Chuck Yeager was a famous test pilot and the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. He understood the risk, so he was prepared.

“I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit.”

– Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Yeager, An Autobiography

Image source: http://www.chuckyeager.com/