Remembering Call: "No-Go"

There are times in life when things do not go our way. With the right attitude, even bad times can be better if you are still alive, that is. Today I was reminded of the loss of John F Kennedy, Jr and revisited my tribute one year ago. You can review it too by clicking "Older" in the bottom right of this page to scroll back to this date last year.

With every person and their story, there is something we can learn to make our own lives and the lives of others better. The story is there for our learning.

I cannot forget the pivotal moment when John should have called a "No-Go" on that fateful day when he crashed his plane, taking him, his wife, and her sisters' lives. I can imagine the pressure he faced knowing the importance of getting to a much-anticipated wedding, especially on the part of his wife and sister-in-law. How do you call off plans like this? 

A good pilot knows that you have to be aware of the weather since planes go where the weather happens. We are taught in aviation training to do a 180 when facing bad weather. Any time you have an essential trip, you should not be a victim of what you cannot control. With today's sophisticated system for planning for uncertainty, we have a fortune on our hands. Ask ourselves some intelligent questions such as, "should we leave early?" "Is there a plan B or plan C?" Timing, along with intelligent decision making, could have prevented the Kennedy tragedy.

Proper planning in all critical areas of life takes a little time, but the rewards can be the difference in life and death. Yes, and that means saying "no" to the ones we love for the sake of love. 

Always remember the responsibility of the one in charge. He or she in charge must take charge. I have believed for a long time that commercial pilots deserve an impenetrable barrier for the cabin of the aircraft since they are the brains of the machine. We can apply the same principle to life in general, can't we?