The Test Pilot

[tsob]

I remember a story about a Soviet test pilot who was flying an early MiG. Something went wrong. The flight recording kept an excellent account of his announcements: "I will attempt [something]. No response. I will attempt [something else]. No response." On and on, until eventually he crashed.

The lesson is: keep trying, all the way down.

The other lesson is that trying does not, by itself, make things work.