Community builds in the wake of Tragedy

Many times in the aviators life, through no fault of their own, tragic events occur.  That's life.  I'm not sugar coating this because there is no way to do that.  It's awful.  A friend, a father, a coworker, and an flight instructor to many,  is gone.  His student, a father with 5 children of his own, is gone.  Taken in a moment by circumstances still not fully understood.  

Speculation is rampant and conclusions are made without full understanding of the facts.  Lets not add to the tragedy through gossip, innuendo or "anonymous' comments to the press.  The best we can do now is sit tight, try to do our best to rebuild our safety record and learn from the tragedy so as not to be repeated.  

You see I don't have any pithy comments or sage advice to try to make it better.  It's too soon and it's too terrible.  It stinks, and it's bad for aviation. The whole unfortunate incident is bad for the business of flight.  Tragedy's like this most recent occurrence can sometimes diminish the effectiveness of the advocacy of our beloved hobby and vocation.

Golden State Aviation is a vanguard in this industry for safety.  The oldest, single continuously run flight school in San Diego, they have been in business for 47 years with zero fatalities. They've earned our admiration and respect by training thousands of exceptional pilots. They have earned and deserve our respect. Let them know you support them with a kind phone call, a rental, or a referral or two to keep them flying. Make sure to tell Rich and Steve how great they are and let the instructors like Barry, Tom, or Rand know you admire them and think the world of them.  While you are at it a kind word for our deceased compatriots would unite the aviation community in mourning our loss. 

That's what we do folks. We've all had the common experience - the joys and the pain of flight. We went through rigorous ground school, flight training, and soloing.  Flying is a way of life but is fraught with peril. We're a family in a real sense, and we should act like it. We support our brother and sister pilots and their families, especially in times like these.   We need to continue our support and leverage our passions through our professionalism, our attitudes, and our understanding of others.  

Brian Meyers

President Gillespie Pilots Association