Record-setting young pilot kills herself

[Mark in CA]

Vicki Van Meter, celebrated for piloting a plane across the country [U.S.] at age 11 and from the U.S. to Europe at age 12, has died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Crawford County coroner said. She was 26.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080318/ap_on_re_us/obit_van_meter_3


NY Times article on her original cross country attempt in 1993:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D91E38F932A1575AC0A965958260

[Airbubba]

Here's a memorable tragic attempt to break her record:

http://www.cnn.com/US/9604/11/pilot.wrap/index.html

["Taylor"]

Very sad, depression is such a cruel illness, such a waste of a bright young life. Condolences to her family.

[soddim]

How important it is to recognise the onset of depression and address the issue with compassion and understanding. It is all too easy to miss the symptoms and continue our selfish path through life without thought for those unfortunate sufferers.

Take a good look at your close associates and friends tomorrow and relax if all is well but try to help if all is not.

[Basil]

What I find depressing is that parents pressurise children into attempting these stunts at all.
Likewise for those who dress primary schoolgirls like eighteen year olds on the pull.
If reading this thread convinces just one parent to allow their children to be children then it will have succeeded spectacularly.

[Huck]

What I find depressing is that parents pressurise children into attempting these stunts at all.
Likewise for those who dress primary schoolgirls like eighteen year olds on the pull.
If reading this thread convinces just one parent to allow their children to be children then it will have succeeded spectacularly.

Exactly. Those record attempts - how much of her "drive" was really just a need to please her "stage parents?"

If she was so driven she would not have ended up as an insurance investigator......

[Stationair8]

Very sad to see a young person take their own life.

I remember when the flight took place and some friends were going on what a great achievement for a young person, but what does it actually prove?

Different thing if you hold a private licence and fly across the USA on your own, but to have an instructor next to you, is a bit driving mum's car around the street with a licensed driver sitting next to you and thinking that you are doing the Daytona 500