A Russian helicopter pilot on a solo trip around the world was rescued on Monday morning after spending more than 30 hours alone on an ice floe after ditching his Robinson R22 helicopter about midway between Iqualuit and Greenland, in the Davis Strait. "It's wet. It's cold. He has some polar bear neighbors who are very interested in his whereabouts. He has quite a survival story," said Rear Admiral John Newton, of the Canadian Navy, who spoke to the press about the rescue. Newton said Sergey Ananov, age 49, had a life raft and a survival suit. "It was a very small target [for searchers]," Newton said. Rescuers were alerted when an on-board beacon indicated that the aircraft had descended to sea level and stopped moving, but then had to search for Ananov at sea amid clouds and fog.
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