On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 01:22:58 GMT, "Brad" wrote
in Message-Id: :

What if I had been there? What if I could
have offered some bit of advice that he hadn't considered? What if....? If
my only choices were to pull up and stall into a bunch of trees vs. a
freeway full of cars, I'd choose the trees, but I can't help but think, if I
were only there.

Please accept my sincere condolences.

Any advice on how to get past this train of thought?

All who take to the sky defy the physics of gravity through clever
technology usually assisted by the power provided from the
paleo-remaines of the life that has grown on this planet for hundreds
of millions of years. Each pilot eventually comes the realization
that there times during every flight when his chances of surviving an
power failure are less than optimal (night flight in the desert with a
new moon, over icy water, at 200' AGL on take off, ...). We all
accept the grim prob/possabilities, because to us, the benefits of
operating in the third dimension outweigh the risks.

All who lose someone close, feel responsibility for the loss; it's
just human nature, I suppose. Know in your heart, that they accepted
the risks willingly in exchange for experiencing (and advancing) human
flight as did the first aviation fatality, Otto Lilienthall. On his
deathbed, he uttered, "Sacrifices must be made."

I'm sorry.