This post is overdue.

Sympathies to the families of those service personnel who lost their lives in the recent Sea King accident.

This stuff hurts. It hurts for a lot of reasons. It hurts because the RAN Fleet Air Arm is so very small, that the consequences of a tragedy are proportionally greater than elsewhere. It hurts because of my background, growing up in a Navy family, my father being a member of that squadron Long, Long Ago. It hurts because my first aircraft ride was on a Sea King belonging to that squadron. Because the first aircraft accident I saw, my first clear indication that human beings were fallible, was a Sea King of that squadron. Because I am a pilot, and I know the feeling that comes from knowing that you are alone and something very bad is going to happen to you very soon.

So, my condolences.