Normally my blog is reserved for marketing rants and raves, but being one that must (from time to time) actually fly airplanes and safely get people from “a to b,” I couldn’t help not writing a quick homage to Dean Andrew and what he did off the threshold of a runway in Kodiak, AK after a plane crashed into the cold Pacific on Saturday Jan. 5th, 2008.

Here’s are some quick facts to set the stage: It is winter, in Kodiak, Alaska. The wind is blowing hard at 30+ mph. The seas are rough and a PA-31-350 Chieftain has just crashed in the hypothermic water. That’s where the story begins.

The funny thing about hero stories is that when you look back and do the math, you realize that most seaplane folks would never wish to attempt what Dean Andrew did. But he did… and because of that four people lived, that may very well have perished otherwise.

After getting to know Rob of www.jetwhine.com and signing up for his emails, I started receiving his occasional aviation nuggets. None to date, captured my attention more than this story.

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