Had Been Forced At Gunpoint To Assist In Escape Plan

The Canadian helicopter pilot who was forced at gunpoint to help two prisoners escape from Canada’s St. Jerome prison earlier this year has not flown since the episode, and his career as a pilot is in serious question.

The two escapees were quickly apprehended after being snatched from the prison yard along with the two people who hired Sebastien Foray to take them on what they said would be a sightseeing flight. Foray was tied up and abandoned along with his helicopter after landing with the four fugitives on board.

The Canadian Press reports that Foray still suffers from post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and fear related to the event, and he had been stripped of his pilot certificate. It has all left him wondering if he'll ever get back in the cockpit to pursue his life-long dream of being a pilot.

He said in a telephone interview that he recalls seeing his life pass before his eyes as he flew towards the prison. He said he was certain that he would be killed after they landed. After the incident, he said he was in something of a surreal daze for about two weeks, and that gave way to regular anxiety attacks.

Transport Canada suspended his flying privileges for medical reasons, which has forced him into therapy. He has regained his license, but during his absence, his position with the helicopter company was filled.

Foray said that even though the winter months mark a low point in job opportunities for pilots in Canada, he hopes to find a job as a pilot by the spring. "Flying helicopters is still my dream," he said.

FMI: www.tc.gc.ca/eng/menu.htm