QUESTION: 
I wanted to know what would happen if someone on board the KAO got sick while
in flight.  Would you have to turn  around or continue your flight?

ANSWER from Steve Patterson on October 16:
I guess the answer to your question depends on how sick the person was.  
Under the best of circumstances, our flights are long and physically 
demanding.  If someone were not feeling well, we would try to prevent them 
from going on a flight in the first place.  Flying at high altitude when 
you have a cold or congestion can be very painful, since you cannot equalize 
the pressure in your sinuses.  We carry a fairly extensive assortment of 
drugs on the plane, and all of us on the crew have had a lot of safety, 
first aid and CPR training, and we also have to undergo a physical examination 
every year, so mainly we try to avoid such a situation in the first place.

Of course, if we did have a major medical emergency we would abort the 
flight, but it might still be several hours before we could get back on 
the ground and get that person to a doctor.  If someone were just slightly 
ill, say with motion sickness, I'm afraid they would just have to suffer 
for a few hours until the mission is complete.  

In reality, though, it is much more hazardous on the ground than in the air, 
because the plane is taken apart, people are working on things, using 
power tools, climbing ladders, falling down stairs, and the like.  
Flying is much safer.

Yours truly,
Steve Patterson