Thread: How About That Plane in the Hudson River?

I'm a major airline pilot, and I can tell ya that guy is as big of a hero as they're making him out to be. The skill required to pull off a landing under those conditions where the worst injury was a broken leg is phenomenal.

We train in simulators (which are *very* realistic) for just about every emergency imaginable, but a dual engine failure shortly after take off is not a required maneuver, as the odds of it happening are astronomically small. Occasionally, if there is sim training time remaining after the required maneuvers are complete, we'll do things like this type of emergency for "fun".

Dead sticking an airliner onto a *runway* is EXTREMELY difficult. Dead sticking an airliner into a river is exponentially more so.

The guy deserves every bit of praise he's getting. He was the right man at the right time.

Amen to that praise for the pilot and his skills!!! I think the airline oughta give him a big, fat raise, a nice vacation and a big bonus. (I would say "offer him a nice early retirement package" but who wants to LOSE a great pilot like that?) He is The Man!!!

Praise God for His mighty Hand guiding that plane and everyone on board to safety!

And praise to the rescuers, too...as a competitive whitewater kayaker, I'm trained in swiftwater rescue (both officially from a class and unofficially from learning from more experienced paddlers and doing it many, many, many times) and I can tell you those were some VERY tough conditions for getting people off that plane.

Panicked people who are about to die, crowded into a plane filling up with 40-degree "instant brain freeze" water...then they see exits opening and rush out, only to see more ice-cold water.

I almost wished I could have been on the plane to have helped with the rescue. ALMOST...

I will be flying to Newark a week from today to compete in a kayak polo (please google it, I don't have time now to explain it) competition--Austin to Newark and back on Monday. (San Antonio is closer, but no non-stops, higher cost of flights, and a less nice airport.)

So this makes me nervous, as I have never been to New York, but it's also very reassuring.

And I'll be it's WONDERFUL for the people in New York to finally see something GOOD happen with an airplane!

My mate used to be a RAF pilot. He used to train in small two-manned planes. He would train for engine failure and TBH just that alone gives me the heebie jeebies! I asked him if he was scared- he said not really. The training involves turning the engine off mid-air and restarting it.

I later asked him if he would ever fly in a microlite. He said he wouldnt ever be caught dead in something airborne that didnt have an engine.

So the thought of being this pilot, responsible for so many lives and such a huge piece of machinery in an area of the world which is so densely populated... serious KUDOS to that guy!

Quick thinking and nerves of solid steel. That guy is a modern day hero.

Originally Posted by sidneykidney

Quick thinking and nerves of solid steel. That guy is a modern day hero.

Absolutely! I should probably contact him (I own a publishing company) and try to get him to let me ghostwrite his book...but it's Friday afternoon and I'm tired of marketing, I want a drink...(wanders off to the house bar...)

EDITED TO ADD: Before I get overrun with pitches, let me state for the record that my publishing company is a VERY TINY start-up corporation that I started a month ago to publish MY OWN ebooks. In other words, I am NOT accepting submissions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,

The pilot was truly outstanding, cool and calm and showed the highest degree of professionalism and skill. Most likely, very few pilots would have been able to accomplish what he did.
However, was he really a hero? He didn't really have much of a choice. Say the aircraft had broken open and people were in the water. What word could we find in the dictionary to describe someone risking his life to attempt a rescue when he could have stayed safe on the riverbank?