Pilots’ professionalism

It seems to be a rare incident where all the people in an airplane crash live to tell about it (1/17, Opinion, “Pilots’ professionalism averts a catastrophe”).

The pilot and co-pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger II and Jeff Skiles, acted extremely well under the circumstances, keeping their heads (and everyone else’s) during the crisis. The passengers, too, should be commended for staying calm and listening to safety instructions.

Few as these best-case scenarios are, they should be remembered as an example that not all emergencies end in disaster. What a story for the survivors to tell their children and grandchildren.

Amelia Bachler
Grandview

A group of financial hotshots, many not long out of business school with their freshly minted MBAs, bring the financial system to its knees.

A silver-haired, 57-year-old pilot drawing on decades of real-life experience brings a crippled jetliner to a safe touchdown in the middle of the Hudson River.

Someone once said “Old age and cunning beat youth and enthusiasm any day of the week.”

Ross Warnell
Smithville

The word “sully” is currently a verb defined as “to soil, stain, or tarnish”; “to mar the purity or luster of” and “to defile and detract.”

Perhaps a new definition is in order. Sully: to save by an act of heroism.

Russ Klement
Lee’s Summit

When I saw the cover photo of Friday’s Star, all I could think about was “on a wing and a prayer”

Egan Hasburgh
Prairie Village

Comments

[solomon]

like I said, whacko.....

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

At least I do not vote for someone based ONLY on their race and at least I do not sign off on a mortgage I can not afford then blame Bush when I can not afford the payment. What's whacko is socialism, marxism and entitlement thinking liberals that blame Bush and white's for all misfortunes.

[solomon]

the guy is a whacko.

[devin]

Oh come on, Tina, I think "disorder" is a bit strong. Isn't it obvious this is just a good ol' crush? Like 5-year-olds afraid to be rejected, he acts out by pretending to dislike the object of his affection. :-)

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

PTSD maybe, other than just plain ole frustration with socialists entitlement thinkers. Hell, at least I didn't endorse an empty suit that steals ideas that are already being implemented then try to take credit for them.

[TinaMcG]

Y'know, little guy, when comeone continually insinuates something or someone into a conversation, no matter how far afield the discussion is from the insinuated subject -- that'a a red flag for about a dozen different behavioral and psychological disorders.

You should probably have that checked out.

[solomon]

.....lets see, the other day you worked BO into a thread on traffic and now you're working oppression into a story on airplane crashes.....

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

If John McCain had been the pilot, the media would have spun it around and called it a failure.
The one thing that is amazing is that it was an Airbus which are 100% computerized and harder for a pilot to manage in comparison to a Boeing bird. This pilot was smart and did it right, eventhough he was just another white oppressor.

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

Can you imagine how much greater the experieince for the passengers would have been if Barack Hussein Obama had been the pilot, hell the plane probably would not have gone down. When you are a miracle man and an expert in every area known to the universe, it must be a great feeling.

[solomon]

BuddyT ,

Did you not see the WWII fighter pilots who performed so well in their duties that the bomber squads starting requesting them?

[Kate]

I have a whole new respect for Zoomies. :)

[Pub 17]

You don't know about Grampaw Pettibone, you Special Services snark, STFU.

[mianotkia]

Hey Mattress Tester, why don't you take a long walk on a short pier. What a loser, can't resist any opportuniy to make a little snarky childish commnet.

Cream rises to the top, but crap goes to the bottom Pubes.

[Pub 17]

Grampaw Pettibone lives forever

[mianotkia]

There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. There are no old, bold pilots. (Seems fitting in this case)

[TinaMcG]

I think we finally have a thread we can all agree on here -- the flight crew's grace under fire was simply amazing. Let's remember that had this not happened, we would never know about such heroes in our midst. The truth is, they are all around us every day, people who possess the character and skills to do great things.

There really is no such thing as an "ordinary American".

[solomon]

As someone who flies for many hours at times and uses tranqs to be comfortable at 30,000 feet its just good to hear about good pilots. You never have any idea who holds your life in that flying tube.

[Marctnts]

The guy's skill was amazing, but I think that the airlines already have the "wisdom of age" thing down pat. The extraordinarily HUGE number of flying hours and amount of experience required before you are allowed to captain a commercial jet pretty much excludes young pilots anyway.

Which, as this close call demonstrates, is probably a very good policy.

[whispering_to_kc]

"Someone once said “Old age and cunning beat youth and enthusiasm any day of the week.”"

There's a joke about two bulls (one old, one young) loitering at the top of a hill, looking down over a herd of heifers/cows below them.

Well, you know how the rest of the joke goes. I can't clean it up without ruining it.