For pilot Nick Tully, navigating tricky landings in some of the most remote parts of Australia comes with the territory.
But racing against time to retrieve a very sick patient in the dead of night adds pressure to the job he loves when the airstrip must be manually lit up so he can land and take off safely.
Outback born and bred, Mr Tully has been a pilot for 16 years, nine of which he has been based at Charleville in western Queensland as the senior base pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
He recalls a hairy emergency retrieval a few years ago at Mt Lenard Station near Betoota, in Queensland's far west, where some of the station's battery-powered LED lights failed due to infrequent use and maintenance.
"Lighting outback airstrips presents many challenges and stresses for pilots and those on the ground," Mr Tully said.
"LED flares are unreliable, solar is expensive, often costing upwards of $26,000, and often appears dim for the pilots."
Some station owners are forced to improvise when there is little else to light up their airstrips.
"One of the most typical lighting methods is toilet rolls soaked in diesel, a messy and time-consuming exercise in an emergency," Mr Tully said.
"Some have even used car lights to help guide our planes in and out."
It took the Mt Lenard Station incident for Mr Tully and station manager Henning "Chook" Kath to realise something needed to change for everyone's safety.
Idea from the past
Through his own research, Mr Tully found a solution in something that had been around since the 1800s.
Kerosene lanterns were once used to warn vehicles of approaching roadworks before electricity began replacing candles.
The lanterns can be seen from the air up to 48 kilometres away and only require a match and diesel, which every station usually has.
Into safe hands
The RFDS tested lanterns sourced from The Netherlands during night training at Wareo Station, south of Quilpie, with great success.
Station owner and mother-of-three Laura Truss was only too happy to help, knowing only all too well the challenges of remote living.
Her closest hospital is 120km away in Quilpie, and often does not have a doctor on duty.
"We didn't hesitate to agree to the RFDS using our airstrip for night training over three nights late last year, and we used the lanterns," Ms Truss said.
"They worked brilliantly and were so easy to use.
"Our eldest child, 10 years old, walked on the other side of the airstrip lighting the lanterns; they are that simple."
After her first RFDS retrieval, when her then-18-month-old son broke his leg three years ago, Ms Truss said she knew what to expect, however, no two emergencies are the same.
"The sense of relief when you see that plane coming in holding a screaming child in agonising pain is overwhelming," Ms Truss said.
Toilet rolls light the way
For Heidi Mackenzie, who lives on Plevna Downs, 100km west of Eromanga, the lanterns will also mean smoother sailing during emergencies.
The last night retrieval at her cattle and sheep station was in April 2021, when a staff member was injured in a motorbike crash.
Diesel-soaked toilet rolls guided the pilots onto the Plevna Downs dirt airstrip.
"Toilet rolls, if you're lucky, you may get an hour, so if there are any problems, they don't stay lit long enough, while the lanterns stay lit for hours," Ms Mackenzie said.
"There are also fewer time constraints using the lanterns, and you can have them pre-prepared and filled with diesel, so all you have to do on the night is use a lighter, and it takes a step out of the process when you are under pressure."
The lanterns are also vermin-proof, so are less susceptible to deterioration like toilet rolls.
An RFDS "Guiding Lights" appeal has raised more than $200,000 and delivered 30 lighting kits to remote stations so far.
"We needed something that makes a safer and more logistically easier environment for everyone involved, and we now have that," Mr Tully said.
