2RHPZ
05-09-2005, 01:49 AM
A Canadian pilot's remarkable tale of survival behind enemy lines
THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY
... It begins on the night of Jan. 14, 1945: Mr. Côté was flying a Typhoon fighter-bomber over German positions in southern Netherlands when a burst of flak hit the plane's cooling system.
With coolant leaking badly, the temperature of the engine began to rise. In training, pilots were told that the engine would burst into flames at 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, when the gauge was nudging that mark, Mr. Côté decided he was flying too low to bail out and headed for the ground.
With the plane's wheels up, he crash-landed safely enough near Dalfsen, a town about 50 kilometres northeast of Apeldoorn. He clipped a tree, knocking off a huge branch, but slid to a stop in the deep snow of that wretchedly cold winter.
It was Mr. Côté's 57th, and last, mission...
Link (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050506/WAR06/TPFront/TopStories)
THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY
... It begins on the night of Jan. 14, 1945: Mr. Côté was flying a Typhoon fighter-bomber over German positions in southern Netherlands when a burst of flak hit the plane's cooling system.
With coolant leaking badly, the temperature of the engine began to rise. In training, pilots were told that the engine would burst into flames at 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, when the gauge was nudging that mark, Mr. Côté decided he was flying too low to bail out and headed for the ground.
With the plane's wheels up, he crash-landed safely enough near Dalfsen, a town about 50 kilometres northeast of Apeldoorn. He clipped a tree, knocking off a huge branch, but slid to a stop in the deep snow of that wretchedly cold winter.
It was Mr. Côté's 57th, and last, mission...
Link (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050506/WAR06/TPFront/TopStories)