Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger III at work - prelanding *PIC* over the Hudson

[underpants]

Circled in white by the AP to help locate the position of the airplane in the photograph, US Airways Flight 1549 descends on its way to an emergency ditching in the Hudson River, New York, Thursday Jan. 15, 2009. The Airbus A320 bound for Charlotte, N.C., struck a flock of birds just after takeoff minutes earlier at LaGuardia Airport, apparently disabling the engines. The pilot maneuvered the crippled jetliner over New York City and ditched it in the frigid Hudson River, and all 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank. (AP Photo/Trela Media) WHITE CIRCLE ADDED BY THE AP TO HELP LOCATE THE POSITION OF THE AIRPLANE IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

[PM Martin]

1. K/R

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Wow! What a picture!!! VERY disturbing to see a jet so low over the Hudson...

[underpants]

3. (according to the stories) these 4 *PICS* are within the first 90 seconds on the water

[tabasco]

6. You can almost hear the collective "WHEW!" from the passengers.

Such a wonderful display of skill and courage by the pilot.

[underpants]

8. Yes

all involved

Can you imagine getting 155 people off a plane on a tarmac???

Obviously no one went to the overhead bins (hope they backed up all those laptops) but simply getting 150 passengers out of seats and out the exits is amazing.

[Virginia Dare]

9. Actually, the family of the baby this A.M. on the Today Show..

said that a couple of jerks actually went for their luggage. Apparently most of the passengers acted calmly and bravely but a few didn't.

[rvablue]

15. You know I was thinking of this this AM and

I think in a moment of panic like that some can do it without thinking .... I was thinking about a couple of times when I was in a state of shock and did something stupid.

Then again, it could be a selfish act.

I choose to give all of those folks the benefit of the doubt right now...

[ColbertWatcher]

18. No need to worry about their luggage it never left Laguardia.

http://www.instantrimshot.com/

[rateyes]

19. Meanwhile, folks in Seattle are wondering why their luggage

has finally arrived, soaked.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Amazing shots. Just amazing.

[tbyg52]

14. I don't doubt that -

on the first two you can see the wake, and some spray coming up from one wing.

[roguevalley]

21. skill kept him from crashing into zillions of people. God bless his heart and

both he and his co-pilot's courage and steady hands. I am glad for you, New York. You've suffered enough horrible things in the past few.

[tabasco]

4. Well done, Captain!

Your dedication, skill and courage shall be an example for generations to come!

[customerserviceguy]

5. It's also amazing that he missed

the George Washington Bridge, and any ship traffic on the river.

[monmouth]

11. I heard he didn't miss it by much. How scary that had to be...n/t

[DeschutesRiver]

20. News said it was missed by a mere 900 feet. nt

[stevedeshazer]

7. MAJOR white knuckle moment!

Gripping.

[Bucky]

10. I thank God for the miracle that they all survived!

:hide:

[AzDar]

13. He is a true American Hero.

Compare and contrast with that wanna-be pilot ZERO who was delivering his revisionist bullshit at about the same time...

[slampoet]

16. Notice the perfect angle..... Finally a PROFESSIONAL who knows what to do.

[malaise]

17. Amazing

Bravo Sully!!

[dkofos]

22. I finally saw some video of the landing and it was a thing of beauty.

Some may call it a crash, I call it a water landing.

Congrats Sully. You sure know how to fly.

[Aristus]

23. You WORK it, sir! Our country stands amazed and grateful!

:patriot: