"History is a wonderful thing, if only it was true"
-Tolstoy

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Flight 1549

Talk about "cool" ...

Hero Pilot 'Sully' Stars at Safety Hearing - WSJ.com:

"After spotting a flock of birds that 'were very large and filled the entire windscreen' of the jet, Capt Sullenberger noticed a dramatic drop in thrust. Investigators later determined at least three birds were sucked into the engines. Disregarding air-traffic controller suggestions to return to LaGuardia or try to swoop into another nearby airport, Capt. Sullenberger set his sights on the surface of the Hudson.

With the plane's flaps out, speed dwindling fast and splashdown barely seconds away, Capt. Sullenberger asked his first officer: 'Got any ideas?' Co-pilot Jeff Skiles instantly replied: 'Actually not.'

Once the plane settled in the water and the crew realized the fuselage remained intact, Capt. Sullenberger told the safety board, he turned toward his first officer and both instinctively blurted out at the same instant: 'That wasn't as bad as I thought.'"

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