Hero

A US Airways Airbus A320 crashed into the Hudson River today, shortly after takeoff from La Guardia Airport. The pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger has been lauded for a precise, masterful landing of this aircraft- I mean, think about it- the jet leaves La Guardia and heads northwest, banks south just north of Harlem as it strikes a flock of Canadian geese, loses power in both engines, and coasts (belly-flops) into the Hudson River right around where the NY-to-NJ ferries are crossing the river.

“…There was no panic, no hysterics,” the official said. “It was professional, it was calm, it was methodical. It was everything you hoped it could be.” [Article.]

Let me just put this into quick perspective (as a professional in the aviation industry). Sully had about two miles worth of flight time (after the bird strike) to set a dead (un-powered aircraft) jet down somewhere safe. That’s less than two minutes to do the following:

• Radio air traffic control/the FAA and notify them of the problem
• Take evasive action- find and steer the aircraft toward a “safe landing zone”
• Inform the crew and passengers to brace for impact
• Masterfully (yes- this is the proper term for it) glide the aircraft into the Hudson (knowing that if you put the jet down in the river there, that the NY-to-NJ ferries would be seconds away from the crash site to pick up the passengers in the close-to-freezing water).
• Call Wolf Blitzer and make sure that a snazzy photo is available for ‘The Situation Room’

Captain Sullenberger… this is what heroes are made of- quick-thinking, skillful individuals who can save (155+) lives in an instant. As I explained to a co-worker this evening- “Hey- if you had to be in a plane crash, this was a good one to be in.”

Kudos to all the agencies involved in the rescue of the passengers… I can’t imagine that this could’ve gone smoother.