Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. He used this fear productively:
“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.”
I remember being on the flight line with Gen Yeager. He was like a llama I once hiked with – alert like danger might be close. He was listening intently. I stopped in my tracks and watched him. I knew I’d learn something important if I just waited.
After the plane had taken off and you could hear human speech, he said: Why does he abuse that engine? Just ramming that throttle to full speed.
And he mimed shoving the throttle with a scowl on his face.
He cares about and for his engines. And he says, if you do, they won’t bite you.
Gen Yeager has always instructed me to gently, smoothly push the throttle to full speed. Save your engine. And I think you’ll also feel any problems with the engine sooner.
He reminds me when I feel I’m in a hurry to get an errand done and am running out the door: Don’t power down on the gas pedal while the car is still cold going up that hill.
I really appreciate his reminders – they makes me slow down so I can get there faster. 
c. GCYI