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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><span
class=papersource><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Red Deer</span></font></span></st1:City></st1:place><span
class=papersource> Advocate</span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Spruce
View man dies in plane crash<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<span class=byline>By Stacy O'Brien - Red Deer Advocate</span><br>
<br>
<span class=byline>Published: November 09, 2008 5:06 PM </span><br>
<span class=byline>Updated: November 10, 2008 8:23 AM </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Many <st1:place
w:st="on">Central Albertans</st1:place> are mourning the loss of a life-long
pilot who was one of the founding members of the Innisfail Flying Club. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Herluf
Nielsen died in an airplane crash late Saturday night, shortly after taking off
from <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Red Deer</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Regional</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType> heading to the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Innisfail</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He was the lone occupant in the
aircraft. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>He once
told the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Innisfail</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Province</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> that he got the
flying bug watching Harvard trainers fly out of Penhold in the late 1940s and
early 1950s as a boy. He didn’t have his first flight until 1960 and had his
pilot’s licence by 1961, around the time the Innisfail Flying Club was getting
started. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Alvin
Hand, who is one of the original members of the Innisfail Flying Club, said
Nielsen was a capable pilot and had his night endorsement, meaning he was able
to fly at night. Hand, a pilot himself, said losing him is a big loss to the
club. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nielsen
was a strong supporter of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles
program. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>As part
of the program, Nielsen and other Innisfail Flying Club members would take
youngsters from Bowden and Innisfail up for 15 to 20 minute flights over <st1:place
w:st="on">Central Alberta</st1:place>, pointing out landmarks and sometimes
flying over their homes. Hand said Nielsen was one of the most enthusiastic
pilots doing the program. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nielsen,
67, loved flying so much that he had a hangar and landing strip at his farm in
Spruce View, where he lived with his wife of more than 30 years Alice Nielsen.
The couple’s children Kevin and Kristine and their significant others gathered
in Spruce View Sunday with other friends. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nielsen
had retired from farming barley, canola and a little wheat, but he continued to
take part in other ways in the community. He was an active member of the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bethany</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Lutheran</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
in Dickson. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“He was
very involved and got a lot of people in the community flying as well,” said
Nielsen’s daughter-in-law Nicole Nielsen. “He was a very safe pilot, so it was
very surprising for this to happen.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>She said
he had owned his Cessna 182 for at least 30 years and her husband Kevin
(Nielsen’s son) had his first ride in it as a baby. Nicole and Kevin joined
Nielsen and Alice on a trip from <st1:City w:st="on">Whitehorse</st1:City> to <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Dawson</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">City</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
this summer. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“Given
what has happened it is something that is nice to look back on,” Nicole said.
She said Nielsen’s wife Alice was the navigator and they were quite a pair. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nicole
said her father-in-law was a very humble man and known for being calm. “You
would never hear him raise his voice,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nielsen’s
parents had immigrated to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region>
from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Denmark</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and he spoke some Danish. “He loved his coffee, like any good Dane,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Besides
the flying club he also volunteered with Civil Air Search and Rescue
Association (CASARA). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nielsen
had been taking part in CASARA exercises earlier Saturday evening before his plane
went down. The CASARA volunteers regularly practise doing search patterns so
they are ready when they do have to search for a downed aircraft. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“We
finished our exercise around 10 p.m. (Saturday) night. We were finishing up and
he was on his way home,” said Jim Thoreson, zone commander with CASARA. Nielsen
left the airport around 10:30 p.m. and shortly thereafter was reported overdue
at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Innisfail</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Thoreson
said around 14 CASARA volunteers, along with Red Deer Search and Rescue started
looking for him. Their search was hampered by heavy fog. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“We were
covering all the land around the airport as much as we could,” Thoreson said.
It took until 5 a.m. Sunday morning to find the wreckage near the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Innisfail</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Jon Lee,
Western regional manger of the Transportation Safety Board, said two
investigators from the board were dispatched Sunday and will be at the site of
the crash during the next couple days. He said they’ll be photographing and
documenting the crash site, as well as trying to find eye witnesses to speak
with. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>As part
of the investigation they look at the pilot’s background, his work/rest cycle
and his experience. They will also be examining the aircraft’s maintenance
records, refuelling history and anything they can collect at the site. They
will also take the weather conditions into consideration at the time of the
accident. Innisfail RCMP have reported there was heavy fog at the time of the
crash. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Lee said
they don’t yet know what caused the accident. “We’ll be gathering a lot of
information over the next couple of weeks and as we analyze it we’ll rule out
factors that wouldn’t have contributed and that will help narrow the
investigation down to where we end up with a cause,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Contact
Stacy O’Brien at sobrien@reddeeradvocate.com<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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