Some of the experiences you guys have shared are very sobering indeed and really do highlight the adage that you can never be too prepared for the uncommon, the 'once in a blue moon' and the totally unexpected. Jaba's comment about wanting to walk in the future is not too far off the mark now!
I often wonder how pilots and crews coped in the early days of IFR operations, pre WWII for example, with equipment that was experimental at best, lacking redundancy and no real understanding of the physiological effects of flight in form of illusions and vestibular problems.
Hats off to some bloody good aviators!