It's the year 2015 and 29 year old Mira Ortez walked through the doors of the Broken Hill Royal Flying Doctor's base, she looked around in awe as Wayne Yates walked up to her on his way out from his night shift. "Can I help you?" Wayne asked Mira as he looked her up and down, 'She is gorgeous,' he thought to himself as she turned to face him.
"Oh sorry, yes I am looking for Leonie Smith," Mira replied as he beckoned her to follow him through the hangar towards the office spaces.
"She isn't here yet but I can introduce you to our team if they are still here and show you the aircraft we have in our fleet. When do you start?" He asked as they walked into the main office space where the whiteboards had everyone's shifts listed.
"Next shift, so tomorrow morning. I thought I would come in and get some paperwork sorted so that we aren't running around too much in the morning," Mira said, following him and looking around at everything.
"Ah so your first shift will be with me, I'm looking forward to working with you," Wayne commented, as he looked around for the rest of the team. "I think last night's shift have already left, we're a pilot down so Graham has been pulling some weird shifts. Want to check out the fleet?"
"Sure, sounds good," Mira said, by this point she is sure that he thinks she is the new flight nurse but he lets him continue on with his extended knowledge of the aircrafts.
"We have these two King Air B200C which is a continuation of the King Air line which began in the 1970's and has long proven history as an aircraft. It is a twin turbo propeller plane by Beechcraft," Wayne said, ending his hour long spiel on the aircraft the she already knew about and trained in for the last 5 years.
"Isn't your shift over?" Leonie Smith asked, walking up to them and smiling at Mira who smiled back as she readjusted her messenger bag.
"Yes it is. This is Leonie Smith this is uh-," Wayne stuttered realizing he hadn't caught her name as of yet.
"Mira Ortez," She finished for him as Leonie laughed and shook her hand before pulling her in for a hug.
"It's lovely to meet you, now let's get this paperwork done and dusted before tomorrow. Wayne see you tomorrow," Leonie said, leading the way, away from a blushing Wayne. Mira turned and waved as she walked backwards, "See you tomorrow."
The next day at exactly 0800, Mira greeted Leonie, "Good morning."
"Morning Mira, excited for your first day?" Leonie asked as she handed Mira her iPad that she would require everyday for her mapping and weather apps.
"So excited," She said as Graham joined them and introduced himself.
"You will be in VH-MQD today. I know you're young so just take your time," Graham said as they walked outside to the tarmac where the planes were waiting ready for use after last night's crew had cleaned and finished their shift.
"Been flying since I was 12, I'm now 29. Been training in these aircrafts for the last 5 years, I think I'm good." Mira said shocking them both with how long she had been flying for.
"So your first trip is out to a clinic at White Cliffs, I'll show you where it is on the map. It's here," Graham said pointing it out and zooming up on it on the map.
"I've also lived here my whole life, out at White Cliffs but thank you for showing me how to use the iPad," Mira laughed as Graham looked at her in shock.
"For the first time, I'm not needed," He teased playfully making both girls laugh.
"Oh I'm sure I will need you for something," Mira teased back as she boarded the plane and began to run through her checklist, she was halfway through when she heard voices board the plane.
"Morning Graham," The two men called as they put their equipment away in the compartment at the back of the plane behind the second stretcher.
"Actually, it's Mira," She said getting out of her seat and turning to face them, giving Wayne a smile and a wave.
Wayne smiled and waved back before giving introductions to the flight nurse who was standing there just smiling. "Pete Emerson, meet Mira. Mira this is Pete one of our flight nurses."
"Nice to meet you, so you're our new pilot?" He asked, putting his headset on as Mira made her way to the door to close it.
"You all good with that?" Wayne asked as he picked up his headset and plugged it in.
"Yeah, I'm all good," She replied pulling the door up and locking it securely and double checking. "See, and yes I am."
Mira sat back in her seat and put her own headset on as she began her start up procedure. The engines whirred to life and she looked out each window.
"Cabin is secure," Pete called as he watched Wayne turn his head and then turn back with a smile on his face.
"Cockpit closed. All traffic in the Broken Hill area, Centre Flight Op 257 IFR King Air 3 POB. Taxiying Broken Hill Runway 23 for White Cliff's Health Service." Mira called to the Centre as she steered the plane to taxi down the runway at Broken Hill.
It would be a half an hour flight before they arrived at their destination and Pete was destined to get some information out of Mira and perhaps push Wayne and Mira into the right direction.
"So Mira, how long have you lived here?" Pete asked as she opened the cockpit and they reached their cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.
"Lived here my whole life," She replied, as they cruised along their flight path with minimal turbulence.
"So you'd know the area well then?" He asked as he filled out the details needed for any medications he wants to administer whilst during flight back to base.
"Pretty well, and yourself?" Mira asked returning his question with a bit of sass.
"Nah, from Brisbane originally. Been here about3 years," Pete replied with a smile on his face.
'This should be an interesting flight,' He thought to himself as he went back to his paperwork.
Within half an hour they landed and the clinic nurse had come and picked up Wayne and Pete and taken them to the clinic. Which left Mira to do her physical checks around the plane again to make sure they hadn't hit anything.