Posted on 02/01/2009 10:57:16 AM PST by txroadkill
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, sent out this account Friday afternoon. Rather than repeat what the APA wrote, I'll provide it in its entirety:
The following is an exclusive account for our members from one of our pilots who was onboard US Airways Flight 1549 when the pilots made a successful emergency ditching into New York's Hudson River. First Officer Susan O'Donnell is a LGA-based 767 pilot. She resides with her family in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Susan is a former Navy pilot, hired at AA in February 1990. She has flown the 727, F100, A300 and now the 767.
The following is her account of the flight, the rescue and recovery response, as well as the support she experienced afterward. This is intended to give each of you a unique insight into the event. We also hope that the crew's tremendous effort to take care of each other and the nearly instantaneous support of USAPA and APA responders become "takeaways" for our pilots to use when faced with an emergency.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationblog.dallasnews.com ...
Interesting account from an AA pilot and former Navy Pilot.
And so, boys and girls, now you know why I got the “big bucks” all those years. Thank G-d I only had to go through the drills and not the real thing! Three cheers for the crew! Prepare to repel slimebag lawyers and Monday morning quarterbacks!
QBFimi (Retired B-767 Captain; wife is currently a B-767 Captain flying the Pacific)
Good story. Thanks for posting.
Nice find!
Whoops - correction - wife is a B-747 Captain. (She’ll kill me if she reads this!)
I am still amazed at how this flight went and that everyone survived. It truly is inspirational.
Can you believe this guy? How do we get him to run in 2012?
Wonderful story. Professional all the way through.
Amen to that, but I’d rather have him keep flying the planes... LOL...
for sure...
I literally choked on my lunch when I read this part. Where do we find more men like this?
I’ve been on enough flight to be able to tell the difference between a Navy pilot and a Air Force pilot.
Practice makes perfect..
Thanks to your co-partner and you for all those hours of drills and the rides along the way! I remember a real doozie or two on AA ..
“Can you believe this guy? How do we get him to run in 2012? “
You can’t get people like him to run for office because of the media and dirty attacks.
Don’t you love the “glorified bus driver” moniker? Infuriates me every time I hear it. This is why the pilots deserve a good living. Each time they fly hundreds of people’s lives are in their hands. We, the flying public, have gotten so used to it that we don’t realize the importance of those who man the cockpit.
And today’s pilots have the stress of layoff after layoff, with the younger ones struggling to make a living. Yet they still are professional and concerned about their passengers.
I know what you mean!
Captain Sullenberger typifies (in spades) everything that’s RIGHT with America. The reports we got last week about the rumors of survivors wanting to sue US Airways typify (again in spaces) everything that’s WRONG with America. And you probably couldn’t pick either out from a crowd. I find that interesting.
Truly LOL on that one! Touche!
“Can you believe this guy?”
That’s exactly the caliber of people that US Air inherited from PSA!!
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