Who2 Editorial Blog
Notes and Commentary from the Editors
Monday, February 09, 2009
"I had this expectation that my career would be one in which I didn't crash an airplane"
Flight 1549 as experienced by the captain and the flight crew.Labels: Chesley Sullenberger III, Plane Crashes
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 5:56 AM 
Share on Facebook 0 comments
Friday, February 06, 2009
"We're Gonna Be In the Hudson"
Newsday has the transcript and audio of US Airways flight 1549, that short hop from LaGuardia to the Hudson River.It starts with Capt. Chesley Sullenberger saying "This is, uh, Cactus 1539, hit birds. We've lost thrust in both engines, returning back towards LaGuardia." ("Cactus" is the air traffic call sign for US Airways.)
Sure, he got the flight number slightly wrong, and later the traffic controller says "1529," but they both seem pretty good at their jobs. (Turns out the captain was flying *and* talking as his co-pilot worked to restart the engines.)
The best part is Sullenberger, with his plane over the George Washington Bridge and dropping like an 80-ton rock, saying casually, "What's over to our right, anything in New Jersey, maybe Teterboro?"
Impressive stuff.
Labels: Chesley Sullenberger III
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 4:25 AM Share on Facebook 0 comments
Friday, January 16, 2009
Anatomy of a Near-Disaster
A helpful map of flight 1549's trip around Manhattan -- Sully's wild ride -- complete with geese.Labels: Chesley Sullenberger III, Plane Crashes
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 5:38 AM Share on Facebook 0 comments
Thursday, January 15, 2009
"He Looked Like David Niven in an Airplane Uniform"
The reviews are in for Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the improbably-named pilot who landed his 169,000-pound airplane in the Hudson River on Thursday, then strolled the aisle to check for stragglers before stepping off himself.The reviews are not bad.
"That pilot is a stud," said one police source. "After the crash, he was sitting there in the ferry terminal, wearing his hat, sipping his coffee and acting like nothing happened."
"He looked absolutely immaculate," [one] rescuer said. "He looked like David Niven in an airplane uniform. He looked unruffled. His uniform was sharp. You could see him walking down the aisles making sure everybody got out -- a very cool customer."
Although flanked by worshipping cops, firefighters and city officials after the crash, Sullenberger remained detached and low-key.
"That guy is one cool customer," said the police source. "He was a rock star. He had saved everybody and was behaving like it was just another day at the office."
Labels: Chesley Sullenberger III, Plane Crashes
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 8:21 PM Share on Facebook 0 comments
"Hero Pilot Searched Plane Before Leaving"
ABC News has an early story on Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, the U.S. Airways pilot who calmly landed his plane in the Hudson River on Thursday.The New York Post, with typical restraint, calls him HUDSON HERO.
Passengers sought refuge on the wings of the aircraft -- which weighs 169,000 pounds when fully loaded... It appears to be the first time that a large commercial jet liner ever has made a successful controlled landing into a body of water.Remarkable story.
Labels: Chesley Sullenberger III, Plane Crashes
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 4:53 PM Share on Facebook 0 comments
