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 
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009
50th Anniversary of "The Day the Music Died"
Yup: it was 50 years ago today that Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed in an icy plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.(Don MacLean called it "the day the music died" in his 1971 hit "American Pie.")
The Surf Ballroom, where they performed that night, is still there. (Though it's now the "Surf Ballroom & Museum / North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum.") And they've got T-shirts.
Labels: Buddy Holly, Plane Crashes, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 4:37 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
