first off:
"Fate is the Hunter" the book, is great.
second off: gann regreted disowning "Fate is the Hunter" the movie as it would and did cost him lots of money in royalties from TV viewings. I like the movie, but I do understand why many pilots don't like it. And I even spilled coffee once and it did matter!
Third off: I know two people who did survive mid airs...and not the same one. but it shook them up and sort of changed them forever...and not for the better.