Capt. Sully is not a hero.

[trof]

Stay with me here.
Even his wife (just now on CBS) said she doesn't think of him that way.
Neither does he. Just doing his job.
It happens that his job entails a lot more knowledge and expertise than most.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a retired airline pilot.

Folks, the majority of our training is to deal with emergencies.
We do it in a simulator that would be a gamers wet dream.
You cannot imagine how realistic it is.
And we do it over and over and over.
And we have to get it right every time.

Engine fire, engine failure, double engine failure, engine fire AND engine failure (on take-off and in flight), electrical failure, hydraulic failure, explosive decompression, galley fire, cabin fire, and on and on.

Fail?
That's curtains for your career and livelihood.
We are VERY motivated to perform.

To me, Captain Sullenberger is the epitome of what and airline pilot should be. He did a hell of a job.
My hat's off to him.
But ask him if he's a 'hero'?
"I was just doing my job."

[slackmaster]

1. I'm making a Flight 1549 Commemorative Soup

Hot and sour goose.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Capt. Sully is damn lucky.

So are the other 150 people.

[peace13]

5. There was skill involved. Don't kid yourself.

If those people had to be on a plane ditching in the Hudson. He was a good choice to have at the helm.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. IMO, any commercial pilot would have done the same thing.

The determining factor was that they had the Hudson to land on.

[peace13]

26. What ever.

You can think that but you are wrong. Maybe a pilot will check in here.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

39. By all means...

what did Sullenberger do that isn't in the standard pilot training? I'm all ears.

[Contrary1]

40. Do pilots practice landing in rivers? n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. They train for it, certainly.

[sharp_stick]

34. Landing in the water is not something that

would be easy. Survival of the people in that plane was no foregone conclusion.

Off by just a little tiny bit in any direction could well have led to the plane flipping and breaking apart. This guy is a damned good pilot and he landed that thing perfectly, many years of experience and a calm demeanor are what saved those people,not the Hudson.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

37. That's pretty much my point.

It's got to be water. It can't be choppy water. There can't be a crosswind. The river has to be just in the right spot. And there have to be ferries right there to pick up the passengers.

They were lucky.

[liberalmuse]

3. People who are competent at their jobs are my new hero's...

especially after 8 years of Bush and working for people who suck at their jobs. You'd think just doing your job is no big deal, but shit, it is if you're a pilot, or a President or head of FEMA.

[mnhtnbb]

6. This is my point, precisely. We've come to expect incompetence

and be forced to deal with people who constantly want do-overs or excuses for not getting something
right the first time.

I applaud the Captain for doing it right the first time!

[malaise]

14. Bingo

All those involved in that ditching and rescue are heroes

[DebbieCDC]

4. Maybe not a hero, but one cool headed individual under extraordinary circumstances

I heard those tower tapes played on TV and he said "We're going into the Hudson" with as much emotion as "I'll take fries with that". THAT's the kind of person you want controlling the action in a deadly situation.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. This is not news.

I've ignored the other threads on this subject and will this one as soon as I'm done here.

I'm one of those people who try not to spend too much time on GOP-controlled media fluff stories.

We have more important things to discuss than whether Sullenberger is a hero or if the lady should have had 8 more babies, etc.

At the risk of kicking this thread back to the top, it's not that important.

It really isn't goodbye.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. Fuck that, I consider everybody whose high competence at a job saves lives a hero.

And to whoever doesn't like that, go fuck yourself.

[Bread and Circus]

10. I think he's a hero. People need heroes and their are different kinds of heroes.

And sometimes people who are "just doing their job" are heroes by doing so.

You don't always have to slay a dragon to be a hero.

I love Joe Campbell's teachings on heroism and what it means.

[FiveGoodMen]

11. Fine. But if he's not a hero, then what the fuck are most of the rest of us?

Think you'd have done as well in his position? Are you sure?

How many people have you saved?

[Flying Dream Blues]

12. Yep, he did a great job and you're letting us know that more than likely,

the pilot we find ourselves with could do the same thing if required. That's great news, and I do appreciate thinking in those terms. But trust me, the one that delivers me safely into the Hudson or on the ground in an emergency will always be a hero to me.
:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

13. I hate to say it, but that twit, Ms. Couric, finally got something right. She called him a ........

.... celebrity and not a hero.

That seems far more apt.

[EFerrari]

15. But that's what heroes are -- people who do their job no matter what.

I hate that word because like "patriot" it's terminally over used to the point where my dog is a hero, my dishwasher is a hero, my sandwich is a hero.

But, the very definition of a hero is someone who does his job no matter how difficult the circumstances. That's what this guy did, no?

[Dappleganger]

16. He's a hero because he did his job, just like a fireman.

If he had saved your ass you'd have thought so too.

I am more inclined to ridicule sports figures as *not* being heroes. It's good to see someone who earned it honestly in the media for once. The captain acted with clear mind, assured everyone of the situation and depended up on his training and instinct. He did his job, and he's a hero for it.

[Ohio Joe]

17. I can't agree with you any more then the other post saying the same shit

A real hero will always deny being such. "Just" doing his job, he saved a lot of lives and he did it with great grace under pressure. No amount of simulator training prepares a person to be able to do that. It may show a person the mechanics of what to do but a person never knows how they will be able to react to the real thing until it happens.

[moobu2]

18. I’m just sick of hearing the word miracle associated with this

[ferrous wheel]

23. Yep. A "miracle" (if it existed) would be a fortuitous event in violation of physical law.

Along with "irony" the word has been bastardized into something different from what it really means.

[Fleshdancer]

19. hero - a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

Doing his job to the best of his ability is his achievement. Walking up and down the aisle twice to make sure every passenger was off the plane was noble. Captain Sullenberger fits the definition of a hero.

[rvablue]

20. Being that you are a retired airline pilot, would you be the least bit surprised

if all engines on your jet went out and you safely landed on a freezing cold river and every single person survived and then some people deemed you a hero?

I think not.

Don't really understand the point of these posts questioning "Sully's" hero status.

He is an amazing, calm, intelligent, competent man. And he deserves credit for that landing and keeping every alive.

[hlthe2b]

33. Yes.. I had brunch with a bunch of retired United pilots & staff

over the weekend. Even this long after the event all were still in awe of this Captain's landing. Did they all think this was something they (or other pilots they worked with) could do routinely? If so, they surely were NOT bragging about it and I take that to mean "not so certain."

[undeterred]

21. You can't simulate the realization that you and a planeload of people

might die in a few minutes if you don't do this exactly right. Its not the mechanics of what he did that makes him heroic- its performing those under that kind of situation.

[MichiganVote]

22. If he had saved my loved ones, he'd be my hero...but I'll save room for you too.

[oldtime dfl_er]

24. Of course he's a hero

The first dictionary definition of hero is "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities."

Distinguished ability? CHECK
Admired for his brave deeds? CHECK

Of course he's a hero.

Yes, he was "just doing his job" but he did it with distinguished ability (and courage), and he was and is admired for his handling of the situation.

Of course he's a hero.

[chollybocker]

25. I like him for the fact that he doesn't mention 'god' in his interviews

despite the coaxing from some reporters.

[peace13]

28. I would fly with him for just that reason! n/t

[chollybocker]

43. No kidding!

Who would want to see their pilot taking a prayer break when peoples' lives are at stake?

[NYC_SKP]

27. I'll agree. Because he was saving his own life at the same time.

Much as I love the man and his skills, I chose to reserve the term "hero" for someone who risks his OWN life for others, where others might not do the same.

But that's just me.

:kick:

[H2O Man]

29. Respectfully disagree.

Firemen do their job, too. But some are heroes.

[hlthe2b]

30. Getting that flight down safely was his experience & job...

His heroism was shown in the way in which he repeatedly checked the cabin after all had evacuated as water rushed in, and ensured all passengers were on those life rafts before doing so himself. That, and his calm demeanor that kept others from panicking and undoubtedly went far to ensure the safety of all.

Yes part of the story is simply an extraordinarily competent individual doing his job. But, I argue with you that there was no heroism here.

[kenny blankenship]

31. I wonder what will happen when they replace these guys with flight computers

will the computer try to get to the airport--and maybe crash into a suburb? Or will it make a decision to put down on the closest "soft" area?
Maybe the Captain was "just doing his job", but to do your job as well as he did it, when the pressure is that great and when there is that much riding on the outcome, makes the "hero" label kind of unavoidable.

The rest of us don't feel like we have the right to withhold it.

[InvisibleTouch]

32. Firefighters who rescue people from burning buildings...

...are also just doing their jobs, the jobs they were trained to do. I'd still call them heroes. Same with this pilot.

[Turbineguy]

35. Be that as it may...

If George W. Bush was appointing Airline Pilots, everybody on that plane would have died.

I think most of us aspire to be competent in our jobs. Very few get a chance to demonstrate it.

[LisaL]

36. WTF would you expect him to say? I am a hero darn it?

Seriously? Of course he himself wouldn't call himself a hero.

[Postman]

38. He's a hero to the passengers and relatives of the passengers of that plane.

he⋅ro   /ˈhɪəroʊ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun, plural -roes; for 5 also -ros.

1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

[tabatha]

42. I think he is remarkable because he controlled

his emotions, and made good calls with little time.

A lot of people are trained to react to things going wrong - but under the circumstances he found himself in, he did his job with extraordinary discipline - and with the courage of his convictions. He did not allow himself to be talked into flying to an airport, which was out of reach.

Some things cannot be taught - emotional control is one of them - and it is not easy to exert that kind of control in dire circumstances with very little time and help. He was basically on his own during the process of landing the plane.

So, in that regard, he is a hero because he is a man of distinguished ability, and he was brave in his confidence in himself to pull it off properly. He is certainly a role model, who will hopefully inspire others to achieve the skills and self-control that he displayed.

[pa28]

44. I really admire the composure he faced the emergency with.

So, to me he is a hero. I'm just a humble private pilot but I often wonder how I would react if I faced an emergency where the outcome was very much in doubt.

You like to think you could handle a critical situation with Sullenberger's degree of cool but you don't know for sure unless it's actually happened. Maybe your level of training makes it a given :shrug: so I can't speak for you.

[caraher]

45. He's definitely a hero, but not simply for landing that plane on the Hudson

Here's why he's a hero (from this thread):

Katie Couric to Hero Pilot Sullenberger: "Did you at any point PRAY?"
Sullenberger to Couric: "I would imagine someone in back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the airplane."

[JerseygirlCT]

46. Well, I have to disagree. And lots of heros are just doing their job

Those guys who climbed into the towers and never came down - just doing their jobs.

I wouldn't take a thing from him for his extreme professionalism - but he's still a hero in my book.