Pilot Dies In Mid-Air: What We Take from it.

First of all, best wishes and regards go out to Continental Flight 61's captain, who died while flying the Newark-bound plane. He was 60 years old. Thankfully, the plane landed safely in Newark and everyone else was ok.

There are a lot of different ways to look at this situation. First of all, was the flight crew right in not notifying the passengers that their captain had died? I think so. Spreading the news while still in flight would have caused an absurd amount of panic that would not have made the plane land any safer than otherwise.

I feel one element that gets lost in this story, however, is the sheer amount of talent present on any given flight. Think about it- after realizing that their pilot/captain was severely ill, the flight crew (according to the NY Times) asked for anyone with medical experience to make their way to the front of the plane. Five traveling doctors immediately made their way to the front, one of whom pronounced the pilot dead and promptly returned to her seat.
Think about all the different professions and careers that could have been represented on that flight. It is amazing to think of how a small group of people on any given aircraft- an airplane holds what, 230 people tops- can represent such large contributions to society.

For those 5 doctors who were passengers on that flight, there were probably just as many lawyers, businessmen, politicians, school teachers, psychologists, construction workers, and whatever else you can think of, a microcosm of society.
You can venture even further and consider how talented the flight crew was to not only keep passengers calm while trying to save their co-worker's life, but to then assume control of the plane and safely reach their destination after learning their co-worker was dead.

How do you prepare for a situation like that? You don't. Plain and simple.

Those who travel frequently know that the flying community really is a small one, and that anyone who flies back and forth between cities frequently is very likely to run into the same flight crews time and again and even develop relationships with them. I have been flying since before I could walk, and some of my most cherished memories are of that nice stewardess from the Miami-New York City trips, or the pilot who would always let me sit in the cockpit after our flight landed. They're real people too, and seeing one of them go at the young age of 60, whether or not you knew him, is a terrible thing to have happen. We can only be thankful that the plane landed safely, and commend everyone-flight crew and passengers- for tending to the situation in the most efficient manner given the circumstances.

Let's hope stories like these remain an aberration.