A Canadian Air Force pilot who ejected from his jet seconds before it crashed has credited his training for his survival.

Capt. Brian Bews spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday about the incident.

On July 23rd, the 37-year-old pilot was practicing an alpha pass maneuver for an air show in Lethbridge when his CF-18 ran into troubles.

The alpha pass involves the jet slowing to 115 knots (212 km/h) with the nose pointed slightly skyway.

Capt. Bews says he's done the maneuver many times so it didn't take him long to realize something was wrong.

"I was feeling turbulence," he says. "My perception was that I had turbulence with a downdraft."

He said that he hit the power and attempted to climb out of the maneuver, but something was keeping the jet locked into a dangerous decent.

As the nose started to drop, Capt. Bews knew he was in big trouble.

"I tried to fight it, but I was not in control of the jet anymore," remembers Capt. Bews. "I knew where the jet was going, and I didn't want to be there with it."

Faced with life or death, Capt. Bews says the decision was easy. "It was pretty obvious to me what I had to do … I pulled the handle and the ride started there."

He says only four seconds passed between when he pulled the jet's ejection handle and when he hit the ground hard. He says he felt a sharp pan immediately run through his neck and back.

"I feel fortunate that I didn't break my legs upon landing," said the pilot, who nonetheless suffered three compressed vertebrae during the crash landing. "Just the way I landed, it worked out very well in my favour."

The winds in the area were also strong, and his chute began to drag him across the open prairie. His feet were tangled up in the chute and he couldn't get free. Once his feet became free, he knew that he would survive.

Still, he wasn't sure if his spine had been permanently damaged. "I decided the best thing to do was just lie there face down until help arrived," he says.

Despite the spinal damage, doctors have said Capt. Bews will make a full recovery in eight to 12 weeks.

Because of the crash, the remainder of the 2010 CF-18 Demo Team schedule has been cancelled.

The cancellation of the CF-18 Demo Team does not impact the scheduled appearance of other CF-18's at other air shows and community events.

CF-18's will continue to perform flypasts, aerial displays, and be part of static displays throughout the year, however they do not perform the rehearsed and choreographed aerial demonstration that the CF-18 Demo Team performs.

(With files from CTV.ca News Staff)