A&S Interview: Sully’s Tale
Chesley Sullenberger talks about That Day, his advice for young pilots, and hitting the ditch button (or not).
- AirSpaceMag.com, February 18, 2009
Sullenberger inside an MD-80 in 2001, with daughters Kate (left) and Kelly.
Courtesy Chesley Sullenberger
Long before he won instant celebrity for his cool handling of the ditching of US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger had thought a lot about airline safety procedures. But when it came time to apply those lessons, he and his crew relied as much on instinct as on the playbook. Sullenberger spoke with Air & Space editor Linda Shiner on February 16, almost a month to the day after the dramatic events that earned him worldwide acclaim from fellow pilots and the public alike.
Air & Space: I heard you say in one of your interviews that it was comforting to you to hear the flight attendants, after you announced “Brace for impact,” also directing the passengers to brace and put their heads down. Why was that a source of comfort?
Sullenberger: I felt they were assisting me in that moment. Even though we were intensely focused and very busy, I remember thinking that as soon as I made the public address announcement in the cabin, within a second or two, I heard even through the hardened cockpit door the flight attendants in unison shouting their commands. “Heads down. Stay down.” And it was comforting to me to know that they were on the same page, that we were all acting in concert. It made me feel that my hope and my confidence in completing this plan was reasonable and that they knew what needed to be done and were doing their part.
Air & Space: Is it standard procedure for the captain to go back through the cabin after an emergency like yours?
Sullenberger: I felt that as more of a personal responsibility than a procedural responsibility—which it may be. But I had the time, the aircraft was stable, and I was not concerned that it would suddenly sink. And so I could leave absolutely no possibility of anyone being left behind. I made a thorough search, calling out, “Is anyone there?” to make sure the evacuation was complete, and it was.
Air & Space: You made the decision to ditch within one minute of losing power in the engines. Is that correct?
Sullenberger: You may know better than I. I have not seen an official timeline, or official data of any kind from the investigators. All I have seen is what’s been reported in the press—based upon the daily press briefings given by the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] during the initial phase. I knew it had to be done quickly.
Air & Space: Before you made that decision, you’d briefly considered returning to LaGuardia. You’d considered diverting to Teterboro [New Jersey]. Was there a discussion between you and your first officer about the distances you could glide or the amount of energy you might sacrifice if you had to head to either of those airports?
Sullenberger: I haven’t listened to the cockpit voice recorder yet. At some point before the NTSB public hearing in a few months, I will have to do that. Until then, I’m not sure. I would characterize the cockpit as being busy, businesslike, and our cooperation was done largely by observing the other and not communicating directly because of the extreme time pressure. [First officer] Jeff [Skiles] and I worked together seamlessly and very efficiently, very quickly, without directly verbalizing a lot of issues. We were observing the same things, we had the same perceptions, and it was clear to me that he was hearing what I was saying to Air Traffic Control on the radio. He was observing my actions, and I was observing his, and it was immediately obvious to me that his understanding of the situation was the same as mine, and that he was quickly and efficiently taking the steps to do his part.
Air & Space: What is the role of the first officer in that situation?
Sullenberger: This was not a typical case. Because of the extraordinarily difficult nature of the situation and because of the extreme time pressure, we both had to take on different roles than what typically would be done according to protocol. Most of the training that we get is for a situation where you have more time to deal with things. You have time to be more thoughtful, to analyze the situation. Typically what’s done these days is for the first officer to be the pilot flying and for the captain to be the pilot monitoring, analyzing and managing the situation. There wasn’t time for that.
I felt that even though Jeff was very experienced—he turns out to have had as much total flying experience as I do—and even though he’d been a captain before on another airplane at my airline and had been at the company 23 years, he was relatively new on this particular aircraft type [Airbus A320]. In fact, this was his first trip after having completed training on it. He’d been through the simulator and the ground school and had been on a four-day trip with an instructor, but this was his first trip to fly. So I decided early on that we were best served by me using my greater experience in the [A320] to fly the airplane.
Additionally, I felt like I had a clear view out the left-hand and forward windows of all the important landmarks that I needed to consider. They were on my side. They would be easier for me to see. And ultimately the choice of where we would go and what flight path we would take would be mine.
I also thought that since it had been almost a year since I had been through our annual pilot recurrent training, and Jeff had just completed it—he had just been in the simulator using all the emergency checklists—he was probably better suited to quickly knowing exactly which checklist would be most appropriate, and quickly finding it in this big mutlipage quick reference handbook that we carry in the cockpit. So I felt it was like the best of both worlds. I could use my experience, I could look out the window and make a decision about where we were going to go, while he was continuing his effort to restart the engines and hoping that we wouldn’t have to land some place other than a runway. He was valiantly trying until the last moment to get the engines started again.
Air & Space: Were you calculating the distance you could glide?
Sullenberger: It wasn’t so much calculating as it was being acutely aware, based upon our energy state and by visually assessing the situation, of what was and what was not possible. There are several ways I used my experience to do that. I knew the altitude and airspeed were relatively low, so our total energy available was not great. I also knew we were headed away from LaGuardia, and I knew that to return to LaGuardia I would have to take into account the distance and the altitude necessary to make the turn back.
In the case of Teterboro, I knew that was even farther away, even though we were headed in that direction. The short answer is, based on my experience and looking out the window, I could tell by the altitude and the descent rate that neither [airport] was a viable option. I also thought that I could not afford to choose wrongly. I could not afford to attempt to make it to a runway that in fact I could not make. Landing short, even by a little bit, can have catastrophic consequences not only for everybody on the airplane but for people on the ground.
Air & Space: What was your speed when you lost the engines?
Sullenberger: Again, I would hate to guess. I have not seen the data. It was less than 250 knots the entire time. And I think once the thrust loss occurred, our speed began to decay very rapidly because the nose was still up in a climb attitude, but without climb thrust on the airplane. It required a substantial but smooth push to get the nose down to attain and maintain our best lift-over-drag airspeed.
Air & Space: So that was your first move: to get the nose down.
Sullenberger: Yes.
Air & Space: When you’re in this situation are you just trying to make it go as far as you can?
Sullenberger: My initial focus was to fly at the proper speed while we were assessing the situation. We needed our best lift-over-drag airspeed while we were trying to decide where we could go. Once we had considered and ruled out both LaGuardia and Teterboro as unattainable, then we flew that same speed down to a lower altitude where we began to slow so that we could put out flaps for landing.
Air & Space: How did you slow down? Were you using control surfaces?
Sullenberger: No. We slowed by raising the nose. Our descent rate was more rapid than usual because we had essentially no thrust. So in order to maintain a safe flying speed, we had to have the nose far enough down that we could hold that speed as we descended. Of course that resulted in a higher-than-normal rate of descent.
Air & Space: Did you flash back on any of your experiences as a glider pilot? Did it feel natural to you?
Sullenberger: Actually not very much after the bird strike felt very natural, but the glide was comfortable. Once we had established our plan, once we knew our only viable option was to land in the river, we knew we could make the landing. But a lot of things yet had to go right.
I get asked that question about my gliding experience a lot, but that was so long ago, and those [gliders] are so different from a modern jet airliner, I think the transfer [of experience] was not large. There are more recent experiences I’ve had that played a greater role.
One of the big differences in flying heavy jets versus flying lighter, smaller aircraft is energy management—always knowing at any part of the flight what the most desirable flight path is, then trying to attain that in an elegant way with the minimum thrust, so that you never are too high or too low or too fast or too slow. I’ve always paid attention to that, and I think that more than anything else helped me.
I also participated as an Air Line Pilots Association safety volunteer on the NTSB teams that investigated two of the airline’s previous accidents: the San Luis Obispo PSA 1771 crash in 1987 and the later Los Angeles runway collision in the early nineties.
The way I describe this whole experience—and I haven’t had time to reflect on it sufficiently—is that everything I had done in my career had in some way been a preparation for that moment. There were probably some things that were more important than others or that applied more directly. But I felt like everything I’d done in some way contributed to the outcome—of course along with [the actions of] my first officer and the flight attendant crew, the cooperative behavior of the passengers during the evacuation, and the prompt and efficient response of the first responders in New York.
Air & Space: When the birds struck, the engines stopped operating, is that correct? They weren’t at idle power; they were at nothing?
Sullenberger: Again, I have not seen the data. They certainly were not capable of producing usable thrust.
Air & Space: In trying to relight the engines, could the computer have misread the situation and kept the engines from producing the thrust you needed to recover?
Sullenberger: I would not want to speculate on that, and that would be all I could do at this point. I have not seen the data from the recorders. As far as I’m concerned, it was clear to Jeff and myself that neither engine was producing thrust.
Air & Space: Had you trained for dead stick landings as an airline pilot?
Sullenberger: That’s never been part of our annual recurrent training. I do remember on a number of occasions attempting in the simulator under visual conditions—not a water landing, but an attempt to make a runway. We would be set up on a nearby heading where we could see the airport, and we knew that it was at a place and an altitude where it was possible to get to the runway. That was the one thing I remember practicing some years ago.
Air & Space: Does the Airbus operator’s manual have a procedure for ditching?
Sullenberger: Yes.
Air & Space: So your first officer would have found that procedure and had a checklist to go through for the ditching procedure?
Sullenberger: Not in this case. Time would not allow it. The higher priority procedure to follow was for the loss of both engines. The ditching would have been far secondary to that. Not only did we not have time to go through a ditching checklist, we didn’t have time to even finish the checklist for loss of thrust in both engines. That was a three-page checklist, and we didn’t even have time to finish the first page. That’s how time-compressed this was.
Air & Space: Did the airplane have a ditch button that would have sealed certain openings in the cabin?
Sullenberger: Yes, it’s called a ditching push button. And there was not time. We never got to the ditching push button on the checklist. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The vents that are normally open are small. And once the airplane touched the water, the contact opened holes in the bottom of the airplane much, much larger than all of the vents that this ditching push button was designed to close.
I cannot conceive of any ditching or water landing where it would help. Theoretically I understand why the engineers included it. It sounded like a good idea, but not in practice. We had a successful water landing, and even then, from seeing pictures of [the airplane] being removed from the river by a crane, there were much larger holes than the vents this button was designed to close.
Air & Space: Do you still love to fly?
Sullenberger: Oh, yeah. It’s been a passion since I was 5. I can remember at 5 years old knowing that I was going to fly airplanes. And I was just fortunate enough at every juncture to be able to get to the next goal. I’m not sure what I would have done had I not been able to fly. I never even considered anything else.
Air & Space: What's the best landing you've made?
Sullenberger: A time I'd flown into San Francisco, on an evening when air traffic wasn't particularly heavy and the air traffic controllers do not have to impose upon you a lot of constraints. It was a pretty night and I could see the airport from far away, and I tried to make as smooth and elegant a continuous descent as I could. You could barely feel the wheels touch.
Air & Space: Any advice for aspiring pilots?
Sullenberger: Well, not just for aviators, but for all of us. My view of the world is that people are best served when they find their passion early on, because we tend to be good at things we’re passionate about. I think we also need to find people whom we admire and try to emulate them
Air & Space: And who did you admire?
Sullenberger: My first flight instructor, L.T. Cook Jr., was a Civilian Pilot Training Program instructor during World War II, a real gentleman and a stick-and-rudder man. He was a cropduster and had his own grass strip in rural Texas. In 1967, I paid $6 an hour for the airplane and gas and $3 an hour for his time. Among the thousands of cards I received [after the ditching], I discovered one from his widow. She wrote, "L.T. wouldn't be surprised, but he certainly would be pleased and proud."
Comments (50)
Thank you for the great article, I was diappointed in the news media.With such things as the plane floated because it was pressurized Thank you
Posted by Bob on February 18,2009 | 10:03 PM
Thank you for an excellent interview. Many of us were watching on television, holding our collective breaths, as the rescue operation took place. I am greatly impressed by the cool-headed, logical, and corageous behavior displayed by the flight crew, passengers, and first responders that averted a potential disaster.
Posted by Julie on February 19,2009 | 03:39 PM
Thank you for an excellent interview. Many of us were watching on television, holding our collective breaths, as the rescue operation took place. I am greatly impressed by the cool-headed, logical, and corageous behavior displayed by the flight crew, passengers, and first responders that averted a potential disaster.
Posted by Julie on February 19,2009 | 03:39 PM
This article provided the information I wanted to know about.
As a former pilot, this provides great insight for me.
This is exactly what is relevent.
Thanks.
Posted by Jim Buxton on February 19,2009 | 04:23 PM
Great explanation. I was a B-29 pilot in WW II with only about a thousand hours. I thought I was pretty good at the time but in retrospect I don't think my short pilot experience would have served me nearly as well as Sully's experience served him (especially since the lack of time precluded completion of the check lists). In my humble opinion he did a great job. Although he had little time to thoroughly complete the check lists it is good to know that he tried.I am a firm believer in check lists even in situations other than flight procedures.
Posted by George Reid on February 19,2009 | 04:58 PM
as a former military fighter pilot,i know only too well how fast things can happen.the aviation community is a much better place with "sulley"in residence!!!!
Posted by john f viney on February 19,2009 | 05:15 PM
With minimal space, you succeeded in delivering a "feel for the situation" that we all wanted. Very instructive as well.
Posted by Doug on February 19,2009 | 05:58 PM
Captain Sullenberger is a true hero. He took an adverse situaion to say the least and maintained a cool head to save the day. He is such an inspiration!
Posted by Dave Dicker on February 19,2009 | 06:01 PM
As a pilot with over 4000 hours I especially appreciate the skill and professionalism demonstrated by Sully and his crew. I have never had a truly dangerous situation while flying, a few scares and false alarms but nothing really serious. I only hope that if something like that ever does happen while I am flying I can demonstrate the same presence of mind that saved so many lives.
Praise and kudos to Mr Sully and his crew from a fellow pilot. They have set an example for everyone that flies.
Posted by Charles Ivie on February 19,2009 | 06:14 PM
This is by far the best and most informative interview with this captain that I have read. The national media does not give Captain Sullenberger and his crew the credit they so richly deserve. Going out on a limb I think the whole flight crew should get medals for a safe (crash) landing in water where all onboard the plane survived. Kudos to them all, and kudos to Air & Space for being a great magazine and bringing a story of a real hero & heroes to us very acurately.
Posted by Allan Willner on February 19,2009 | 06:50 PM
Thanks for the excellent article. It has been great to hear the thoughts and observe the actions of a dedicated and well-trained pilot. We should all have such cool heads in a life and death emergency. I hope you can do a follow-up when Captain Sullenberger has heard the cockpit recorder.
Posted by Berniece M. Owen on February 19,2009 | 07:02 PM
Excellent article, I appreciate good factual information, unlike the national "drama queens" who seemed disappointed that everyone lived. Keep up the good writing, there's hope for the future.
Posted by Roger L. Miller on February 19,2009 | 07:13 PM
Captain Sullenberger discussed the preparation for which many such professionals prepare themselves, unknowing of future situations. From what I have heard during Captain Sullenberger's interviews, I am sure he has questioned his decisions during this flight. The crew's response to the situation is a credit to these professionals. They deserve only commendations for performing to the best of their ability during this situation.
This interview was excellent, as is this airline crew.
Bill Power
Posted by Bill Power on February 19,2009 | 08:46 PM
Raising the nose to slowdown without stalling while still have space ahead to ditch I read as your best move. The whole success of the affair was in that. Forget about the books at this point. You did great.
A former flight instructor from way back.
Posted by rene leveque on February 19,2009 | 08:58 PM
Most fortunate were the passengers and crew to be aboard an aircraft piloted by a dedicated and sober crew who's lifelong passion was love of flying and time honored dedication to duty. Great pilots are born moreso than created.
Posted by Bob Dyslin on February 19,2009 | 10:31 PM
From an aspiring pilot, absolute awe and respect for all involved in the miracle outcome.
Posted by Gerry on February 19,2009 | 10:43 PM
This is a superb interview. News media bring no insight or expertise to their work any longer, but this interview illuminates key aspects of Capt Sullenberger's great skill, judgement, and professionalism. I particularly admire his willingness to share credit for a good outcome with all his crew. And thanks, Sully, for that profound bit of career guidance with which you conclude! Everybody listen up!
Posted by Frank Moore on February 19,2009 | 11:19 PM
Excellent, excellent article. I'm so sick of hearing this "Miracle on the Hudson" nonsence. People need to be more focused on the fact that an excellent pilot and crew happened to be on this flight. Not to mention the superb engineering that goes into these Airbus birds.
Posted by Collin on February 19,2009 | 12:33 AM
I really enjoyed reading this interview. Capt Sullenberger's comment about not having time to go through the entire checklist are a great example of how little time there was from the bird strike to impacting the water. I also have enjoyed seeing him talk about the rest of the flight crew working as a team. From what I have read about the experience of each person on the aircraft that day, I think the passengers had a true "Dream Team" of professionals from the cockpit to the cabin.
During every interveiw I've seen with Capt Sullenberger, he never misses the opportunity to talk about the team effort that led to making that extraordinary landing. I know I would feel a little safer if I get on a US Air jet and hear Capt Sullenberger of Capt Skiles voice coming over the PA system.
Excellent job to all the crew...
Posted by Michael Ashby on February 19,2009 | 12:42 AM
Fantastic event brought about by a gentleman trained by the United States Air Force Academy.. GO AIR FORCE..
Posted by Tom Caldwell on February 19,2009 | 01:58 AM
Thank you and congratulations to Captain Sullenberger and all his crew and passengers. What leaders and what a team. The article made for chilling reading as to what might have happened. And what a role model for us all - to keep cool and concentrated when in difficulty; and all those lives saved.
Posted by helen binckes on February 20,2009 | 03:57 AM
Young people who aspire to fly professionally have been given a superior model in Captain Sullenberger. He clearly personifies the characteristics required of a pilot, especially one upon whom many people's lives depend. Psychological stability, intelligence, courage, a strong sense of responsibility, physical health and fitness, mind-body coordination, and finally flying instincts. That last means knowing where you are in the air and responding appropriately under extreme stress. That's quite an array of qualifications! But the list is accurate. Add to this the Captain's experience in the airline and in the U.S. Air Force, and you have an impressive officer. Young people should take notice that they should start preparing now to become that calibre of human being, in every department of life!
Posted by Chatham H Forbes Sr on February 20,2009 | 09:07 AM
Refreshingly honest recital of the ongoings of what could have been a most tragic event. CA Sullenberger does not bask in (well deserved) glory but, correctly, shares it with his F/O and the cabin crew who (in one case despite a painful injury) professionally and swiftly evacuated an almost full aircraft. Hats off to all of them but, certainly, the CA.
Posted by Mario S. Cano on February 20,2009 | 09:14 AM
Great Interview! Certainly there has been much gerneral media coverage of the ditching, but it was great to read Capt Sullenberger's comments directed toward the aviation community that reads Aviation Week. When more technical information becomes available, I hope that Aviation Week thoroughly covers that material.
Posted by Colin Unsworth on February 20,2009 | 09:57 AM
What a great article. Sully, you truly are made of the "Right Stuff". This is a man who is a real national hero. Someone the youth of today can aspire to become.
Posted by Terry Segura on February 20,2009 | 11:28 AM
What a great article. If I were ever to be in a situation like what happened on 1549, I'd surley would hope the crew was as prepared as those on this flight. They are all heroes. Keep up the good work with articles like this one.
Posted by Charlene on February 20,2009 | 04:34 PM
Editor Linda Shiner did a great interview with Sully. I enjoyed his candid answers to questions that would interest many pilots. His piloting experiences and knowledge served him well, and obviously saved everybody.
Experience in the cockpit and calmness in the face of extreme danger and pressure, accompanied by confidence to determine the best options are irreplaceable.
Thanks for the insights not available from other news media.
Posted by Dr. Howard Levenson on February 20,2009 | 05:25 PM
Thank you Captian and congradulations you have taken a correct decison to save every body on the ground and in the plane.this is a lesson for all pilots and specially to me iam a student pilot My CFI always tells me how to maintian correct glide speed and how to controll .Iam a Indian airforce veteran.Keep the spirits high u have done a fantastic job.
Damodar Siddula Student Pilot
Indian Airforce Veteran VTIAF 15
Posted by DAMODAR SIDDULA Student Pilot on February 20,2009 | 05:38 PM
Terrific interview! Even more impressive after listening to the ATC voice recording of flight 1549. No offense to all the highly trained and skilled younger pilots out there, but whenever I board a commercial aircraft, the more grey/white hair I see in the cockpit, the better I feel.
Posted by Tim Forrest on February 20,2009 | 02:00 AM
A great job by a fine crew, as reflected in this interview. However, I would have liked to hear some discussion on the subject of the overriding computers, which are installed in all Airbus aircraft, that may well have either shut the engines down or rolled them back to idle, and leaving the pilots no way to get any usable power. The Airbus computer system may well have brought on, or aggrivated, the power failure and the subsequent loss of the aircraft.
Posted by Bruce Miller on February 21,2009 | 03:28 AM
I am not a pilot. I spent 40 years working in a hospital and some of that time I worked in the Blood Bank. What happened to Sully to alow him to operate on instinct was all of his training and preparation. Without that his instinct would not have functioned as it did. When the adrenalin rushes into you and you are new to it you tend to get very shaky. As time goes on and you encounter more situations and do more study you begin to use the rush of hormones to your advantage. You slip into a place where you have just the time to do just the right things. It actually seems you have much more time that you actually did. That is why Sully can't answer some of you questions until he goes over the timeline. His sense of time was altered. All of the rescue workers in the boats talked about training and drilling. It is critical and must be valued highly. If anyone wants to be able to so what Sullenberger did they have to study, train and think. They can't be him but notice how he keeps going back to his life experience in flying. It was critical.
It is like that during a really good Code Blue situations. The leader of the code usually barely speaks above a whisper. No one appears to have any emotions at all. Everyone does either their job or what they are asked to do according to training. If there are extra people there who are not contributing, they are dismissed.
I believe that Sully is truly very grateful that he did not have to direct or try to calm any of his crew.
Sully: You are our national hero. It is uplifting to see you in action. Thank you. Watching and listening to you is like watching Roger Federer play tennis. It is a thing of beauty and grace.
Posted by Judith L Blackbird on February 21,2009 | 12:59 PM
Thank you - clear concise questioning of an intelligent man; a great way to impart information. (Did a journalist really say the plane floated because it was pressurised?
Posted by Peter Hynes on February 21,2009 | 10:19 PM
As a lifetime airplane /aviation buff I want to say that Capt Sullenberger and his First Officer did everything just right - they hit the water with wings level and the nose just high enough to maintain airspeed and to ensure that the two underwing engine nacelles did not dig into the water on initial contact. This is probably why the 320 remained afloat for as long as it did. A superlative bit of flying ! Ashok Rajadhyaksha Mumbai, India. February 22, 2009/ 10:15 A.M.
Posted by Ashok Rajadhyaksha on February 21,2009 | 11:45 PM
Captain Sullenberger and his crew were the protagonists of a superb feat of airmanship. The US Air Force training syllabus also merits praise. And one more: the Captain left the cabin after he made sure no one had been left behind. Now that's LEADERSHIP! We should all be grateful that such men exist, and perhaps reflect in silence about the significance of that brave and humane gesture...
Posted by Prof. RE Irizarry III San Juan Puerto Rico on February 22,2009 | 09:41 AM
sully,s final statement is what this world needs to pass on to the kids of this great nation.i was born and raised in new york city,served in the U.S Army 1966-69.had many different jobs in my young life,but none where forfilling to me i felt i wanted to do more for people than what i was doing at this point in my life.then i was blessed with training as an orthopedic assistant.it has been my passion for the last 30 yrs of my life,and sully when you say to do your thing with a passion for whatever you do in life,there is nothing closer to the truth to that statement.God Bless America
UNITED WE STAND
Posted by chris colon on February 22,2009 | 11:02 AM
Best write up about this amazing crew. God Bless them (and us). That man is never again paying for a drink anywhere I am at!
LuF
Posted by Luis Figarella on February 22,2009 | 06:42 PM
Oh, my gosh! What an interview! What a flight crew! Can't add much to what has already been said above. As a Private Pilot (with very little experience), I deeply appreciate what the Capt. and his crew did. And Capt. Sullenberger, you are soooo correct about working with passion. All the praise and gratitude to you, your crew, the obedient pasengers, and the plane's engineers, from a grateful nation. Role Models All!!!
Rolf Lotz, Pennsylvania, 3-13-09
Posted by Rolf Lotz on March 12,2009 | 01:30 AM
Capt. Sullenberger's absolutely beautiful accomplishment--as well as his first officer's contribution that aided him in the most laudable way--is not easy to put in the words I would like to say.
When I heard the first media coverage of the landing, my eyes would not stay dry; and that is what I cannot put into words. -----His were the calm, cool reactions to a most difficult condition imaginable. Reactions automatically applied through years of practice, hours of study, nights of anticipatory wakefulness involved in rehearsal of such a possible event, and a wonderful desire to care for others' lives---all compressed into moments requiring no mistakes. "No mistakes" is what the two of them did together.
Just imagine having three or four minutes to descend out of three-thousand feet of altitude after losing power--with an almost full load of fuel as well as crew, passengers, baggage and cargo; and being lucky enough to not have to "land" in the city. Then, to have been able to see "rescue" next to your wing-tips helping your passengers off their unlikely perches within minutes of "landing." How many times must the two pilots have thanked their lucky-stars to have been able to do what they did, where they could do it--without the total disaster that surely would have been--in the very few moments the situation would allow. It gives one pause to consider our own true divinity.
(Just for you, Suzanne.)
Posted by R. Huffman on March 20,2009 | 11:32 PM
Thank you. The interview was top notch and almost made me feel like I was there during the questioning. I read the magazine and it said to go to the web site (my first time) and I am glad I did! Capt. Sullenberger was so accurate on his comments about finding something you are passionate about in life. I think many of us work in a field which provides an income, and maybe a decent life, but sometimes there is a great void in your heart. This entire incident is one for the history books. Another set of heroes to add to the list. I just can't find enough words to describe how impressive it was to me.
Posted by Joe Terrell on March 27,2009 | 11:52 AM
Excellent Interview! As a former flight instructor, I am very interested in the first person's thoughts and actions on board Flight 1549. Upon hearing the news reports, after learning everyone evacuated safely, my next thought was an old pilot adage, "Any landing you walk (or in this case, 'swim') away from, is a good landing." Also, when the news media refers to this event as a crash or crash landing, I really wish the terms, EMERGENCY LANDING or FORCED LANDING would have been used. This was certainly an emergency landing to the extreme! Captain Sullenberger's humility truly personifies his wonderful personality with the credit he extends to First Officer Skiles,and the rest of the flight crew and passengers. Team work and flight crew coordination begets "miracles". With their landing, they have greatly lifted our spirits.
Sincere congratulations for a great interview of a great man. Charlie Hobbs former CFIAI
Posted by Charlie Hobbs on March 27,2009 | 06:34 PM
As a retired USAF pilot with WWII, Korea and Vietnam behind me, I applaud you Sully for being creative enough to meet the challenge of a rare emergency. Calmness and rapid thinking under stress is the solution to many emergency situations. Thanks for being a model for many aviators to follow. I. J. Harris
Posted by I. J. Harris on March 30,2009 | 10:06 PM
I'm a low-time piston pilot who assumed he would have tried for a full-stall landing until I learned that you can't do that with a jet, which has a stick-shaker warning of a stall and an automatic stall if it is ignored. Thus I would have liked to have heard whether he found this arrangement helpful or worrisome as he eased up the nose for his marvelous landing.
Posted by Chuck Newton on March 30,2009 | 01:21 AM
Nice show of professionalism all around. I have watched the computer-simulated event with the attendant cockpit voice recorder playback. No kidding there was no time for anything.
Two things that came back for me from basic private light training were -- no return to base after engine out (you're wasting time even thinking about it) and the first priority is to fly the aircraft. I'm sure those double-whammy inside lumcevak mobius no-fat double espresso aerobatics are tough... but this... tougher. They're right, life is not a rehearsal.
jPo
Posted by JP Owens on April 6,2009 | 06:11 PM
Dear Sully:
I'm glad you have been able to show how committed we are to our flying mission. I'm really proud of you and our pilot mates.
Cheers!
NAC (former Navy Pilot)
Posted by Felipe Nascimento on April 10,2009 | 03:02 PM
THANK-YOU to CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER,HIS CREW,The PASSENGERS and to the FIRST RESPONDERS for making January 15. 2009 a "EXCELLENT NEWS DAY" FOR US ALL. Everyone working together made it work. ""ALL ABOARD SAFE & SOUND (155)"". That is an AWESOME statement. A LITTLE GOOD NEWS MAKES THE DAY SO MUCH BRIGHTER.
Posted by Sue W. on April 19,2009 | 10:20 AM
First I would like to say that the Interview was great. Captain Sully,as a student pilot I would like to say that was professionalism to it's best. Just as you did I found my passion for aviation at an early age and I am very passionate about it. As pilots would say "any landing is a good landing as long as you can walk away from it", and you allowed everyone to walk out of this one. Thank You for your dedication and commitment to the Industry. God Bless!!
Posted by Kevin Jackman on August 12,2009 | 12:38 AM
Capt. Sully, I appreciate reading about how the Ditch Switch fit into your checklist discipline. There has been some criticism by fellow A320 pilots that you and your First Officer did not activate the Ditch Switch, as if it were forgotten, as it was perhaps the most important thing you could have done apart from as smooth a ditching as possible. I now understand that your F.O. never got that far in the checklist and that it wouldn't have mattered in the end. It is my hope that some day you could provide a briefing for other Airbus Pilots to learn from your experiences should we encounter the same fate some time. Heaven knows it would take years for the N.T.S.B. or the F.A.A. to come out with any meaningful information that might be used by other A320 pilots to actually save more lives. Well done to both of you, fellow aviators!
Posted by Scott on February 23,2010 | 04:34 AM