What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Wierdest Passenger?

RickWoodall

Well Known Member
When Van started selling his kits....I wonder if he ever imagined one day they would be used to Lifeflight turtles. :p
18zzar.jpg


I was busy watching my hockey play offs with friends and having a couple margharitas on friday night when the emergency email came. Pilots N Paws Canada needed an emergency rescue flight. Cool, some cute little dog needs to go to a new home. I would do that. NOPE.. A 13lb snapping turtle got hit by a car, was suffereing from severe injuries and needed to go to the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Center (couple hundred miles away) for emergency surgery. A joke, too many margharitas?? I really had no idea there was such a facility or that there was so much worry about turtles. As I read the story to our friends and kids, my daughter absolutely insisted that I fly the turtle. Nuff said, if my daughter wants me to fly a turtle I am IN!

I accepted the mission and told them I would check wx at 6am and be on route shortly after if wx allowed. Wx was horrible and caused a bit of a delay but I did launch. I could not fail the turtles! Anyway, long and short of it, this turtle rescue has become a big story. Seems everyone needs a smile and some positive news so several papers and now CBC radio have picked up the story about the emergency airlift of a gravely injured turtle. Actually the rescue facility I landed at in Sarnia to pick up the orginal patient, asked if I would mind taking a second smaller turtle with me, it had suffered a boat propeller strike and was cracked.

Funny what we can do with our little airplanes.

http://www.theobserver.ca/2013/05/16/volunteers-go-the-distance-to-help-injured-snapping-turtle


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...31612779.42738.184533238284115&type=1&theater

Still looking forward to a cute little dog for a flight. First turtles in the logbook!

Happy to be a tiny piece of this funny story. Buddies at the hangar are having a hoot with the nicknames now.
 
Last edited:
Rick, you have to admit...the feeling of satisfaction after a rescue like this stays with you for a long, long time.

Congrats,
 
SOUP's ON! Well, I guess I should have been a little more understanding. I see it is an threatened species.
 
Last edited:
That's funny.

I have a recent turtle story as well.

We flew the Cardinal over to KCLL (College Station) last weekend for my Niece's graduation.

Approach wasn't busy, so I asked for a practice RNAV approach into the field. They complied and vectored me in.

When they transfer me to tower, the first thing they tell me is to be aware of turtles on the runway. After a few seconds of confusion on my part tower told me that the previous landing plane had nearly hit a fairly large turtle crossing the runway.

Fortunately I was able to easily miss the turtle, and they got a "rescue" truck out right after I cleared to help the turtle out.

-Dan
 
Back
Top