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'Miracle' pilot tells why he ditched in river - [UPDATE: he won’t appear on “Today” show Monday]
sfgate.com ^ | Sunday, January 18, 2009 | Larry Neumeister,David B. Caruso, Associated Press

Posted on 01/18/2009 10:40:56 AM PST by my_pointy_head_is_sharp

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To: GAB-1955
Captain Sullenberger displayed extraordinary airmanship and skill

.....and pretty good damn seamanship!!

21 posted on 01/18/2009 12:04:44 PM PST by Focault's Pendulum (I'm selling my tagline on Ebay Buy it Now! $1.95...S&H $14.95...only 3 left.)
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To: Moonman62

IMHO he, as you surmise, did make the correct decision.

Your calculation he could have made either aiport with a mile to spare could have ended up a mile to go after course corrections and maneuvering for runway alignment. When he made the 180 degree turn to return to the airport he lost a lot of altitude and that is the moment he knew either airport was not an option.

Speed and altitude are a pilots best friend and Sulley had neither. Bob Hoover used to put on an amazing air show exibition in an Aero Commander twin that is the best display of deadstick flying ever. He showed how altitude can be converted to energy (speed) and energy (speed) can be converted to altitude, neither of which Sulley had.

If you look at the flight path after the 180 degree turn you will notice he did not make any high angle turns costing him altitude but slight ones, preserving as much altitude as possible.


22 posted on 01/18/2009 12:07:43 PM PST by biff
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To: Moonman62

To land safely on a runway with the fuel on board would have required a gear down, flaps extended landing. With everything hanging out like that the drag would have been increased, slowing the plane even more and shortening the distance he would have been able to glide and possibly coming in short of the runway and ending in disaster. Everybody is alive, no break up, no explosion or fire. He did the best he could and what else matters?


23 posted on 01/18/2009 12:15:34 PM PST by beelzepug (the Gadsden flag is now flying in my front yard)
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To: fish hawk
And you are right about one thing, I am the Cat's meow.

The very fact that you are comfortable calling yourself the cats meow is a glaring example of why you are not the cat's meow.

24 posted on 01/18/2009 12:20:18 PM PST by torchthemummy (My apologies if this post retreads on ground already covered!)
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To: Paladin2

He was also lucky it was winter. In the summer the Hudson is full of pleasure boaters not matter the day of the week.


25 posted on 01/18/2009 12:27:46 PM PST by CaptRon (Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: fish hawk; donna
fish hawk: Duuuhhh. Hit the river or buildings. I never flew a plane in my life but have enough sense to pick the river.

Donna: ….but wouldn’t there be the force from the bouyancy of the water on a big airplane to consider? The plane could break up and sink like a stone in freezing water….I heard someone say that swimming in freezing water will make you lose body heat faster than just staying still in the water waiting for rescue.

Hum…If I had a choice between being a passenger on a jetliner loaded with volatile jet fuel, making a “hard landing” on concrete in the middle of crowed NYC neighborhood, crashing into buildings, taking out lots of other people on the ground and being engulfed in a huge fire ball or making a somewhat softer landing in the less unobstructed but freezing waters of the Hudson River, I’ll take my chances with the river and with hypothermia.
26 posted on 01/18/2009 12:41:08 PM PST by Caramelgal (I'm Wacko for Flacco! Go Ravens!!!)
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To: Caramelgal

Obviously. I was just trying to make conservation about the possibilities.


27 posted on 01/18/2009 12:45:35 PM PST by donna (Synonyms: Feminism, Communism, Fascism, Socialism)
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To: fish hawk; torchthemummy
I'm not taking anything away from the pilot. Just stating that he made the most logical choice.

No, the most logical choice would have been to land on a runway as the tower was advising him to do.

Altutude and speed are the life of an aircraft and the professional judgment involved was Sullenberger's quick evaluation of the fact that he was, in his own words, "Too low and too slow" and his rejection of the tower's advice.

Only after that professional judgment was made does it become "obvious" to land in the river instead of landing on a neighborhood.

28 posted on 01/18/2009 1:09:22 PM PST by Polybius
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To: sirchtruth

I don’t see where reducing oneself to an object for display to a bunch of television obsessed gawkers benefits anyone. Not everything needs to be reduced to a spectacle. This just feeds the circus. It would have be much more honorable to avoid the limelight and entirely banal interview questions.


29 posted on 01/18/2009 1:21:24 PM PST by AIM-54
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To: Polybius

“Only after that professional judgment was made does it become “obvious” to land in the river instead of landing on a neighborhood.”

Exactly right. That is why the person flying the plane is referred to as the “Pilot in command”.


30 posted on 01/18/2009 2:13:57 PM PST by beelzepug (the Gadsden flag is now flying in my front yard)
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To: Moonman62
Looking at the flight path, he probably could have made either Teterboro or LGA with about a mile to spare.

He is a glider pilot and specificly says on the transcript that he couldn't make it to Teterboro. The river was his only option. I'm more than willing to accept his judgement in this case.

31 posted on 01/18/2009 3:45:20 PM PST by SunTzuWu
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To: AIM-54; cydcharisse
I, for one, am eager to see him. I'm sure there are countless others who can't wait to see him, as well. I'd like to see how this cool-as-a-cuke pilot extraordinaire handles himself. I expect him to be quiet, humble, self-effacing. I'm sure NBC will get a big boost in their ratings.

AIM-54, you mentioned that he lacks integrity by becoming a part of the media circus. That is so unbelievably harsh. I think that Sullenberger displays integrity in action. I don't think you'll find a better example of that.

My only problem is with the person with whom he chose to do the interview. However, one morning show is as bad as the other; there's really not much to choose from. BUT WHY SHOULDN'T HE DO AN INTERVIEW? Why does that show a lack of integrity? Here he's done an amazing thing - landed a plane safely in the middle of the Hudson River, under extraordinary circumstances, with no casualties. He's got to know that people are eager to see him. Frankly, I think it would be selfish of him not to do an interview. Remember Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon? I could be wrong, but to my knowledge he never gave an interview.

Sullenberger is going down in the history books. He's already got a Wikipedia page! And people are going to remember this for a long, long time. It's good to have our heroes talk to us. His integrity should be an example to all of us.

32 posted on 01/18/2009 6:25:25 PM PST by my_pointy_head_is_sharp (We're living in the Dark Ages.)
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To: AIM-54
"I wish the pilot had to integrity to not become part of the media circus."

Actually, most of us want to hear him, even those of us on FR.

We are angry at the media, certainly not at this hero.

33 posted on 01/18/2009 6:37:01 PM PST by drc43 (Finally , we fooled enough of you... now we can screw you totally!!!....Nancy Pelosi)
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To: ZirconEncrustedTweezers; fish hawk; This_far; Paladin2; AIM-54; donna; centurion316; sirchtruth; ...
Wouldn't you like to see more people with the kind of integrity that Sullenberger has? What about our leaders, our politicians? What about the people who run our banking system? If these guys had prepared for disaster the way Sullenberger prepared for disaster, we wouldn't be in this mess! Instead, they screw up the banking system to the tune of countless billions, then go begging to the federal government for a bailout. Seriously, there's a BIG LESSON to be learned from Sullenberger - and not just one lesson, many lessons.

I read that Sullenberger suffered pay cuts, and lost his pension, due to the mess in the airline industry. Actually, the whole country is in a mess - every sector, every industry. That's because there aren't any men (or women) like Sullenberger in charge. Sullenberger found his talent and has lived it, with integrity. The others wouldn't know integrity if it smacked them in the face.

34 posted on 01/18/2009 6:50:11 PM PST by my_pointy_head_is_sharp (We're living in the Dark Ages.)
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To: AIM-54

I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assert his employer is “convincing” him to go for the PR.


35 posted on 01/18/2009 6:52:30 PM PST by TomServo
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To: centurion316

“Ditching an airplane is very difficult, one mistake and the airplane goes cartwheeling down the surface while tearing itself apart.”

Your right.. It is not a piece of cake.
One only needs to look at the video of the 747, that tried to ditch in the Indian Ocean.
Remember, the distance from the wing to the surface is very
little when your not sitting on a landing gear.
One slight tip down of the wing, and it is all over.


36 posted on 01/18/2009 7:05:59 PM PST by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia. Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
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To: AIM-54
I wish the pilot had to integrity to not become part of the media circus.

From all I've heard about him he has plenty of integrity...probably more than all of us, including you and me.

I know he smarter than you and me, unless you are a member of Mensa, which I see no indication..

37 posted on 01/18/2009 7:12:56 PM PST by lonestar
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To: torchthemummy
I went and got a second opinion on that and the two of us ruled that I AM the cat's meow. Your opinion no longer has any legs. It's already been settled. Not only that abut I'm usually sitting in the Catbird seat.
38 posted on 01/18/2009 7:56:31 PM PST by fish hawk (Atheism is a non-prophet organization)
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To: yazoo
“I think the natural reaction of most people would be to try and get it back to the runway.”

Back in my flying days I learned that this sort of wishful thinking is why many power off emergencies ended in tragedy.

39 posted on 01/18/2009 8:01:33 PM PST by TalBlack
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To: AIM-54
It would have be much more honorable to avoid the limelight and entirely banal interview questions.

In your mind, I guess. I think this pilot should be all over the place getting his fifteen minutes of "gawker" fame because you and I both know he deserves much more! This story must be told as much as possible in the shadow of history.

I think your sentiments are nothing but prissy and petty.

40 posted on 01/19/2009 5:18:22 AM PST by sirchtruth (Gravity Of The Situation...)
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