Best friend of fallen EPS officer completes airborne tribute
A pair of aviators in Nova Scotia offered a high-altitude tribute Tuesday to the Edmonton Police Service constables who were killed in the line of duty.
Dimitri Neonakis and Brodie Sampson flew a ribbon flight path over Travis Jordan's hometown of Coldbrook, N.S., in honour of him and his partner Brett Ryan, who were both shot and killed last week while responding to a domestic dispute.
Sampson is a former commercial airline pilot. He grew up with Jordan and is one of his best friends. Neonakis is the father of a Vancouver police officer.
The pilots took off out of Halifax and completed the air tribute in a Cirrus aircraft. It was a sentimental experience for Sampson, given how he would often fly with Jordan, who would take him on EPS ride-alongs.
"We were there to pay our respects and bring awareness to the thin blue line that is the job of being a police officer and ultimately how dangerous it can be," Sampson said.
"Travis and Brett both paid the ultimate price protecting us," he added. "They're gone so we can still be here."
Brodie Sampson on a ride-along with Const. Travis Jordan (Supplied).
In an interview with CTV News Edmonton, Sampson explained how Neonakis often completes sky paintings to raise awareness of causes.
"I probably have 6,000 flight hours, but I've never done this before," Sampson said. "Doing the ribbon is actually pretty complex to do in an airplane. You constantly have to slow the airplane down to make these turns."
"I was able to watch and learn."
The pair of pilots after finishing the airborne tribute (Supplied).
Sampson will fly to Edmonton this weekend to attend a regimental funeral for Jordan and Ryan.
"I feel kind of selfish even feeling bad knowing what Travis' wife and immediate family are going through," Sampson said. "It's such a huge loss."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Erin Isfeld
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.