The Left Side of Normal Airplanes, The Internet, and Everything Else

Flying can be dangerous business. One of my instructors once held up a copy of the Federal Aviation Regulations book, which weighs in at a hefty 1,000 or so pages, and said, "You see all these rules? You've read them? You have to understand that each one of these was added because somebody died. This book was written with blood. Consider it your job to make sure you don't make this book any longer." If everyone follows the rules and performs their inspections properly, and flies the airplane properly, you significantly increase your chances of making it safely to the ground. There is always some amount of risk in flying, and you have to treat it with a healthy amount of respect. You're going to get back on the ground one way or another, but you should be fully in control and landing on a proper surface when you do so. Unfortunately, even the best of us can make a mistake, or our equipment can fail on us. Aviation lost a great female pilot last week, Chandy Clanton. She was practicing for an air show when her Edge 540 aircraft crashed into a field. I do not know the circumstances behind the crash or whether it was mechanical or pilot error, but I do know that she will be missed by the aviation community.