It sounds like the plot from a TV show, but for Lucy and Hugh Westcott, birthing their first child on a flight from Cloncurry to Mount Isa was very real.
Now, four years later, the family have been reunited with the nurse who helped deliver Angus.
Lucy, Hugh, Angus and his two little brothers visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service's Brisbane base for the special reunion with former RFDS flight nurse Timna Wright.
Ms Wright, who now works with the RFDS outback mental health team, said it was a rare opportunity.
"It's a fairly rare occurrence to catch up with somebody that you've helped birth," Ms Wright said.
Mrs Westcott said it was the first time they had seen her since Angus's birth.
"I feel chuffed that I could see her again," Mrs Westcott said.
"We're very lucky to have RFDS because, well, without them, who knows what might have happened and we're lucky that Timna was able to deliver him safely and everything went according to plan."
The family, now based at Hughenden, were living in Cloncurry in 2017 when Mrs Westcott's water broke at 34 weeks.
"They made the decision to take me to Mt Isa, so I got rushed out in an ambulance and onto the plane I went," Mrs Westcott said.
Mr Westcott said he rode "shotgun" in the plane as it took off before heading to the back of the aircraft to check on his wife.
"Timna was there taking excellent care of Lucy and then six minutes in, we're about 4000-feet above [ground] between Cloncurry and Mt Isa and out he came," he said.
Ms Wright said she remembered the look on the expectant father's face.
"When he came out, I remember looking at Hugh and he had this sort of face of, 'Well, is everything okay?' I remember saying, 'No, no, it's all good. He's all good'. And he was," Ms Wright said.
Despite the arrival of Angus occurring earlier than planned, just six minutes into what should have been a 12-minute flight, the nurse said they were well prepared.
"If babies are going to come, they'll come. The biggest difference with a flight is that you can't just pull over to the side of the road. Once you are flying you are committed. Once you close those doors and are up in the air, you've got to be prepared for anything."
Mr Westcott recalled becoming emotional after the birth.
"I cried. [It was] very emotional. It was a very special moment.
"As Lucy said, it could have easily gone the other way, so we're very, very lucky that out in the bush we do have the Royal Flying Doctor Service," he said.
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Brandon Long
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
