A Toast

[Art HoagParticipant]

Sorry this is not rocketry related but it really needs to be said. If you have a drink raise it, if you don’t, get one and raise it. There have been two major airliner accidents within the last month and not a single person was killed.

Here is to the flight crews (pilots and flight attendants) of Continental 1404 and US Airways 1549 for carrying out their duties to the absolute best of their abilities and as they were trained. Emergencies happen, it is how the flight crews deal with the emergencies that determine the outcome. A job well done indeed!

Art

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

You’ve got that right, Art. Skill in and of itself means nothing until it is tested. What seems miraculous is skill well-placed and well-timed. A job very well done to both pilots and crews!

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

Not only was it an impressive display of piloting skill, it was also an impressive example of raw luck – given where he was, if he hadn’t have hit the geese where he did, he would’ve had NO choices… landing in the Hudson wasn’t easy, he just missed the George Washington Bridge on the upstream end and happened to land exactly where the river taxi’s and ferry’s run. Lucky he didn’t hit one I believe. Stunning…

Warren

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Absolutely, Warren! We hear and see so many bad things and tragedies, that it IS good to celebrate the good things that happen. And, Art, rockets and airplanes share one thing… FLIGHT!

[Anonymous]

I’m in New York City now – I flew into Laguardia from DIA last Sunday. Not many places to land planes here other than the river or the tiny airports 😯

Just wondering – was the pilot cleared in the Denver accident? I had read where he may have biffed the takeoff, though the media has been known to miss the facts on this sort of thing……

[Jeffrey Joe HintonModerator]

I’m not sure the final determination has been made by the review board. Indications are suggesting wind sheer/gusts are the primary cause for the action/reaction scenario that caused the aircraft to leave the runway in an unscheduled manner. Thankfully, no KIA’s or DOA’s at DIA that night.

[Art HoagParticipant]

The other night, Jay Leno said that there might have been a chance that the US Airways flight could have made it to Newark but everyone on the plane decided that they would rather land in the Hudson river then in New Jersey 🙂

Art

[Tim Thomas]

8) I have heard for over 30 years how overpaid pilots are. They just sit in a chair while a computer flies the plane. The Pilots Union is nothing but a good old boys club, formed for their own greed. Well, when my cheeks are in the seat, give me that old washed up fighter pilot. I hope he is an overpaid Union man. As with most things, you get what you pay for! These guys are the best in the World, and they show us why, all the time. I think luck has very little to do with it. 8)

[SCOTT EVANS]

I dont know, the 2 pilots in my hanger row, that fly for Northwest/Delta, think there was a little luck involved, along with the skill.

[JetMechQC]

I would 2nd what tim said.

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