Crash Pilot Gets Elite Hero Status
By katrhina23
@katrhina23 (1282)
United States
January 16, 2009 5:23pm CST
Less than halfway through the first month of 2009, and America already has a new hero.
Jittery fears over a New York City airplane crash turned to widespread relief when the pilot managed to land a U.S. Airways airbus into the Hudson River on January 15. Yes, the water was cold (40 degrees on a 20-degree day), but the plane didn't immediately sink, no nearby boats were crushed, every single passenger emerged safely, and Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III instantly got elevated to elite status on the Web.
The people monitoring the "plane crash," "airplane crash new york," "airplane crash in hudson river," and "us airways crash" online quickly turned to pore over the hero pilot's credentials. As searchers for "chesley sullenberger" found out, this was a guy made for worst-case scenarios: According to the Associated Press, Sullenberger flew F-4 fighter jets in '70s, investigated aircraft accidents, is president of a safety consulting firm, and studied the "psychology of keeping airline crews functioning even in the face of crisis."
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92176/?fp=1
1 person likes this
1 response
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
17 Jan 09
It sure is wonderful to have a real, true, American hero to look up to, isn't it? I've always thought about what a huge responsibility airline pilots have and I've appreciated every one of them on the trips I've flown on. Through all kinds of bad weather and you name it, they're always up to the task and Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III is the best of the best.
Annie
