Original subtitles

[Narrator] Its exploits are legendary...

It's the oldest DC-10 left in the world flying.

[Narrator] A vintage airliner,

reborn as the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital...

There's a huge number of people

who do not need to be blind.

[Narrator] ...on a medical mission

into the heart of Mongolia.

The airplane people's job is to get the hospital there.

[Narrator] But this flight is turning into a nightmare.

I don't need more problems, okay?

[boom]

[Narrator] The Orbis team faces a rare crisis...

What we've had in the last two, three days,

you don't have in a year of flying.

[Narrator] ...and the fate of the Mongolian mission

is in jeopardy.

From the outside,

this DC-10 looks like just another passenger plane.

And here's the paperwork for signing off.

[Narrator] But it's not.

Inside is an operating room

where doctors perform eye surgeries

and share their expertise with aspiring colleagues

in the world's poorest countries.

Its last medical mission was in Lagos, Nigeria 90 days ago.

Now the Orbis team is heading to Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Takeoff is just 48 hours away.

Airplanes like to fly, but we don't fly it very often.

[Narrator] Bruce Johnson is the director of aircraft operations

for Orbis.

[Johnson] The job title actually says

responsible for all aircraft operations.

That's the pilots, the mechanics, the logistics,

the flight planning.

[Narrator] Orbis makes as many as eight trips a year

to destinations around the world.

Each medical program requires weeks of coordination.

It's a logistical nightmare that produces happy endings.

In the last two decades, Orbis has conducted

over 200 programs in 77 countries,

bringing better vision to nearly 15 million people.

Since Nigeria, the plane has been parked in Dubai,

literally collecting dust in the Persian Gulf.

[Johnson] Where a normal airline would show up an hour before,

jump in the airplane and expect it to go,

we know better than that.

I'd like to know what the current weather

and temperature is.

When you park an airplane,

things have a tendency to either break or clog

and need attention.

[Narrator] Bruce's team must do

the mother of all pre-flight checks,

an exhaustive top-to-bottom search for snags and glitches.

And today's engine test has just revealed one.

4,000 miles away in Mongolia,

hundreds gather at the National Central Hospital

in Ulaanbaatar, hoping to be selected for treatment

in the Flying Eye Hospital.

They're all ages and suffer various afflictions,

including cataracts and glaucoma.

I'll explain it to her.

So if you could bring her to my room,

I'll be there in one minute.

[Narrator] Orbis medical director Dr. Hunter Cherwek

is already here,

meeting local doctors and arranging for their training

during the plane's three-week stay.

In Mongolia, there's a huge number of people

who do not need to be blind.

Their blindness could have been prevented or cured,

about 80%.

[Narrator] Like many developing countries,

Mongolia's healthcare needs outweigh its medical resources.

Orbis will directly assist 150 patients,

and the local doctors they train in the process

will eventually assist thousands more.

Back in Dubai, the maintenance crew has 48 hours

to get the old DC-10 ready to fly.

Rich Jorgensen, a former line mechanic at United Airlines,

knows this plane inside out.

And right now he knows he's got an engine problem to solve.

One of them is idling low.

Rich suspects dirt has clogged a small, but vital component,

the compressor inlet temperature sensor.

[Narrator] The DC-10 has a distinctive profile,

with two wing-mounted engines

and a third at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

182 feet long, it rises six stories above the tarmac

and stretches 155 feet from wingtip to wingtip.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital first flew as a test plane

for McDonnell Douglas in 1970.

Today, it's the world's oldest DC-10 still flying.

[Johnson] It needs TLC, and that's the big thing.

It's just like if you're a classic car owner or whatever,

they can be better than if they came out of the factory,

if you maintain them right.

[Narrator] In 1992, philanthropists bought the plane

and donated it to Orbis.

Over the next two years, it was transformed

from passenger plane to mobile hospital.

The former first class section is now a 48-seat theater

where local doctors can follow surgical procedures

as they happen in the O.R. in real time.

Next is the pre-op laser exam room,

a state-of-the-art operating theater.

And finally, the recovery room.

The changes cost $15 million and pushed the plane closer

to its maximum takeoff weight of 455,000 pounds.

This airplane, with all the equipment we carry,

is extremely heavy.

It sits, with no fuel in it, with people and its equipment,

about 303,000 pounds,

which is pretty heavy.

When you add the 100,000-plus pounds of fuel we need,

you're over 400,000 pounds.

[Narrator] With all that weight,

the trip from Dubai to Mongolia needs two legs.

First, 2,000 miles east to Calcutta, India.

After refueling,

it's another 2,000 miles north to Ulaanbaatar.

[Johnson] I need to look at the fuel loads out of Dubai

and out of Calcutta to verify that I can take off

during the time frames for which it's scheduled.

[Narrator] But exactly how much gas to take is a tough call.

Load too much fuel

and the plane will exceed its maximum takeoff weight.

But pumping too little is also asking for trouble.

If they need to divert from Ulaanbaatar

and head to an alternate airport,

they could find themselves short.

The decision about how much to take

rests with Captain Gary Dyson.

This flight plan showed 3-5-0.

We may not be able to get there with the extra gas.

I'd still rather have the gas.

[Narrator] Gary is a FedEx pilot,

in command on the flight to Mongolia.

Right now his focus is on the forecast of hot temperatures

in Calcutta.

So at 35, it's going to be too hot.

Drop it, go to, I estimated 33.

If you looked at all week,

it was supposed to be 32, 33 is the high.

[Narrator] The higher the temperature,

the thinner the air.

And thin air is the enemy of aerodynamic lift.

2,000 miles from his first stop,

Gary is already calculating his takeoff weight

to get airborne from Calcutta.

For FedEx cargo, there's so much oversight there

and planning by the company on all this fuel and everything.

But we're different out here.

We're kind of on our own.

[Johnson] We are definitely right on the edge,

there's no doubt.

[Hezlep] Those temperatures, they could be way off.

Meaning if a thunderstorm had just moved through there

and cooled it off, it could be 10 degrees cooler.

[Johnson] Well, I looked at the temperature all week,

and the high temperature was 32.

So that's why I went with 33.

So we know we're good,

and then based on the current situation,

we'll make a decision as to how much gas to put on.

[Narrator] At the FedEx warehouse in Dubai,

Heather Machin, the associate director of nursing,

conducts a pre-flight check of medical supplies.

Okay, so...

So the first thing I have to do is make sure

everything that the sheet says is here is actually here.

[Narrator] Like the flight crew,

Heather plans for the unexpected.

Her rule--it's okay to overpack on an Orbis flight.

We don't really know what kind of surgery

we're going to see until we go and meet the patient.

So I have to pack everything.

[Narrator] Orbis biomedical engineer Matt Duval

has a checklist of his own.

Gas compressor.

We don't have pressure on the system.

[Narrator] Testing every last piece of medical equipment.

[Duval] For each piece of equipment,

I have to do a work order or a specific test.

[Narrator] But first he has to make sure it's all here.

I'm looking for a defibrillator

that they put in storage.

[Narrator] Matt has dozens of instruments to check.

Yeah, of course, they put it right in the cart.

[Narrator] Any problems must be fixed now.

In Mongolia, there may be nowhere to turn for help.

[Duval] We have to test the one battery,

because if when we go to move it, we have to unplug it.

[beeping]

If there's a code... Uh-oh, that's not good.

It says it's low battery.

I mean, this plane's been sitting here for three months,

so you got to expect something like that.

But first I need to get the battery going and the cords.

[Narrator] In the desert heat,

Rich struggles with the number three engine.

A clog in its temperature sensor

could be causing the low idle problem.

A package for you.

[Johnson] Okay, that's our CIT probe?

Alright.

[Narrator] A replacement has just arrived,

but swapping it out isn't like changing a light bulb.

It's right in here where we can't get to it.

Four bolts hold it on,

probably take us about an hour and a half to get to them.

[Narrator] The progress is achingly slow.

[Jorgensen] Well, it's wiggly.

It's either broken or it's loose.

And I haven't loosened up them other two bolts,

so it might have been not quite right.

[Narrator] The temperature climbs to 113 degrees.

But Rich keeps his cool.

Takeoff is now just 24 hours away.

But until the sensor is replaced

and the engines test-fired,

the Flying Eye Hospital won't be flying anywhere.

No space.

It's just jammed up against all the other structures

that's in between here,

and then there's several other things around it,

there's just no room.

[Narrator] But Rich has worked on DC-10s for 40 years,

seven with Orbis, and he won't be defeated.

We'll get it out. There's no such thing as can't.

Never.

[Narrator] Onboard, Matt supervises the Orbis version

of fastening your seat belt...

making sure the operating room equipment is tied down

for the long flight to Mongolia.

If we take off and the equipment moves and shifts,

it'll get damaged and we can't afford that.

It'll ruin the whole mission.

[Narrator] In the recovery room,

Heather displays her skill at packing surgical supplies

into every last nook and cranny.

I see this as one huge Tetris game,

and I can fit things into the smallest spaces.

So when we were doing the LD3's and packing everything,

everybody, it's like, oh, you're not going to fit that in,

I'm like, I'll fit it in.

So, spatial awareness.

Whether I get all these sponges in is another question.

[Narrator] Back home in Australia,

Heather is a specialist in ocular medicine.

This will be her 17th mission with Orbis.

Each one strengthens her commitment to the job.

Sometimes you go to a place or when you're at home,

you know that there's a lot of need in the world.

When we go to somewhere

and we see that there's more and more need,

we actually go away thinking, gosh, we need to do more,

we need to do more, we need to do more.

I think it's a wonderful thing that we're doing.

And sometimes when we are together,

or we have a wonderful child, it's very, it's very emotional.

[Narrator] Outside, Rich and John finally get the sensor out.

Got it?

[Narrator] As Rich suspected, it's clogged with desert grit.

[Jorgensen] Oh, that's nasty looking.

Even looking in there, you could see the dirt.

Yeah.

[Narrator] With the new sensor installed...

We'll be ready to go. I'll get things ready upstairs.

[Narrator] Orbis is towed to the apron...

...so Bruce and Rich can check out the engines.

Alright, John, clear on three?

[John] Clear on three.

[engines rev]

[Narrator] If Rich's hunch is right,

the low idle on number three should be fixed.

And it is.

One problem solved.

But now, just 14 hours from takeoff,

another problem comes up...

[Johnson] It's a disagree light.

[Narrator] ...a broken anti-ice valve.

[Johnson] When you turn it on, the valves open,

so it's telling you, here, go, go turn it off.

See, it says, it disagrees.

[Jorgensen] Okay.

The switch is off, the valve's supposed to be closed.

Okay, okay, yeah, okay.

[Narrator] With the anti-ice valve stuck

in the open position,

the engines will burn more fuel,

trying to melt ice that isn't there.

But with the hot weather and thin air,

adding extra fuel is not an option.

Assuming the temperature is 33 celsius,

we won't be able to take off out of Calcutta

with an anti-ice valve problem.

[Narrator] Rich's solution...

wire the valve shut so Orbis can get on its way.

It's quick and simple,

but pilots Gary and Sam aren't so sure.

No, no, no.

If we don't have any known icing conditions, we're okay.

Yeah, we're right on the ragged edge

with the normal ops going out of Calcutta, though.

With it open.

No, no.

Even if it worked properly.

Even if everything's normal, yeah, yeah,

I realize that, yeah,

we're that far from the wire, yeah.

That's kind of what we're playing with here.

You're going to look at the valve,

we'll start the engine again, see if it works,

and then go from there.

Yeah, with it closed, we're okay,

as long as we don't have any known icing conditions.

Alright.

Let's see.

Right. One thing at a time.

One thing at a time.

[radio chatter]

[Narrator] The pilots are eventually convinced

that Rich's fix is safe

and within the DC-10's minimum equipment regulations.

With just hours until departure,

he wires the anti-ice valve shut.

The move eliminates the need for extra fuel

and avoids adding additional weight to an already heavy jet.

Everything has been fixed.

[Narrator] They're still cutting it close

for a takeoff from Calcutta if the temperature climbs,

but for now...

it's all systems go.

[Dyson] We don't expect any icing,

so the safe thing was to make it stay closed.

[Hezlep] Thanks a lot, Richard, sure appreciate your work, bud.

Alright. Thanks again.

We'll just crank up, you guys disconnect and crank up,

and we'll go.

[beeping]

[Narrator] Heather does a final check on the equipment straps...

That's excellent.

[Narrator] ...then shifts gears.

It's her turn to be a flight attendant,

along with Doctor Gabriela Ruiz Gonzales.

Flight attendants on both flights?

[Both] Yes.

Okay.

[Machin] It depends who's rostered

as to what level of service you're going to have.

I like to actually look after you,

but other people will just put the chips on the counter

and you have to get it yourself.

So, you're lucky you've got Gabriela and I today.

[Narrator] 7:00 a.m., departure time.

It's already 86 degrees in the shade.

Gary lines up on the Dubai runway...

Applies full throttle...

And the Orbis mission is on.

With the heat and 400,000 pounds of weight,

Gary needs most of the runway to get the DC-10 into the sky.

If everything goes according to plan,

the Flying Eye Hospital will reach Ulaanbaatar in 10 hours...

...and the work of saving sight can begin.

But first, breakfast.

Gangadhara Jalli from India is a skilled medical videographer...

No, no, no, if you don't want it, I'll have it.

So you want omelet after all that?

[Narrator] ...and a fussy eater.

Aah...

[Machin] All right?

No, no.

No? No?

What is that? Chicken?

Just check that you're happy with that.

You will eat and you will enjoy.

Enjoy your breakfast, sir.

[Narrator] At 4:00 p.m. local time,

Orbis begins its descent.

Early monsoon rains have lowered the ground temperature

to a relatively cool 80 degrees.

[Narrator] It's all going well, a routine flight, and then...

[boom]

[Narrator] The mighty plane has just lost a third of its power.

[Dyson] Temperature, watch your temperature on number one.

[Narrator] The DC-10 is at 4,000 feet,

descending through monsoon rain.

On the flight deck, the pilots have just seconds to act.

[Dyson] You start gathering the data you have,

look at the engine instruments,

is the airplane still holding the speed?

[Narrator] The crew quickly determines that the power loss

is temporary and not a complete engine failure.

[Dyson] After that, we flew the approach

as if an engine had failed.

[Dyson] Visibility was right at the minimum

that was required for that approach.

We weaved around a little bit,

even after we started our descent

to avoid the heaviest of the rain.

One little challenge after another.

But that's what pilots get paid for, you know,

the few minutes of terror

during those times when it gets rough.

[Narrator] They're safely on the ground,

but still 2,000 miles from their final destination,

with worrisome questions about what just happened.

[Johnson] We saw indications in the cockpit

that indicated that it was probably a compressor stall

on the number one engine.

[Narrator] Here's how it happens.

Air entering the turbines is compressed by a series of fans

and forced into the combustion chamber,

where it's mixed with fuel and ignited.

A sudden increase in pressure in the compressors

can disrupt the smooth airflow.

Exhaust gases suddenly reverse direction,

causing a drop in power and potentially catastrophic damage.

The team needs answers.

What caused the compressor stall?

And is the engine damaged beyond repair?

Replacing it will take a week,

putting the entire medical mission in jeopardy.

[Johnson] Normally, of course, you get this over the P.A.,

right, from the airlines, right?

Okay.

Most of you probably heard a loud bang.

We're pretty sure the number one engine had a compressor stall.

We have to go inspect different areas.

And we'll go do that.

And I've already decided...

[clears throat]

...that the flight's canceled for right now.

I do not want anybody calling Mongolia yet.

I don't need this, I don't need more problems, okay?

Pretty soon I'm handling a press problem

when I need to be working on an airplane.

We're not going to get opioids through customs

here and into Nepal.

I don't even want to get caught with trying to do that.

[Narrator] Heather and anesthesiologist Jonathan Lord

prepare for plan B.

If the plane can't get to Mongolia,

eye surgeries will be moved to a city hospital.

But that means flying in medical supplies.

The question is, is whether they have

enough stock in country.

I don't know, I'll call Jackie or Hunter,

whoever's on the ground, and ask them the bare minimum,

like a 25-gauge IML forcep.

Yeah.

[Narrator] This much they know...

the compressor stall is unrelated

to the replaced CIT sensor

or to the anti-ice valve that Rich wired shut.

It's a new problem that he hopes will be solved

by changing a bleed valve

that releases air from the compressor.

Air blows it open and it goes that way.

[Johnson] It comes that way, stops it.

It's not stuck.

[Narrator] But the valve works perfectly.

Well...

I was kind of hoping to see something wrong.

You find something wrong, that way you know what to fix.

But...

In this case, nothing's wrong.

[Narrator] Bruce makes a call to long-time Orbis sponsor FedEx

and their best engine mechanics

for some advice on what to do next.

But you guys would agree, everybody agrees,

everybody agrees on a CF6-6D that a compressor stalls,

you've got to do a borescope?

But I also have a medical program I'm supposed to be at

in two days, in Mongolia.

Now, I am not going to fly an airplane

that's illegal to fly, but at the same time,

I can't wait a week or 10 days just to get it inspected either.

[Narrator] A borescope is a tiny camera on a flexible tube

that will allow Rich to see inside the engine.

And that'll tell us if there's any kind of damage

to the internal parts of the motor.

Which they're telling me,

this engine is susceptible to internal damage

when you have a compressor stall.

[Narrator] It's 10 o'clock.

Orbis should be landing in Ulaanbaatar,

but the engine problem has thrown

a carefully plotted program into chaos.

It's time to break the news to Doctor Hunter Cherwek

and the rest of the Orbis team already in Mongolia.

Hey, Hunter, this is Bruce.

Hunter, it's Bruce.

Well, we've got some bad news for you.

We're in Calcutta, and we're going to be in Calcutta

until at least tomorrow morning.

And I basically have got to investigate what's wrong,

and I can't take the risk

that there's possibly something wrong

without investigating the problem, so...

[Narrator] For the first time in recent history,

Orbis will be late.

[Johnson] That's what our job is,

is to get the hospital there.

So if we don't do that, we're the ones who failed, you know?

[Narrator] Borescoping the engine is a five-hour job.

With the first surgery scheduled in less than 48 hours,

Hunter and the medical team in Mongolia

confront a grim prospect...

The Flying Eye Hospital is currently in Calcutta, India.

It experienced a mechanical problem.

[Narrator] ...running the program

without their mighty plane.

I was on the phone to Singapore, Beijing.

We're scrambling all my contacts and all the team's contacts,

trying to find out where we can get medical supplies.

We're trying to bring in corneas for transplantation.

[Narrator] Orbis' worldwide team of volunteer eye doctors

pitches in.

[Horton] Dr. Garg, my name is DJ Horton,

Orbis International, welcome to Mongolia.

[Narrator] Dr. Prashant Garg from Hyderabad, India,

is one of the world's best eye surgeons.

I'm carrying a pair of corneas

donated by Singapore National Eye Bank.

It was fun carrying them,

particularly in the era

where you can't carry even liquids onboard,

and I was carrying both eyes,

as well as liquids and human tissue.

[Narrator] The question is, will these corneas be transplanted

in a Mongolian operating room

or in the state-of-the-art facilities

aboard the Flying Eye Hospital?

That all depends on how things are going with the borescope.

Well, it does say if it doesn't move,

that could be the reason why it's stalling.

But that being said,

I want to make sure that we're doing it right.

[Narrator] The inspection of engine number one

has been completed.

Very nice! Ah-ha!

Okay!

[Narrator] The interior of the engine

gets a clean bill of health.

But the celebration is short lived.

Rich still needs to pinpoint the cause of the stall

before they can get back in the air.

[engine revs]

[Jorgensen] We only proved one thing.

[Johnson] We don't know what it is?

[Jorgensen] Yeah, we don't know what we're doing.

[Narrator] Rich eventually discovers a tiny fault

in the variable stator vanes.

The vanes control airflow

through the front compressor fans.

They were being pitched incorrectly,

allowing too much air to pass through

to the blades behind them,

resulting in a pressure imbalance

and a compressor stall.

A quick adjustment to the line that controls the pitch

should solve the problem for good.

You can't know everything about this airplane or any airplane.

So, I mean, I've been working on it for 40 years,

and I all the time find out things

that I've never, never touched before.

[Narrator] There's only one way to make sure Rich is right.

A high power engine run-up.

I'm not comfortable going any faster.

[Narrator] This is the moment of truth.

Alright, we're going to start three, one,

and then two, Rich?

Okay, so RPMs should increase on N1 and 2.

N1, we're at 20.7, plus or minus two, so it's perfect.

100.5.

I'm happy. You happy?

[Jorgensen] Looking good, man.

Everything's looking good.

Looks like we're ready to go.

[Narrator] The Orbis mission is back on track.

They'll be in Ulaanbaatar two days late

but still in time for the first scheduled surgery,

provided Gary the captain signs off on the repairs.

[Jorgensen] I would say we have a positive fix.

Well, with everything that you and Bruce have told me,

I'm perfectly satisfied and have great confidence

in the engine working just like it's supposed to.

[Jorgensen] Yeah.

I have bought it one more time.

Yeah.

[Johnson] What we've had in the last two, three days

is like, you don't have all this

in six months or a year of flying.

[Dyson] Warning lights.

Mission, radar, transponder.

Max power.

80 knots. Check.

Rotate.

Positive rate, gear up.

[Narrator] The Flying Eye Hospital is back on the move.

From Calcutta,

it's a four-hour flight north into Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,

where the Orbis medical team is assessing hundreds of people,

all of them hoping to be selected for treatment

in the Flying Eye Hospital.

[Cherwek] We really try to find patients who really need it most

and would never be able to get this care otherwise.

[Narrator] Munkhundraa Sukhbaatar,

a 22-year-old student,

is blind in her right eye and can barely see out of the other.

The hope is a cornea transplant

will dramatically improve the vision in her left eye.

[Garg] I decided to do transplant,

keeping that fact in mind that she's still studying,

she is young, she has only that eye,

which has a potential for some improvement of vision.

So if we are here, why not to help that lady to see the world?

[Narrator] Three years ago, local surgeon Dr. Moogie

performed a transplant on Munkhundraa,

but it didn't work.

They have high hopes for a better result this time.

A second chance at a transplant is almost unheard of

in a country so short on medical resources.

I have so many waiting lists,

but all cases not possible to include,

because 25 cases only selected

and waitlisted cases are still waiting.

[Narrator] 11:00 p.m.,

30 hours behind schedule,

the DC-10 descends into Ulaanbaatar...

[Machin] I hope you've enjoyed your flight.

Please pick up all of your rubbish.

Thank you for flying Air Orbis.

[Narrator] ...and makes a smooth touchdown.

Well, think it all worked out kind of like we planned it.

Thanks for all your help.

[Hezlep] Very nice, John.

[Narrator] For Orbis staff on the ground,

the plane is a welcome sight.

[Cherwek] Hey, buddy!

Hey, how you doing, Hunter? Good to see you!

It's really great to see you guys. Thank you.

Good to see you.

Hey, Heather!

[Narrator] But their first surgery is just 12 hours away.

Bruce!

How's it going?

I'm doing well. We got it here.

Finally.

Yeah. Hey, that's good.

[Narrator] On the tarmac at Genghis Khan Airport

in Ulaanbaatar,

the Orbis DC-10 is about to be transformed

from plane to state-of-the-art eye hospital.

[Johnson] We're getting ready

to offload all our ground equipment,

start to set it up in hospital mode.

[Machin] For the queue first, then accessories,

then I'll move back to recovery.

[Narrator] The air compressor, air conditioner, vacuum pump,

and generators are all medical grade

and specially designed for the plane.

[Jorgensen] They have to have compressed air,

they have to have electricity.

It's probably the most important thing here.

This stuff quits, we're done.

They can't function without it.

[Narrator] The surgery and post-op rooms

get a top-to-bottom scrub.

It's virtually like a real hospital back home.

[Narrator] Except for the 11 video cameras

carefully positioned so local doctors can watch the surgeries

in the classroom up front.

We've delivered the hospital,

and sort of the pressure's off a little bit for us.

Pressure's now on the medical staff to get it done.

[Narrator] Within hours, the Flying Eye Hospital is ready

for Dr. Garg and his surgical team.

Just for today, if we could keep our clothes on

until we're behind a curtain, Jonathan, or in the bathroom,

I would appreciate it.

Hi. How are you?

[Cherwek] You know, I think the amazing thing about Orbis

is how flexible and adaptable we are.

We've made it through the storm,

and I think today's been a fantastic day,

and I expect a great program.

She's a little nervous?

Okay, understandable.

[Garg] Now, my first suture is in place.

So I'm less worried about the cornea slipping

over the viscoelastic into the fornix or over the sclera.

These sutures basically decide on the distribution

of corneal tissue in the recipient opening.

[Cherwek] Our goal is really not how much we can do,

it's how much we can show

and how much we can get them to do after we leave.

That's the whole purpose.

It's not coming in and showing off,

it's coming in and showing how.

[Narrator] Dr. Moogie, assisting Dr. Garg,

begins sewing sutures in Munkhundraa's eye,

but encounters scar tissue around the cornea.

The cornea is almost like butter.

When you pass the needle,

it goes very smoothly through the tissue.

But if you are suturing cornea

to the sclerized or fibrosed, toughened tissue,

you need more pressure on the side

where the tissue is fibrosed.

...sutures as of now,

and the remaining eight sutures we have to finish.

She was finding it difficult to pass the needle,

and therefore at the end of two sutures,

she asked me to come back and take over.

I'm sure that after this

additional four days of training,

she may again come back on to track.

How is she feeling now?

The pain she was having is okay?

[Narrator] If Munkhundraa's transplant takes,

she will have clear vision in one eye.

It will be life-changing.

She'll find out when the patch comes off in 12 hours.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital has completed

its first day of surgery in Mongolia.

[Woman] So in about 20 minutes

she should feel a little bit better.

Long days, long nights, lots and lots of work.

But there is so much to do and I'm happy to do it.

We have a tremendous impact on our patients,

obviously, and the doctors we work with,

but I think, almost selfishly,

the greatest impact Orbis has is on the crew.

I think it's very easy to think you're a great doctor

because you come from a high resource center.

But I can tell you that the best doctors I've met

have been outside of my country.

So it's been a very eye-opening experience, excuse the pun.

[Narrator] At National Central Hospital,

Munkhundraa opens her newly repaired eye for the first time.

Can you see my hand?

[Sukhbaatar] Five.

Two.

One.

Five.

I was expecting some degree of improvement in vision,

but not to that extent.

[Narrator] After performing nine corneal transplants,

Dr. Garg heads home to India.

Tomorrow new specialists will arrive

to teach the latest techniques

in pediatric and retinal surgery.

I'm looking forward to go home.

It will be fun to see the family back.

Okay, so let us keep in touch.

[Narrator] Dr. Garg leaves with a final word of encouragement

to his proteges.

And best of luck, you are wonderful.

Thank you, goodbye.

I noticed this morning

some of these looked a little shiny,

and they don't usually look shiny.

So I went up and checked,

and there's a lot of real fine sand has been picked up,

and you can feel it on the leading edges.

If it's a bad one, you have to file it out.

See, like here, see this one.

There was a bad ding in it, it's been filed out.

You file out the crack or the ding so it won't crack.

If you leave it, it'll crack and it'll break off,

and now you've got big problems.

[Narrator] The Orbis DC-10 has logged more than 40 years

of service as an airliner and eye hospital,

but will soon be replaced by an MD-10,

a newer model of the DC-10, donated by FedEx.

Like its predecessor, the new jet will allow Orbis

to take their expertise where it's needed most.

[Man] This is the sixth nerve nucleus here.

[Narrator] And will serve as a powerful symbol

of their commitment to eliminating treatable blindness.

People will say,

you really don't have to have an airplane

to have, to do medical work,

but it does draw public attention and awareness

to what we're trying to do.

I'm making sure the plane's ready to go.

I've got three weeks to do it.

So...

By then, it'll be perfect.

[Narrator] Up next,

the Orbis team flies to Central and South America.

And this mighty plane will be ready to continue the job

of saving sight worldwide.

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