You would have to be a pilot to fully appreciate this

[Road Scholar]

It is very humbling to see what the pilot of that US Airways plane did today in the Hudson River.

Landing an airplane is to stall it just as the wheels touch the runway. Stalling the airplane does not mean stopping forward motion, it means to touch down just as lift dissipates; the wheels roll out the remaining forward motion.
This pilot had to decide what to do in only seconds, and then do it because once he committed, he had no other choices.

He was given his climbing out elevation and no power to solve his problem.He had to use that and try to save 160 people. He did it with perfection.

He had to land the plane on the water at the very instant lift had dissipated and hold it on course from the given elevation on that exact spot. to keep the plane from coming apart.
Very humbling indeed.

[skygazer]

1. Wow, I hadn't heard about this

Do you have a link to any news articles? (I know i can google and will but I'm lazy :P )

[Road Scholar]

2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

[skygazer]

3. Holy cow, that is incredible!

That's the pilot I want on my next flight! :patriot:

:wow:

[Road Scholar]

4. Meeeee tooooo! LOL

[pokerfan]

27. I'm not a pilot

but I was in the right hand seat in a twin (Cessna 425) when we lost an engine shortly after takeoff. It was spewing all kinds of oil and smoke. I had a front-row seat to watch the pilot quite calmly declare an emergency and return to the airport. Like it was no big thing. I just sat there and said nothing figuring that there wasn't really anything I could do. Meanwhile, one of the guys in the back is screaming like a banshee until someone slapped him. Then he just kinda moaned quietly to himself. I guess he had something to live for (paraphrasing Ron White). Anyway, the pilot was the epitome of professionalism.

[Ptah]

5. Way back in my youth when I was in the USAF, the Thunderbirds flew F-4s

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0115093hero1.html


JANUARY 15--Meet Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III,
the US Airways pilot who today amazingly crash-landed a
US Airways jet in New York's Hudson River without any
apparent fatalities. The heroic Sullenberger, 57, has
worked for US Airways since 1980, and before that spent
more than six years as a U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot.

:patriot:

[Road Scholar]

16. Thank you for that. He was the right man at the right time for sure.nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. It was awesome -- but it's really annoying to hear the newsies call it a miracle.

It wasn't a miracle. It was first-rate flying based on a lot of experience and excellent training. They wouldn't have landed in the water with the gear down, though; he'd have kept the gear up and landed tail low to add drag and be sure it landed as slowly as possible. You don't want the gear down for ditching because it could cause the airplane to flip. Also, on an A320 if both engines fail the electrical system reverts to an emergency mode; and a device called a RAT (ram air turbine) deploys to supply power and hydraulics to a few systems and the flight control computers revert to a slightly degraded mode. If you are on emergency power and you put the gear down the flight control system reverts to a further degraded level, although it is still completely controllable. The pilot did an amazing job, in any event.

[lizziegrace]

7. I agree

The pilot was a hero. He didn't panic and skillfully did everything he was trained to do.

[Road Scholar]

10. Absolutly! That was all about excellent flying. If there was any luck, it

was good weather. I understand the visibility was very good, thankfully.

[lizziegrace]

12. Good weather

and the fact that he was able to ditch in the river rather than in the ocean.

[Chovexani]

23. The miracle part of it is not what the pilot did

It's all the other factors that added up. The fact that this happened where it did, and not further out away from all the traffic. That there was no ice in the river despite the time of year and the weather.

This could have been a hell of a lot worse in spite of the pilot's perfect performance, I think is the point.

[LanternWaste]

28. Defs number three and four seem spot on to me...

Definition numbers three and four seem spot on to me, but then again maybe I'm off base and his actions weren't a marvel or wonderful or exceed expected quality...


mir⋅a⋅cle
   /ˈmɪrəkəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
2. such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.
3. a wonder; marvel.
4. a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality: a miracle of modern acoustics.

(dictionary.com)

[Orrex]

8. If he was so damned great, he would have flown around those geese

Hardy har har.


This whole thing blows my mind. It's unreal that he could get it exactly right like that. Hell, I can barely parallel park in an alley, and this guy was landing a big missile at speed.

Amazing performance. If I'd been on that plane and that guy was scheduled to pilot my make-up flight, I'd board without hesitation.

[Road Scholar]

9. The geese were flying 15 mph and the aircraft was flying at

220 mph. When the pilot saw the geese, it was too late.

[Orrex]

11. Didn't read the text of my post, did you?

:evilgrin:

I hit a groundhog with my car a few winters ago, and it had me rattled for about 30 seconds. That was at around 40 mph on the open road.

I can't imagine the composure and presence of mind necessary to accomplish what he did after the impact.

[Road Scholar]

13. I think that was amazing that he could maintain composure and

make correct decisions and function with such precision. Totally remarkable.

[Road Scholar]

15. LOL You got me, you are totally right. I only read the subject. Sorry

about that.Sometimes it hard to avoid something on the road. It would be impossible for a jet to miss a flock of canadian geese.

[Orrex]

26. LOL! No problem!

Damn those Canadians!

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. When I stumbled upon this story, quite by accident since I rarely have the television on...

I was immediately overawed. This pilot is beyond amazing. The fact that this plane did not cartwheel, roll or break up is a testament to his abilities. I was choked up listening to the passengers CNN talked to during The Situation Room. Both of them praised the pilot. I was so glad to hear they recognized his abilities immediately. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to hear "prepare for impact" on the intercom. I am getting tears in my eyes even now. I too frequently have dreams of being in a plane that is going down. This is literally my worst nightmare and to hear that everyone got out safely has affected me in a way I never thought possible. Truly an amazing story.

[Road Scholar]

20. !f you think about it long enough, it's hard not to choke a little for

all the lives that were saved.

[LadyoftheRabbits]

24. Agreed completely

I am so scared of flying it's not even funny. :scared: But I'd happily board a plane with that pilot (after a few obligatory tranquilizers. :P)

[DarkTirade]

17. That is bloody brilliant.

That's the kind of guy I want flying any airplane I'm ever on. :)

[av8rdave]

18. Looks like he did a great job

A nice piece of airmanship!

[puerco-bellies]

19. Next time the Airline management wants to cut pilot pay, the union should replay the clips.

Most of these guys have relatively uneventful careers. They don't get paid for sclepping people from Newark to Atlanta, they earn their money being ready for moments like these.

[Road Scholar]

21. I totally agree puerco-bellies.

[Pacifist Patriot]

25. Amen!

[Pierre.Suave]

22. Absolutely incredible

Amazing.

[Road Scholar]

29. Just one more thought on this. Walking the aisles twice and being

the last to disembark was no shabby thing either. I believe that spoke more of the character of this person.