Photo by CHRISTINA DABROWSKI
Brantford's Scott Wilson, here with a Cessna 172, took control after a plane crash by getting his own pilot's license in December.
When Brantford's SCOTT WILSON decided to dive into a new travel TV show, he wanted to go deeper than the typical tourist attractions.
Little did he know that his adventures would turn into pure irony.
The host of Descending, an underwater exploration show on OLN, was shooting footage in Indonesia last year when the small plane he was in descended directly into the ocean, taking him on the kind of underwater adventure you never want to see.
"There was a guy with a small float plane and he offered to take us up to get some aerials," recalls Scott.
His partner and cameraman, ANDRE DUPUIS, went first, nabbing some wonderful aerial footage but, knowing what a plane nut Scott is, Andre encouraged him to take a ride.
Scott and the pilot buzzed over some dugongs - big manatee-like creatures - and went back for a better view.
"He ascended and the engine slowed and then the pilot cranked hard right and the plane stalled. Down we went."
The saving grace, says Scott, was that they were only about 400 or 500 feet above the ocean and, although he was in the front of the little tandem plane, he was wearing a crash helmet so when the windshield blew in, he was somewhat protected.
"I kept thinking the guy was just hot-dogging and sooner or later we were going to pull out of the dive but suddenly I was surrounded by water!"
Two more things went right for the former BCI boy: his fingers miraculously found and released his five-point harness on the first try and, when he bobbed to the surface, he and the pilot found a pontoon from the plane had broken off before the aircraft sank out of sight.
Back on shore, Andre and Scott's brother, JEFF WILSON, a producer on the show who sometimes gets to do field work with the travelers, were going crazy!
"They were frantically trying to get in boats to get to where they saw the plane go down. It shook my brother up pretty badly for two hours."
And it still shakes up the guys' mom, DIANNE WILSON. She refuses to watch that episode, which features footage that Andre got both before the crash and during the search for Scott and the pilot.
While some would have sworn off small planes or flying entirely, Scott went another route.
"In December, I officially became a pilot. It was a huge accomplishment for me and the crash was kind of a catalyst. I figure if something happens, I want to be in control!"
Read more here: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca
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