Pretty poor analogy there Sonny
There was a bit of technology available, and I can't think of what it is called but it stops your head snapping forward...same way you die when hanged, that
would have saved Earnhart's life but he point blank refused to wear it...now that piece of technology is mandatory in racing and it took Earnhart's death to make it so...classic tombstone thinking.
To not wear a helmut while conducting the kinds of flights Col was conducting is, to my mind, bizarre.
Not a mark on him - except a wound on the RHS of his head.
A helmut might not make the difference
EVERY TIME, but it might have this time.
A great pilot and seriously nice guy...but not infallible.