My sincere condolences to family and friends of the three people who died in
this tragedy. Though I knew none of them, my heart grieves nonetheless.

I also wish to thank Mr. Steve Fried for his obviously heartfelt, thoughtful,
personally informed and broadly knowledgeable insights occasioned by, and very
generally related to, the tragedy. A number have shed light on some fatal
soaring accidents about which a part of my brain has pondered off and on for
up to decades. Having - as I know more than a few RASidents have - lost *way*
too many friends and acquaintances to this incredibly uplifting and gratifying
sporting activity, I've long struggled to come to grips with the emotional
extremes associated with it, while never being in doubt as to continuing to
love it for what it is as a life-enhancing activity. There is mere
"existence"....and then there's *life" - as in worth living!

If any RASident ever finds him or her self occasionally inclined to
dismissively think something along the lines of, "Oh, I'd *never* do this or
that sort of silly/stupid/thoughtless/whatever thing that led to this or that
sort of fatal soaring accident (or merely nearly-crunchworthy incident),"
please try and not "go there." IMO, some forms of self-doubt are healthier
than their absence.

Flight safety and fun are two sides of the same coin, in my view.

Sadly,
Bob W.

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