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The Russian pilot who crashed his helicopter in the Arctic didn’t plan on stopping in Ottawa on his trip around the world, but was sure glad to be here.
Sergey Ananov said being in Canada’s capital means he survived the harsh conditions between Iqaluit and Greenland, where he spent two days trapped on an ice floe fending off polar bears after plunging into the freezing waters of the Davis Strait.
“Ottawa, for me, is the first capital I visited after I came back to life,” the 49-year-old Ananov said during a press conference at the Russian Embassy Friday, where he clutched a stuffed plush polar bear toy. He was in Ottawa to get a passport after his documents were lost at sea.
Ananov took off Saturday for the Iqaluit to Greenland leg of his solo helicopter trip around the world that began on June 13 in Moscow. But when a broken gear belt exploded, Ananov’s $100,000 helicopter plunged into the cold Arctic water.
Ananov said he had only about 30 seconds to pull himself and a life raft from the sinking helicopter. Ananov swam about 50 metres to an ice floe and scratched his two forearms as he pulled himself from the water.
He emptied the water that had accumulated in his survival suit during the swim and put it back on to shield himself from the wind.
Ananov said he had to chase off three polar bears before he was rescued.
One bear started to approach as he was lying under the life raft. The bear ran away after Ananov jumped up from under the life raft. He continued to chase the bear until it jumped onto another ice floe.
Ananov said he was lucky that the polar bears who paid him a visit were “not very hungry at that time.”
The only time Ananov fell asleep during his two-day ordeal was for about 15 minutes and he distinctly remembers the dream he had.
“When I had this 15 minutes of sleep, I was doing what?” Ananov asked. “ I was flying my helicopter. I was flying it. I remember it very well. I was continuing the flight.”
At the end of the second day, Ananov heard the sound of a helicopter and saw the lights from a ship in the distance. He later learned the ship was the Pierre Radisson, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.
Ananov lit his last flare, which caught the eye of an officer on the ship seconds before it went out.
Soon, a helicopter was sent to his rescue and hovered above the ice floe as Ananov hopped onto the step and jumped into the aircraft. He was so excited about the rescue that the crew had to calm him down.
He called his wife and children from the ship but they had already heard the good news that he was safe.
Ananov said he has no regrets about the trip and would do it again without hesitation to finish what he started.
“I did not manage to complete what I started,” Ananov said. “It’s a loss. I made a fiasco.”
Ananov was scheduled to fly home on Friday night.
mhurley@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/meghan_hurley
查看原文...
Sergey Ananov said being in Canada’s capital means he survived the harsh conditions between Iqaluit and Greenland, where he spent two days trapped on an ice floe fending off polar bears after plunging into the freezing waters of the Davis Strait.
“Ottawa, for me, is the first capital I visited after I came back to life,” the 49-year-old Ananov said during a press conference at the Russian Embassy Friday, where he clutched a stuffed plush polar bear toy. He was in Ottawa to get a passport after his documents were lost at sea.
Ananov took off Saturday for the Iqaluit to Greenland leg of his solo helicopter trip around the world that began on June 13 in Moscow. But when a broken gear belt exploded, Ananov’s $100,000 helicopter plunged into the cold Arctic water.
Ananov said he had only about 30 seconds to pull himself and a life raft from the sinking helicopter. Ananov swam about 50 metres to an ice floe and scratched his two forearms as he pulled himself from the water.
He emptied the water that had accumulated in his survival suit during the swim and put it back on to shield himself from the wind.
Ananov said he had to chase off three polar bears before he was rescued.
One bear started to approach as he was lying under the life raft. The bear ran away after Ananov jumped up from under the life raft. He continued to chase the bear until it jumped onto another ice floe.
Ananov said he was lucky that the polar bears who paid him a visit were “not very hungry at that time.”
The only time Ananov fell asleep during his two-day ordeal was for about 15 minutes and he distinctly remembers the dream he had.
“When I had this 15 minutes of sleep, I was doing what?” Ananov asked. “ I was flying my helicopter. I was flying it. I remember it very well. I was continuing the flight.”
At the end of the second day, Ananov heard the sound of a helicopter and saw the lights from a ship in the distance. He later learned the ship was the Pierre Radisson, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.
Ananov lit his last flare, which caught the eye of an officer on the ship seconds before it went out.
Soon, a helicopter was sent to his rescue and hovered above the ice floe as Ananov hopped onto the step and jumped into the aircraft. He was so excited about the rescue that the crew had to calm him down.
He called his wife and children from the ship but they had already heard the good news that he was safe.
Ananov said he has no regrets about the trip and would do it again without hesitation to finish what he started.
“I did not manage to complete what I started,” Ananov said. “It’s a loss. I made a fiasco.”
Ananov was scheduled to fly home on Friday night.
mhurley@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/meghan_hurley
查看原文...
