http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090115/ap_on_re_us/plane_in_river At least everyone got off safely! -Brian
Absolutly brilliant flying by the pilot according to the radio reports, engine apparently sucked a bird.
Kudos to the pilot, the tug and tour boats and, of course, the USCG.
I get NYC radio in the car. On the way home tonight it was non-stop on this story. The pilot not only avoided crashing in the middle of one of the most densely populated places in the world, but he managed to ditch quite smoothly and directly across from the ferry docks. Boats were able to reach them in minutes.
Local media is calling it the Miracle On The Hudson. Latest reports is everyone was rescued and no major injuries.
Somebody, a tourist probably, has certainly caught video of the landing. I wonder when that will be shown.
The pilot is what is known as a “good stick.” I understand he is a vet of many missions over Viet Nam, but I do not know for whom he flew, there.
Anyway, Bravo Zulu! Alpha Delta 28!
I also hear he is a glider pilot hobbiest.
It amazes me, just how little any reporter actually knows about anything they write about… I just laugh at the headlines ““A major part is missing””, meaning the engine is not attached to the wing… had they waited a bit, they could have made the headline ““Two major parts are missing””…
If they did any research at all about aviation, they would know, that the engines hanging below the wings of an airplane are designed to break off, when an aircraft is being ““Ditched””… It’s one of the safety designs…
They make it sound like it’s all a giant surprise… well, DUHHHHHHHHH…
There is a lot of “Duhhhhhhhh’s” in this World.
That and the news media has now fully endorsed the theory that the plane hit a flock of birds. If they say it enough times it will be true, right?
While it is certainly possible this is true, the crew can’t talk and the NTSB will take months to reveal their findings. Only then will we know for sure.
It wouldn’t bother me so much if they qualified the statement as speculation by saying something like ‘it is thought that the cause was…’ but no, they state it as hard facts.
Is this what Rush refers to as the drive-by media ??? Oh no - I’m being sucked over to the dark side 
Jon Radder said:
That and the news media has now fully endorsed the theory that the plane hit a flock of birds. If they say it enough times it will be true, right? While it is certainly possible this is true, the crew can't talk and the NTSB will take months to reveal their findings. Only then will we know for sure.It wouldn’t bother me so much if they qualified the statement as speculation by saying something like ‘it is thought that the cause was…’ but no, they state it as hard facts.
Is this what Rush refers to as the drive-by media ??? Oh no - I’m being sucked over to the dark side
An air traffic controller stated the pilot reported a double bird hit. Not the contoller or pilot’s exact words.
Please Jon, no Rush references. As far as I’m concerned Rush is running dead even with Al Gore for the title of this century’s biggest hypocrite.
I’d just as soon they both fade into obscurity.
There are two differences between Rush and a crack head. One is money. The other is a crack head doesn’t rail on a public pulpit about Rush’s pill popping.
Ralph
And the air traffic controller is exempt from the NTSB Gag Rule ? Guess he will be looking for a job.
On Rush - I love to hate him. I listen in the car until he says something so outrageously stupid that I’m forced to change the station
Jon Radder said:
And the air traffic controller is exempt from the NTSB Gag Rule ? Guess he will be looking for a job.On Rush - I love to hate him. I listen in the car until he says something so outrageously stupid that I’m forced to change the station
I don’t condone the contoller’s action. He/she wasn’t named. Some times these “leaks” are approved. May have been the case this time…to squash fears of terrorism.
Ralph
What possible reason could the NTSB have for a “gag rule”? Somehow saying what happened will change the facts? I have a pretty strong dislike for the press, many appear to be clueless (including Rush). I also have a stronger dislike for any government official that say’s “shut up, no information to the public”. They serve us, not the other way around. You can control the interviews and gather information without a complete blackout.
An amazing story to be sure. It’s nice to get some good news for once. If a plane has got to crash that’s the outcome you want. Hell of a pilot, and co-pilot too!
In the spirit of the threads title…real airplanes water-skiing…
The hush-hush is to find out if the birds hit both engines, or the pilot accidentally killed the wrong engine after the bird impact.
Only when they dredge up the engines will this be proven.
John Bouck said:If the pilot killed the wrong engine, couldn't he restart it? Regardless, the pilot did a great job to safley set the plane down in the river, with no engines. Ralph
The hush-hush is to find out if the birds hit both engines, or the pilot accidentally killed the wrong engine after the bird impact. Only when they dredge up the engines will this be proven.
John Bouck said:If true...a big if...then the AIRLINE would want the pilot to shut up. The NTSB should not be in the business of telling others to keep quite about a public incedent. I fully understand a private business wanting to hide unpleasant facts but the public is not served by a tight lipped safety organization.
The hush-hush is to find out if the birds hit both engines, or the pilot accidentally killed the wrong engine after the bird impact. Only when they dredge up the engines will this be proven.
Ralph Berg said:Ralph,
If the pilot killed the wrong engine, couldn't he restart it? Regardless, the pilot did a great job to safley set the plane down in the river, with no engines. Ralph
It takes time, airspeed and altitude to air-start an engine in flight… When his engines quit, the pilot had none of the above…
I too, believe he did an exceptional job in bringing the aircraft down, as safely as possible…