Dealing with a death in aviation

Yesterday morning, someone who I consider a friend in aviation passed away in an accident. He was instructing another very experienced pilot at the time. I have no idea happened right now. I found out this afternoon. Both of the guys in that cockpit works extremely experienced and investigators have made a point to release the fact when speaking to the media. I’ve been flying now for five years. Earlier this year when the runway incursion accident happened at LaGuardia, I was terrified for hours. I know many Jazz FOs. I thought that was gonna be the night where I finally knew somebody who died flying. I didn’t know that FO, but I knew people who knew him.

I knew both of the guys in the plane, but I knew the instructor better. While I was working on my CPL, I experienced an uncoordinated power on stall with full flaps. It developed into a spin that I could not recover from. My CPL instructor had to recover for me. This resulted in a fear of power on stalls. This man, upon hearing about what it happened, took it upon himself to train me in upset recovery. Flying was his reward and he never charged me a dime for that training he gave me. He was truly a wonderful person who gave his time so freely to everybody that asked to fly with him. He’s been flying for years. A glider pilot, rated on floats and an aerobatic instructor, yet he only got his multi-IFR on September 5th. I had gotten my own a month prior, so he was super excited to share the joy when he finally passed the flight test. This dude had a flight sim at home that he built himself that would put most flight school systems to shame. I swear, if they needed to put a face on a poster to show that one guy that always had your back in the air, it would be his face. He died when he loved.

I know this will happen again and I’m scared. I’m worried that one day I’ll be the cause of pain for other people. I love flying. Aviation is what I was meant to do. By my god does it ever bite you when you least expect it. I know it won’t get easier As it happens again and again and again. I just wish it wouldn’t.

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