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Bunbury kid Iona Wilson, 8, wins competition to name RFDS’ newest jet

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Carly LadenSouth Western Times
As part of choosing the winning name for the RFDS's newest jet, Iona Wilson and her family were invited to meet the RFDS crew and jump on board.
Camera IconAs part of choosing the winning name for the RFDS's newest jet, Iona Wilson and her family were invited to meet the RFDS crew and jump on board. Credit: JASON THOMAS/RFDS

A Bunbury kid has scored a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to name the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s newest jet.

Iona Wilson, 8, along with two other children, had their pick to name the RFDS’s newest Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24 chosen out of hundreds of entries in a Name the Plane competition run by the RFDS and Rio Tinto.

The jet aircraft, which was a call-sign VH-NWO, required a name starting with the letter ‘N’.

Out of the provided options, Wilson, along with two other children, picked ‘Ningaloo’.

Wilson, with the help of her parents, said she chose ‘Ningaloo’ because there was so much life and diversity in the Ningaloo region and the aircraft captures that sentiment through the people it helps.

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As part of winning the Name the Plane competition, Wilson had the opportunity to meet with an RFDS pilot, nurse and doctor as well as enjoy a personal tour of the aircraft and taking a short flight on board the jet from Jandakot Airport.

‘Ningaloo’ arrived in Western Australia from Switzerland this year in a venture made by possible by a $15 million investment by the RFDS’s principal partner Rio Tinto and joined two other jets, named ‘Victory’ and ‘Kimberley’, in the fleet.

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