Re: US Airway 1549 Floating Down East River

On Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:58:53 -0500, "Evelyn" <evelyn.ruut@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


"Lawrence Akutagawa" <lakuNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:FHncl.18670$ZP4.6308@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Evelyn" <evelyn.ruut@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:gksl5u$pd3$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hal Hanig" <halhanig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ILdcl.121791$2w3.47544@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Evelyn wrote:
"Hal Hanig" <halhanig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:f97cl.22927$u14.12093@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Evelyn wrote:
He is a hero in my book. I was tempted to leave a message and say
so,
but
the guy is probably inundated with them. What could have been a
horrible
disaster was averted with not a single life lost.


Without getting too carried away, as a former military pilot I'd like
to
point out that a hero is somebody who risks his life in order to try
to
help save others.

In this case, what he did was exactly what every other pilot ever
made
would have done in the same circumstances. I don't know how much
better
he would have been than most, but it's a fair conclusion that he was
far
luckier than most of the rest of them probably would have been. He
didn't
risk his life any more than any other pilot suffering a cataclysmic
loss
of his engines would have.

So, good pilot? Without question. Lucky pilot? Without a doubt.
Hero?
We can't tell from what he did that he risked his life for others
apart
from the fact that he successfully dealt with the lousy hand that had
been
shoved down his throat. I guess what I'm trying to say that if his
airplane had been empty, he'd have done exactly the same things and
probably with the same results. Would that have made him a hero?
.....not by my definition.

So, in my book, it was a magnificent demonstration of flying skills,
the
laurels for which he clearly deserved, but it had nothing to do with
heroism.

What you say may be true, but if he hadn't landed that plane in the
water
just right, it could have cartwheeled, broke apart, and many could have
and
probably would have, died. It may have been good training, it may
have
been a calm cool head, and it may be that he has been affiliated with
safety
for a long time. But I still would like to call him a hero, and so
does
most of NY. He is being referred to on the news as the hero miracle
pilot
who saved a planeful of people.

Sorry, but he performed no aviation miracles. He simply did what all
other well trained pilots would have done and considered it part of his
job. Some undoubtedly would not have done it as well and none could
have done it better. One pilot cannot give another pilot higher grades
than that. The fact that he had a plane full of people didn't make his
job any harder or easier.....it had nothing at all to do with it.

You can choose to reject the opinion of someone perhaps more
knowledgeable than yourself in such matters because you're entitled to
your own opinion. However, when you do so, you reflect poorly on your
overreliance on your emotions rather than on logical thought.

Sadly, your explanation leaves me unconvinced about his heroism. The
fact that others see it the same way that you do only reflects that they
share your shortcomings. Lest anyone misread my view of his
performance, I remain in awe at how perfect it was. That's the highest
accolade I can give him and I'll bet you a hundred dollars to a donut
that he'd value that far more than he would being called a hero by
people who don't understand either heroism or flying skills.

Hal the guy himself is not buying into the hero thing,....... but
consider too that people need heroes. We especially need heroes now.
He saved lives by his skill and clear thinking. He also saved himself
in the process. It was a prodigious feat when you see a world where
there seem to be so few with the honor and the courage to do what they
are supposed to do. In this sense I don't care who calls him a hero, and
I will continue to do so myself. In a world where the Madoff's and
Bush's and AIG's and such exist, it is a joy to know there is a guy who
saved 150 people in a very dangerous situation by his skill and clear
thinking in the face of great danger. You may have a higher definition
of the word, but I still think he deserves it.

Without getting into this definitional argument about "hero" - allow me to
point out that the headlines could have been very, very different from
what they were. Those headlines could have well been something of the
order of "Over 100 dead in airplane crash on the Hudson River." I for
one am most thankful that the headlines were as they in fact were.

The one aspect of this whole thing I don't quite understand myself - and
which some of you in the Manhattan area possibly can clarify - is the
amount of water traffic where the plane came down. Clearly the area has a
large amount of water traffic - the fact that rescuers were on hand within
three minutes or so speaks for that density. Yet that airplane managed
to avoid all those watercraft. I guess that an analogy is that of an
airplane landing on a freeway/turnpike in the middle of not bumper to
bumber, but somewhat heavy traffic. And at the same time, the plane had
to avoid the George Washington bridge. Furthermore, if I understand
correctly, that pilot was in communication with the LaGuadia tower and
talkng the passengers at the same time. I look forward to reading the
cockpit transcripts of this flight.

Footnote - I'd hate to be a bird near an airport the coming
weeks/months/years.



He had the right moment, the right opportunity and he was the right guy in
the cockpit! There are loads of boats of all kinds on that river. He
could have easily collided with anything from a huge ship to a pleasure
craft or a ferryboat. Fortuitous circumstance ........ for that plane and
all who were on it.

--


It has been noted that the skill and aplomb of the pilot
were essential to the good outcome, but so was the
good weather, and luck.



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: US Airway 1549 Floating Down East River
    ... disaster was averted with not a single life lost. ... point out that a hero is somebody who risks his life in order to try ... what he did was exactly what every other pilot ever made ... What you say may be true, but if he hadn't landed that plane in the ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: US Airway 1549 Floating Down East River
    ... disaster was averted with not a single life lost. ... as a former military pilot I'd like to ... Would that have made him a hero? ... The fact that he had a plane full of people didn't make his job any harder or easier.....it had nothing at all to do with it. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: US Airway 1549 Floating Down East River
    ... disaster was averted with not a single life lost. ... as a former military pilot I'd like to ... Would that have made him a hero? ... That's the highest accolade I can give him and I'll bet you a hundred dollars to a donut that he'd value that far more than he would being called a hero by people who don't understand either heroism or flying skills. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: US Airway 1549 Floating Down East River
    ... as a former military pilot I'd like to point out that a hero is somebody who risks his life in order to try to help save others. ... What you say may be true, but if he hadn't landed that plane in the water just right, it could have cartwheeled, broke apart, and many could have and probably would have, died. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Banshee pilot
    ... I just watched the Banshee pilot. ... over then slides toward Our Hero ripped off from a couple of movies. ... A thief impersonates a newly-hired sheriff. ... They also beat up the Dutch. ...
    (rec.arts.tv)