Back in June 1978 on a sleepy Sunday lunchtime at Northolt the telephone rang just as my wife was about to serve lunch for ourselves and 2 friends. It was the STC Controller who informed me that there had been a major terrorist incident in Belfast resulting in severe back injuries and burns to 2 Army Officers. He realised that Northolt was closed but they would not be able to generate a C130 for several hours so he asked if we would we be able put our Mk1 Andover into an aeromed roll and route Lyneham (to pick up Doctors, Nursing Staff, and Turning Frames from Wroughton) - Aldergrove - Northolt. We were airborne within 1 1/2 hrs in an aircraft that had been totally re -roled and sterilised.
The 2 casualties were in a Specialist Hospital on the mainland within 6 hours of the Incident. Could that happen today?