printCaptain “Sully” Sullenberger, III, did not walk on water after performing a perfect landing on the Hudson River, but he did walk the aisles–twice. Sullenberger was ensuring all passengers had disembarked the sinking plane before he did. I know this is what professional pilots are supposed to do, but how common is perfect professionalism and gallantry?
By now, you’ve heard of “Chesley B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, III, the US Airways pilot who today amazingly crash-landed a US Airways jet in New York’s Hudson River without any apparent fatalities. The heroic Sullenberger, 57, has worked for US Airways since 1980, and before that spent more than six years as a U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot. Sullenberger, who now must be considered the front runner to replace Hillary Clinton as New York’s junior United States Senator, is also the founder of Safety Reliability Methods. The firm describes itself as providing ‘technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries.'”
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Images here.
“Sully” Sullenberger’s website and picture.
Update II (Jan 17): On the day a coward and a bully of a man (Bush) delivered his hyperbole and boosterism-filled Farewell Address to the Nation, a real man (“Sully” Sullenberger) stepped up.
In August 2001, Bush was briefed by a CIA analyst about Bin Laden’s plans for the US. “All right, you’ve covered your ass now,” is how Bush responded. (He did nothing else.)
This is the repulsive human being the Republicans are now vindicating.
How apropos that on the day “W” drools before the nation for the last time, we hope; on that day a silent, steely hero–a manly man– shows the pipsqueak president up.
The contrast could not be greater. The one man is spoilt, indulged, used to throwing his toys around and getting his way throughout his life, without ever having to say, “I’m sorry.”
The other, “Sully” Sullenberger, is a mensch–an ordinary man with extraordinary abilities and stellar character.
It bears mentioning that he was a glider pilot.
As a private pilot myself, I always keep an eye out for where I’m going to glide to a safe landing if the engine quits. It becomes a habit, and stress levels rise whenever I am too low to make it to a suitable spot. Not all pilots think this way.
The people that survived can put a portion of their thanks to that experience and mindset, and a portion to the designers of the plane, who put in a ‘ditching switch’ that closes all vents in the bottom of the fuselage so it can float for a few minutes.
Luckily, the passengers and crew didn’t try to open the rear door until after it was submerged far enough for water pressure to prevent it. If they had succeeded, they might have sunk the aircraft.