** Posted from Duran De Villiers Facebook **
I put together a basic map of area and events with Alan Broderick's route and location for those who are interested.
I was alerted on Sunday about Alan being lost, I know the forest fairly well having grown up here and also an avid cyclists and motorcyclist, I fueled up the helicopter and with the GPS pin of Alan's last known location along with some math and what I thought a cyclist would do thinking they are on the Petrus se Brand route but in fact riding a different ridgeline more north, which would appear nearly identical in direction, look and feel, which is a big factor to why and how Alan got lost.
I flew for about an hour and a half around the area that I believed Alan to be at the time, until it was too dark and needed to head back. Turns out my math was correct and I was in the right location but could simply not see Alan, who had heard and seen the helicopter overhead, I had the bright sun setting in my eyes, flying solo and with a dark and incredibly thick forest canopy making it near impossible to spot anyone.
The plan was to get airborne again early Monday morning, with my good friend and fellow pilot John Grant Bozman who I would pick up at Plett airport along with Marc Rodgers both part of NSRI and search and rescue in and around Plett. Around midday the weather cleared enough for me to leave the office and head up to the hanger, a quick flight to Plett to collect John and Marc, and we all agreed that the best flight route would be flying up the Bitou river to try and locate Alan, who by this time had spent three days and two nights in the cold, wet, incredibly thick forest floor, covered in leaches and ticks, arms and legs covered in cuts and bruises, with hypothermia setting in and energy running dangerously low.
It took all of around 45 second, flying around a bend in the river when we spotted someone sitting on a rock, waving a shirt frantically, we had spotter Alan! The relief and I guess surprise we all felt at that moment was intense, we are so stoked to have located Alan exactly where we had thought he would be, heading down river.
I hovered as low as I possible, safely could, to alert Alan that we had in fact seen him, John was waving back at him to ensure he stays right there and to be sure that he knows that we've seen him. I found a 'landing spot' just above the steep ravine, it was the only place I could manage to get the aircraft in, bushes and trees up to the windows! We called in AMS who was on site within about an hour, with the GPS location pin we had shared with the AMS crew, they quickly located Alan and dropped down to hoist him to safety, and straight to the Knysna Provincial Hospital.
It was an emotional success for John, Marc and myself, a very blessed and humbling experience, working with incredible people, willing to give up their time and even their own safety for others. Super thrilled to have Alan back with his family soon ready for his next adventure (with GPS and Flare next time!)
