4. In Search of Franklin - PLANE DOWN - Episode 4 - EMERGENCY LANDING, polar bear comes too close.

Join Ron in this presentation of Episode 4, traveling with him on one of his arctic expeditions. This segment highlights one of his earlier search missions; stopping in Churchill, Manitoba while flying his Cessna T206 amphib floatplane, on his way up to King William Island, Nunavut. This was one of a series of trips to search for clues and relics of the famous Franklin Expedition of 1845, which was lead by Sir John Franklin. He was just one of the many unfortunate officers and crew from this British Admiralty doomed voyage. None ever returned, and not one person survived. In this episode Ron encounters an in-flight emergency while flying northward along the coastline of Hudson Bay at an area known to have the highest density of polar bears in the world.
We begin departing from Pickle Lake, Ontario northwest to Gillam, Manitoba, overnight, while not knowing that the port wing fuel cap was left unsecured; causing avgas to continuously siphon out into the airstream during the next morning's flight. On that trip leg, after circling over the famous HBC York Factory, which was built in 1684 - and then passing over multiple polar bears at low altitude, the airplane's engine suddenly quits, forcing Ron to make an emergency landing in conditions less than ideal. A polar bear approaches close, is then driven back, search and rescue helicopter arrives, then 4 days later the airplane is recovered. Finally onward to Churchill, with a short stay to see the many interesting sights there.
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Ron Carlson has spent over 15 years exploring northern parts of Nunavut, spending much of his time surveying areas on King William Island and other surrounding areas, in search of the 2 famous lost ships that long ago departed from England in an ambitious attempt to find the holy grail route of the fabled Northwest Passage. This was to be a journey of destiny. The ships; HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, were ultimately both permanently beset in the shifting arctic sea ice, and from there, all of the 120 plus officers and crew were then ultimately doomed to endure a very long and suffering fate.
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TO COME - The BOOK that will be published on the records and stories of Ron's adventures, dangerous encounters and discoveries, including the chapter describing Ron being the first to discover one of the two famous ships, first in 2011, then again in 2012, as he looked down upon and photographed the silhouette of the wreck, today known to be HMS Erebus, in the calm waters from far above.
See more on each step of Ron's expeditions on his blogs:
bushpilotdhc.bl...
And the expedition during the summer of 2012:
bushpilotexplor...
Learn more about the Lost Franklin Expedition:en.wikipedia.o...
#franklinexpedition #shipwreck #HMSErebus