Thursday, January 15, 2009

Water Landing


Kudos to the US Air pilot who successfully landed his plane in the Hudson River; he is unquestionably a hero! The story has been all over the media, but I am awestruck at the calm wisdom used by this Airforce Academy alumni whose decisiveness saved his passengers, crew, and probably people on the ground.

I am a nervous flyer who dislikes take offs. While this story doesn't endear me to flying, this pilot's success instills a hope that all my future pilots will act in such a manner. I don't envy a pilot his/her job anyway but these kinds of incidents reaffirm my belief that these are the people who are heroes. Unlike the movie stars who only act in roles, football players who only carry a ball or knock down someone who does, not fictional characters who only portray traits we wish we had. This pilot actually saved people by safely landing his plane and then walking through the plane twice to make sure no one was left behind.

The pilot also set the tone that allowed the passengers to maitain a coolness not related to the outdoor temperature. 155 people calmly left a sinking plane and walked onto land whole. Wow!


Photo from the Washington Post.

1 comment:

Cheryle said...

I am also very impressed with this pilot! My ex-husband worked for Eastern Airlines for nearly 30 years (until they closed) and crashes were always very scary to us, regardless of which airline, because they almost always meant lots of lives lost. But this pilot was so cool-headed and so caring about his passengers that I am amazed. I think all of them care, but he really went the extra mile by going through the plane twice while it was in the river! I hope USAir gives him a huge recognition!