Singlecoil
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Awesome story! Nice to hear some good news in aviation once in a while. Kudos to United and the Air Force for laying claim to this airman. From the Anchorage Daily News...
Missing pilot found alive near Seldovia
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]SURVIVOR: Helicopter crew to rescue Wasilla man today after six days in the wilderness.[/size][/font]
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[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]By RACHEL D'ORO
The Associated Press
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(Published: November 28, 2004)
A pilot missing since Monday was found alive Saturday afternoon in a remote bay south of Seldovia, in good shape and upbeat spirits, the Alaska National Guard said.
Michael Holman of Wasilla was spotted by the Coast Guard crew of a C-130 transport plane about 4 p.m. during a training exercise near Homer, said Maj. Chris Kobi, with the National Guard's Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage.
The crew picked up a distress call the 46-year-old pilot made through his hand-held marine band radio.
The Coast Guard was able to see a bonfire built by Holman outside an intensive search area at Koyuktolik Bay, popularly known as Dogfish Bay, about 15 miles from Seldovia. Holman told the crew he had plenty of food, water and other provisions and was staying inside a cabin.
"I've been saying all along we had to be optimistic," Kobi said. "So many of these cases have very, very strange outcomes, you just can't write them off."
Winds and approaching darkness prevented rescuers from picking Holman up. The National Guard planned to send a Pave Hawk helicopter crew at first light today to bring Holman to Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage about 11:30 a.m., officials said.
"He indicated he was fine, not injured," Kobi said. "We felt it was prudent not to risk sending someone there now."
National Guard officials said Holman's wife was notified about the good news shortly after they got the call from the Coast Guard.
Since Holman has not been personally interviewed, National Guard officials said details remained sketchy about the chain of events since he flew out from Palmer on Monday afternoon, headed for Seldovia.
They weren't even sure about the fate of his blue and white Maule ML-7 aircraft, though additional reports said that for some reason the plane washed out or was destroyed, Kobi said.
Tom Lenfestey Jr. of Palmer, a friend of Holman's, said Saturday night that he learned from another friend visiting Saturday at the pilot's home that Holman apparently had some type of aircraft trouble and put down on a beach at the bay.
While he was trying to fix the plane, "the tide came in and washed it out to sea," Lenfestey said.
Holman flies as a commercial pilot for United Airlines, his friend said.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and "sure got a lot of outdoors survival training," Lenfestey said.
"Mike is a very, very heads-up, a very skilled woodsman, and we knew that if he was not too busted up, he'd hike to someplace safe if not walk all the way to Palmer," he said.
Since Holman went missing, weather hampered search efforts.
But the Civil Air Patrol and others went out anyway, battling winds, snow, rain and fog that decreased visibility.
Maj. Mike Haller said a steady stream of searchers have focused on a 4,000-square-mile area over the Kenai Peninsula.
Searchers always held out hope they would find Holman alive, noting he is a highly experienced pilot. Adding to their confidence was the fact that Holman had survival gear on board.
"Once again, fact is better than fiction," Haller said. "Another Alaskan walks away from a serious incident and survives to see his family and hug them again another day." Daily News reporter Peter Porco contributed to this report. [/size][/font]
Missing pilot found alive near Seldovia
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]SURVIVOR: Helicopter crew to rescue Wasilla man today after six days in the wilderness.[/size][/font]
http://www.adn.com/widgets/pixel.gif
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]By RACHEL D'ORO
The Associated Press
http://www.adn.com/widgets/pixel.gif
(Published: November 28, 2004)
A pilot missing since Monday was found alive Saturday afternoon in a remote bay south of Seldovia, in good shape and upbeat spirits, the Alaska National Guard said.
Michael Holman of Wasilla was spotted by the Coast Guard crew of a C-130 transport plane about 4 p.m. during a training exercise near Homer, said Maj. Chris Kobi, with the National Guard's Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage.
The crew picked up a distress call the 46-year-old pilot made through his hand-held marine band radio.
The Coast Guard was able to see a bonfire built by Holman outside an intensive search area at Koyuktolik Bay, popularly known as Dogfish Bay, about 15 miles from Seldovia. Holman told the crew he had plenty of food, water and other provisions and was staying inside a cabin.
"I've been saying all along we had to be optimistic," Kobi said. "So many of these cases have very, very strange outcomes, you just can't write them off."
Winds and approaching darkness prevented rescuers from picking Holman up. The National Guard planned to send a Pave Hawk helicopter crew at first light today to bring Holman to Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage about 11:30 a.m., officials said.
"He indicated he was fine, not injured," Kobi said. "We felt it was prudent not to risk sending someone there now."
National Guard officials said Holman's wife was notified about the good news shortly after they got the call from the Coast Guard.
Since Holman has not been personally interviewed, National Guard officials said details remained sketchy about the chain of events since he flew out from Palmer on Monday afternoon, headed for Seldovia.
They weren't even sure about the fate of his blue and white Maule ML-7 aircraft, though additional reports said that for some reason the plane washed out or was destroyed, Kobi said.
Tom Lenfestey Jr. of Palmer, a friend of Holman's, said Saturday night that he learned from another friend visiting Saturday at the pilot's home that Holman apparently had some type of aircraft trouble and put down on a beach at the bay.
While he was trying to fix the plane, "the tide came in and washed it out to sea," Lenfestey said.
Holman flies as a commercial pilot for United Airlines, his friend said.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and "sure got a lot of outdoors survival training," Lenfestey said.
"Mike is a very, very heads-up, a very skilled woodsman, and we knew that if he was not too busted up, he'd hike to someplace safe if not walk all the way to Palmer," he said.
Since Holman went missing, weather hampered search efforts.
But the Civil Air Patrol and others went out anyway, battling winds, snow, rain and fog that decreased visibility.
Maj. Mike Haller said a steady stream of searchers have focused on a 4,000-square-mile area over the Kenai Peninsula.
Searchers always held out hope they would find Holman alive, noting he is a highly experienced pilot. Adding to their confidence was the fact that Holman had survival gear on board.
"Once again, fact is better than fiction," Haller said. "Another Alaskan walks away from a serious incident and survives to see his family and hug them again another day." Daily News reporter Peter Porco contributed to this report. [/size][/font]
