Jumpseat: Dear John

Les Abend

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 10:03 PM ET

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Twin Otter FO John Costa

Key Takeaways:

The article is a heartfelt tribute to John Costa, a fellow aviator and close friend of the author, who passed away from lung cancer.
The author recounts their shared professional journey, beginning at Southern Jersey Airways, where John was a generous, sincere, and responsible mentor.
Through personal anecdotes, the author highlights John's profound impact on his life, teaching him compassion and embodying the deep camaraderie of the aviation community.
The piece concludes with a poignant tradition of honoring deceased aviators, emphasizing John's lasting legacy and the importance of remembering lost friends.

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(July 2011) When the carepages e-mail arrived among other messages, I wasn’t quite ready to open it. The last communication that I had received regarding John’s condition was through a phone conversation via his wife. With stoic control over the tone of her voice, Pam had discussed the involvement of hospice care.

I clutched my laptop and walked out the front door and down the steps to my favorite spot on our concrete dock, where I had left a chaise lounge. A half-finished column needed my attention. I opened the laptop and stared at a page. The page might as well have been blank.