Are we crazy, or just stupid?

Neither. Or maybe both. We're human. We have no other comparative species
to measure our collective decisions or misfortunes against.

Two years ago one of my brothers and his wife lost their full term unborn
baby to spina-bifida. Blessing or curse? We'll never know. Undeterred,
they recovered from their loss, conceived again, took extra precautions,
additional doctor visits and additional monitoring. This year, three days
before Christmas, they lost another full term unborn baby when the umbilical
cord wrapped itself around the baby's neck, just 3 days before a scheduled
delivery. Two full term babies lost, never to experience life. Two young
parents will never experience the love and joy of what would have been their
third and fourth children. Two little brothers left scared and confused,
wondering where the babies went.

The product of risk is rarely as beautiful as it is ugly.

So do we then shelter and over protect those around us, limiting their
exposure to any and all risk? Do we prohibit any experience where risk
outweighs practical benefit? Do we arbitrarily decide that after a single
tragedy that all around us should be forever prohibited to participate in
the same behavior? These would be truly selfish acts. Acts designed more
so to protect the minds, hearts, and welfare of the survivors, not
particularly to protect the participants. Imposed security limits liberty
no matter who the imposer.

Our decisions and associated risk management become harder when we choose to
engage our children in "our" risky events, for as children, they often have
no choice. Hopefully we take all available precautions and use our best
judgment, but to shield our children from the experiences and opportunities
that our chosen activity offers would be in itself a tragedy.

What would life be without living?

Jim

What would life be without living?

Agreed.

I know too many people who are sleep-walking through life, rarely
going beyond the confines of their living rooms. They believe they
are "safe", as they eat their high-fat, high-sodium foods in front of
the boob-tube.

They look at what Mary and I do as hopelessly wreckless. We look at
what they do as hopelessly pathetic. Never the twain shall meet, I
guess.

In the end, we believe that Blane lived life to the fullest.
Unfortunately, his children may never share our philosophy.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hopefully their mother will keep his memory, his values, and his love of
life alive for many years to come. This is one of the greatest gifts she
can give them as their father still has many lessons left to teach his
children.
Jim

"Jay Honeck" wrote

In the end, we believe that Blane lived life to the fullest.
Unfortunately, his children may never share our philosophy.

They may not share that philosophy, now. It is common to resent that which
hurts us in the present.

Many children have problems relating to their parents. Later in life, in
the course of living their lives, the children begin to understand the
actions and motivations of the parent, and appreciate what they formerly
found fault in.

It is very possible, and perhaps probable, that later Blane's children may
understand what drove him, and made his life so full and worth living. They
may even find and live the same loves that Blane lived.

That is my hope.
--
Jim in NC

I have only been flying for 25 years, but in that time I have
experienced the deaths of many friends and acquaintances.
After getting my PPL, I got heavily involved with aerobatics and warbird
pilots. The aerobatic pilots have passed at the rate of one or two every
year.
The first couple had me asking the same questions.
In discussing it with one pilot friend who had been around for awhile,
his matter of fact response of "When your number's up, you're number's
up" has stayed with me.
I still feel the loss and I still wonder why, but I do not dwell it.
As others here have said, remember the good times and the joy it brings
to you and pilots and friends you share the activity with.
Read all the accident report you can and run "what-if" scenerios through
your head when you are looking for things to do.
The more prepared you are, the better equipped to handle a situation.
There may come a time when even that won't be enough.
The most important thing to remember is, never give up!

Jay, sorry for your loss. My condolences to all.

I have only been flying for 25 years, but in that time I have
experienced the deaths of many friends and acquaintances.
After getting my PPL, I got heavily involved with aerobatics and warbird
pilots. The aerobatic pilots have passed at the rate of one or two every
year.
The first couple had me asking the same questions.
In discussing it with one pilot friend who had been around for awhile,
his matter of fact response of "When your number's up, you're number's
up" has stayed with me.

That really does sum it all up, and as mentioned elsewhere in this same
thread, it is far better to live and die than to not live and still die.
That really is the choice that each of us is given.

My condolences to all, and I hope that his family are not frightened away
from aviation.

Peter

Jay Honeck wrote:
I just returned from one of the hardest evenings of my life. Mary, my
kids, and I just attended the visitation for Blane Anderson, our
friend and fellow pilot who lost his life in the crash of a Spencer
Air Car (and amphibious homebuilt craft) last Friday, just west of
Iowa City. He was less than 20 minutes from home when his plane went
down, hard.

My sincere condolences as well. I won't try to expand on what others
have said, but from a practical point of view, I always hope that these
younger guys with kids have life insurance, because I remember when I
was young enough to need it it was difficult to get if you were a pilot.
If one had gotten a policy before taking up flying, that policy stayed
in force. If one tried to get a policy after starting to fly it was
nearly impossible, or one could get it with an exclusion for flying. At
one time I had a policy that wouldn't cover death in an airplane, but I
was covered in a glider.

Years ago I had a case in which a young father died. He worked for a
government agency involved in community redevelopment. A significant
project was completed, and a celebration was held. The place was a very old
local church. This man went into the church, and sat about halfway down the
aisle, in the middle of the pew.

The celebration was held in the evening after a hot summer day. The church
was old, and the windows were open because of the heat. A thunderstorm
developed, complete with lightning. According to witnesses, ball lightning
landed on the window sill next to the pew where this man was sitting. The
ball lightning hopped across to the back of the pew, followed the back of
the pew to where this man was sitting, and jumped on him, causing the man's
death.

I often think about this when making a decision to go flying. I don't
believe in pushing it, but when your number's up...


Jay Honeck wrote:
I just returned from one of the hardest evenings of my life. Mary, my
kids, and I just attended the visitation for Blane Anderson, our
friend and fellow pilot who lost his life in the crash of a Spencer
Air Car (and amphibious homebuilt craft) last Friday, just west of
Iowa City. He was less than 20 minutes from home when his plane went
down, hard.

On 2/7/2007 4:35:45 PM, "LWG" wrote:

According to witnesses, ball lightning
landed on the window sill next to the pew where this man was sitting. The
ball lightning hopped across to the back of the pew, followed the back of
the pew to where this man was sitting, and jumped on him, causing the man's
death.

Wow, nothing like a random act of physics in a place of worship to underscore
one's beliefs.

--
Peter

He shouldn't have been reading the Playboy hidden in the hymn book. ;-)
tom

LWG wrote:
The
ball lightning hopped across to the back of the pew, followed the back of
the pew to where this man was sitting, and jumped on him, causing the man's
death.