Page 15 - March 2015 Volume 19 Number 3

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be given to their breathing capability, and how they will respond to the lower partial-pressure of oxygen at higher altitudes. In Poppy’s case, her AFW medical information sheet shows no specific altitude restriction, but still, we are pilots and passenger safety is our first responsibility. Even though I‘m a physician in my other life, I find it helpful to do some practical, common-sense ‘pilot’ type thinking in these situations. For example, I know Poppy and her parents live some 50 miles out of Bozeman, Montana, which is at 4,500 feet. I also know it is almost impossible to drive to or from Seattle without climbing to about 7,500 feet MSL. I therefore inquire if Poppy has had any trouble breathing when making that trip by road. The answer is no. I then compare that surface- trip altitude to the anticipated cabin altitude. A Lear 40 will maintain a cabin altitude below 7,500 all the way to FL450, so we do not have a problem today. But, if it were otherwise, we would flight-plan a lower altitude.
Another consideration is the possibility of the child or the parent having some kind of difficulty or need while aloft. These folks do not commonly fly in general aviation aircraft and even a minor thing like mild turbulence can be very disconcerting. For this reason, AFW
advises the flight should always have a ‘mission assistant’ on board. If the child is very young and accompanied by the mother (usually the case), I have found it most helpful for the ‘mission assistant’ to be another woman, preferably someone who has a calm and confident demeanor who’s also personally experienced with all the concerns common to motherhood. On this particular trip, that volunteer is my very-capable wife Kari. It amazes me that, in circumstances like this, when two women who are otherwise strangers come together to help a small sick child, there is almost always a certain instant trust, emotional bonding, and easing of mind, which in turn makes the child/passenger visibly more relaxed. This is a very good thing from a pilot’s perspective, because it leaves us free to just fly the airplane.
Flight planning finished, Jeff and I pick up Poppy and Christi’s bags and carry them out to Clay Lacy’s ramp. Pushing Poppy’s stroller, Christi follows somewhat hesitantly, fearing that an armed, hostile TSA official is going to start making a noisy fuss. We assure her that she has nothing to worry about in this location. Kari loads Poppy and her car seat into a rear-facing passenger seat in the Lear and then sits Christi in the forward-facing seat aft of that. This has Poppy and her mother facing
each other with continuous eye and physical contact, which is very reassuring for a small child with a long and traumatic medical history. Jeff checks the fuel load, and I try to break down a very-complex baby stroller to fit it into the outside aft baggage compartment. I give up after several clumsy attempts, but Christi comes out and, with one push of some magic hidden button, the whole contraption immediately breaks down to a small package. I sheepishly mumble something about being type-rated in jets but obviously not qualified in strollers.
The ease of starting the Allied Signal TFE 731 FADEC-equipped engines in the Lear 40 is a delight, much simpler than stowing a baby stroller. We copy our clearance, are assigned the Kent 6 departure, and taxi out to runway 13. Arriving at the end, we are cleared for takeoff and blast down 13R, quickly passing V1 and rotating at Vr. The Lear is
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MARCH 2015
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