With this UPS cargo plane crash, I got to thinking....
My first experience with a plane crash was in middle school when a friend of mine lost his father in a fedex cargo plane crash. I remember the devastation it caused him and his mom and we remained friends all the way through high school. They were set for life afterwards, but no amount of money replaces a life.
I was a freshman in college and I heard about a game and fish heli that went down on a sheep project. My best friend, who is the videographer for kuiu, his father is a pretty well known vet here. He has a contact with the state to help with relocating big horn sheep and collaring elk and they do this from helicopter. He is always bragging how he shoots 30-50 elk a year, but they all get to live. When I heard this on the local news, I text my buddy and asked if there was any chance his pops was on that heli. Sure enough, the motor died and they fell out of the sky like a rock is how his dad describes it. They were darting and relocating big horn sheep in the state when tragedy struck. Everyone survived but just crazy.
About 7 years ago, my grandfather crashed his little 4 seater plane. He has been a pilot for 50ish years and was a pilot in the Navy. Like fisherman love to fish, he loves to fly. Its just his jam. Flew to Phoneix, picked up my Aunt, flew her to Utah for a Marathon and then flew home. Disappointed with all his landings that day, he went out the next day to practice touch and goes. On his final take off, about 30-50 feet above the ground, engine dies. He turned the key one time, nothing, pulled himself forward and looked over the dash to see a barb wire fence in front of him. Had just enough time to lift his landing gear, so it wouldnt catch the wire and possible send him nose down in the dirt causing severe injury. He set the plane down in the dirt on a horse farm and walked away with a broken nose. He talks about how little time he had to make decisions before he knew it was going in the ground.
Now this UPS cargo plane... unfortunately I worked with the wife of one of the pilots. An amazing family and my heart breaks for their loss. His service is tomorrow. It must be an extremely vulnerable time during flight, the first 50-100 feet of take off. It seems this cargo plane had no chance losing its engine on takeoff. An absolute disaster. My grandfather talks all the time how he had just 0 time and could only make 1-2 decisions. I would think these pilots were feeling the exact same way unfortunately. I doubt she will ever return to work here, but it seems I know someone in a plane/helicopter crash every 5-7 years for as long as I can remember. So, if you fly planes often, shut me out of your world.
My first experience with a plane crash was in middle school when a friend of mine lost his father in a fedex cargo plane crash. I remember the devastation it caused him and his mom and we remained friends all the way through high school. They were set for life afterwards, but no amount of money replaces a life.
I was a freshman in college and I heard about a game and fish heli that went down on a sheep project. My best friend, who is the videographer for kuiu, his father is a pretty well known vet here. He has a contact with the state to help with relocating big horn sheep and collaring elk and they do this from helicopter. He is always bragging how he shoots 30-50 elk a year, but they all get to live. When I heard this on the local news, I text my buddy and asked if there was any chance his pops was on that heli. Sure enough, the motor died and they fell out of the sky like a rock is how his dad describes it. They were darting and relocating big horn sheep in the state when tragedy struck. Everyone survived but just crazy.
About 7 years ago, my grandfather crashed his little 4 seater plane. He has been a pilot for 50ish years and was a pilot in the Navy. Like fisherman love to fish, he loves to fly. Its just his jam. Flew to Phoneix, picked up my Aunt, flew her to Utah for a Marathon and then flew home. Disappointed with all his landings that day, he went out the next day to practice touch and goes. On his final take off, about 30-50 feet above the ground, engine dies. He turned the key one time, nothing, pulled himself forward and looked over the dash to see a barb wire fence in front of him. Had just enough time to lift his landing gear, so it wouldnt catch the wire and possible send him nose down in the dirt causing severe injury. He set the plane down in the dirt on a horse farm and walked away with a broken nose. He talks about how little time he had to make decisions before he knew it was going in the ground.
Now this UPS cargo plane... unfortunately I worked with the wife of one of the pilots. An amazing family and my heart breaks for their loss. His service is tomorrow. It must be an extremely vulnerable time during flight, the first 50-100 feet of take off. It seems this cargo plane had no chance losing its engine on takeoff. An absolute disaster. My grandfather talks all the time how he had just 0 time and could only make 1-2 decisions. I would think these pilots were feeling the exact same way unfortunately. I doubt she will ever return to work here, but it seems I know someone in a plane/helicopter crash every 5-7 years for as long as I can remember. So, if you fly planes often, shut me out of your world.
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