Thank God...
Yesterday... An airplane was forced to ditch into the Hudson river in New York...
Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger has been a pilot with US Airways since 1980, following seven years in the U.S. Air Force. He has a safety consulting firm and is an expert in piloting procedures, technical safety strategies and emergency management
In addition, he has been a flight instructor, Air Line Pilots Association safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member and has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations and worked with NASA scientists on a paper on error and aviation...
The Airbus A320 he was flying was was equipped with a special piece of equipment only found on Airbus planes called a "Ditch Switch", which seals off all external valves and ventilation ports, which effectively seals the plane and converts it from airliner, to boat... For a little while at least. Most planes sink rather quickly, as only the cabin itself is pressurized and water quickly fills the cargo compartment, etc... And planes are HEAVY.
Captain Sullenberger made an impossible decision... Fly his disabled aircraft over a heavily-populated city to land at an airport, at risk to his passengers and bystanders... Or ditch his airplane in the river in negative-degree temperatures. He decided the risk to others was too great, so he headed towards New York's commuter ferry terminals and executed the perfect emergency-landing. Within seconds, commuter ferry captains had re-directed their ships and crews were preparing emergency supplies and rafts. Most of the passengers from the crashed plane, didn't even get wet.
Hearing all of that... Knowing how much engineering went into that plane, how much training went into that pilot, not to mention the ferry pilots and crew... I am... offended... that there are those who would look upon this incident and thank god.
It has been hailed as the "Miracle on the Hudson"... And while I do not question that miracles are possible, that sometimes you need to suspend disbelief and accept that something which should not, which cannot be possible, sometimes is... This was not an act of god, this was an act of man. This was modern technology and good people with good training... To give a god credit for their actions, belittles their heroism.
Poll Miracle on the Hudson...
Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger has been a pilot with US Airways since 1980, following seven years in the U.S. Air Force. He has a safety consulting firm and is an expert in piloting procedures, technical safety strategies and emergency management
In addition, he has been a flight instructor, Air Line Pilots Association safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member and has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations and worked with NASA scientists on a paper on error and aviation...
The Airbus A320 he was flying was was equipped with a special piece of equipment only found on Airbus planes called a "Ditch Switch", which seals off all external valves and ventilation ports, which effectively seals the plane and converts it from airliner, to boat... For a little while at least. Most planes sink rather quickly, as only the cabin itself is pressurized and water quickly fills the cargo compartment, etc... And planes are HEAVY.
Captain Sullenberger made an impossible decision... Fly his disabled aircraft over a heavily-populated city to land at an airport, at risk to his passengers and bystanders... Or ditch his airplane in the river in negative-degree temperatures. He decided the risk to others was too great, so he headed towards New York's commuter ferry terminals and executed the perfect emergency-landing. Within seconds, commuter ferry captains had re-directed their ships and crews were preparing emergency supplies and rafts. Most of the passengers from the crashed plane, didn't even get wet.
Hearing all of that... Knowing how much engineering went into that plane, how much training went into that pilot, not to mention the ferry pilots and crew... I am... offended... that there are those who would look upon this incident and thank god.
It has been hailed as the "Miracle on the Hudson"... And while I do not question that miracles are possible, that sometimes you need to suspend disbelief and accept that something which should not, which cannot be possible, sometimes is... This was not an act of god, this was an act of man. This was modern technology and good people with good training... To give a god credit for their actions, belittles their heroism.
Poll Miracle on the Hudson...