Herb: I, too, was disturbed to read in the Wall Street Journal that Lubitz had a "passion for gliders and competitive running". Just like me. Responding to your critic, I think you qualified your remarks well; none of us yet knows what really happened but the official reports to date are horrifying.

It's true that we tend to think of fellow gliding pilots as ethical, with very high standards in many regards. The truth, as we all know, is that soaring is not perfect. We have our share of folks for whom integrity is sometimes practiced when it is convenient. We also have our share of enthusiasts who suffer from various physical and mental ailments. I suspect I'm not alone in saying that soaring has helped to keep me upbeat and healthy in times of acute stress in the past. But it's not a panacea.

I can't imagine the feelings of the families and loved ones of the victims, knowing not only how senseless and terribly unfair these deaths were but also what the passengers and crew must have felt in the moments before the crash.

I suspect there is not much for us to learn from this isolated tragedy, perhaps with a single exception. One of my daughters flew into Paris the morning of the crash from NYC. It was totally unrelated but it did remind me, as if I needed to be, how uncertain is life and how foolish it is to take anything for granted.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.