NICU at a children's hospital and asked if Fort Worth worked for us. It did, being only 1.75 hrs from our home.

So right now, he's got a swank room in Ft Worth while mom and dad are stuck in Farmington, NM waiting to get discharged tomorrow so we can finish the flight and meet up with my boy.

Sorry for the choppy story, but I thought you guys might enjoy a story of my flight with "2 souls onboard" almost turned into 3.

Oh, mom and baby are both doing great!
 
Wow, what a cool story your son will have the rest of his life. Congratulations, this is great.
 
Congratulations Scooby, glad to hear both your wife and son are doing well! Glad the winds were working in your favor; peddle to the medal.

Bill
 
Congratulations! Let's see a copy of that logbook entry! :p

Sorry for the choppy story, but I thought you guys might enjoy a story of my flight with "2 souls onboard" almost turned into 3.
I remember one of the all-time best calls I heard was the RFDS upping the POB around 15 years ago. Along the lines of: Brisbane Centre, FlyDoc 123. FlyDoc 123, Centre. FlyDoc 123 request update our POB from 4 to 5. and straight off the bat, Brisbane come back with Congratulations to the new mother!

Oh, mom and baby are both doing great!
While Dad is ruing the day he decided to build a 2-seat RV! Been there, done that:D
 
Wow, what a great way to start Monday morning by reading about your "Special Delivery!"

Congratulations, and thanks for taking the time to share it with us. This old guy got a bit misty-eyed thinking about your joy!

You are blessed, for sure!
 
Have a cigar, dad. (oh, I guess that is not PC anymore)
Sounds like all kept their cool and handled the situation well. Quite a bonding experience. Send a follow-up to the ATC folks involved for a little positive feedback - sometimes they get little. I'd like to be a mouse and hear the MIL passing on the news to all and sundry. "There she was at 7,000 feet in the back of this tiny airplane and her water broke......" Eyes rolling, arms flailing, hand to bosom. :)
 
Am I the only one who is wondering about the "water" in the back seat? ;-)


Just kidding! Congratulations!!!! That's definitely a story that will be recounted at many family gatherings in the future.
 
Am I the only one who is wondering about the "water" in the back seat? ;-)


Just kidding! Congratulations!!!! That's definitely a story that will be recounted at many family gatherings in the future.
When I first read this post there was an WTB ad posted right above it for an RV-8 seat. It was from someone else but it still made me laugh.
 
Serious Congrats!!

I remember hitting some decent turbulence with my wife when she was 7ish months pregnant with our first and started having contractions but I was in a C150 and going nowhere fast!
 
Wow, great story.
We stopped in to Farmington yesterday for fuel. Saw your 8 if it was the unpainted fastback under the tower. Congratulations on the newborn.
 
Congrats!

What a neat story! That will be so cool for you to tell and retell! My wife worked in the NICU at Cooks back when we were just married.

I'm assuming you're at Sheppard...any chance you know Houdini? We were college buddies...waiting on him getting back in country to do some flying!
 
Now that is an amazing adventure! We can fly all over the world and see a gazillion of God's gifts, but that one is really a special gift from God!
 
Wow, great story.
We stopped in to Farmington yesterday for fuel. Saw your 8 if it was the unpainted fastback under the tower. Congratulations on the newborn.

That is mine! And for the question about the seat, it was also a concern of mine. Haha. When I got back to the airplane, though, I couldn't much trace that anything had happened. So that was good.

For an update: he's doing great at Cooks. The Drs say he's acting/responding exactly how he should be.
 
Have a cigar, dad. (oh, I guess that is not PC anymore)
Sounds like all kept their cool and handled the situation well. Quite a bonding experience. Send a follow-up to the ATC folks involved for a little positive feedback - sometimes they get little. I'd like to be a mouse and hear the MIL passing on the news to all and sundry. "There she was at 7,000 feet in the back of this tiny airplane and her water broke......" Eyes rolling, arms flailing, hand to bosom. :)

The Denver Center controller the next day was the same one I declared with and who passed all the words to the field. I gave her an update and a big thank you.
 
What a neat story! That will be so cool for you to tell and retell! My wife worked in the NICU at Cooks back when we were just married.

I'm assuming you're at Sheppard...any chance you know Houdini? We were college buddies...waiting on him getting back in country to do some flying!

I am at Sheppard and do know Houdini. I am an IFF IP out there.
 
Baby

Hey congrats. Glad things turned out ok. You never know what's going to happen in the RV community.
 
Congrats! I'm sure that hospital is taking good care of you all. I lived and worked in Farmington for several years before I moved up to the NW. Your baby-naming might need to include a reference to that mesa you landed on at KFMN. Uphill both ways!
 
Congratulations to you both

I seriously expect you to rename your plane "The Stork" with some appropriate nose art. I have some great flying stories but that one beats them all.
 
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