Page 27 - Come Fly with me-In progress

Heartbreak and Hope

Ten years later another part of my heart was pulled out of my chest when I

got word that my dear brother Robert had crashed while playing chicken

with a mountain. Robert was an aerobatic pilot, he had won the Kitty
Hawk youth award and was presented the award by the first astronauts

who walked on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, when

he was just 16 years old. The day he soloed He set a world record of flying
the most airplanes in one day (47). Robert flew every day. He would leave

school and immediately go to the airport to fly. Even though he only lived

31 years he lived 90 years in his passion.

My feelings about flying after Robert’s death were totally different than

they had been after my grandparent’s crash. Robert was so much a part of
me, and I knew that he was the one who got me back in the air. He taught

me a vital life lesson. Life is too short to live in fear. Get out there and

soar like a bird. Live your life and never look back. In some ways, this
horrible incident cemented Robert's sentiments. I would not look back only

forward.