Wednesday, February 11, 2009
How about keys to the city for ATC?
The other day Captain Sullenberger, the hero who ditched his plane in the Hudson river after a bird strike and saved every soul on board, and his crew were feted all over New York City, and deservedly too!!! Heros of the first degree. The first responders who showed up in boats and copters before any of the victims got very wet or cold were celebrated too.
There's an especially good account in The Times of London, which says, in part,
Let me tell you, I've been there, done that. One dark night, 3000 feet over eastern Pennsylvania, maybe 20 years ago, I flew my Cessna 172 through a vee of geese. The shadows flew inches from my head, I heard a thunk, the plane slewed to the right. I thought I was dead, but I pushed in the throttle, and my little putt actually gained altitude. I called ATC, and declared the emergency. The Tracon guy told me there was an airport four miles off my left wing. I looked, but all I saw was darkness. I said, "Got anything bigger?" And he said, Reading is nine miles straight ahead. I came over one hill, and there was Reading Airport, with all its lights blazing bright. It was only then I could see the goose lodged in the sheet metal of my right wing. I was never more glad to see a bunch of emergency vehicles, lights a flashing, waiting for me. They even asked if I wanted them to foam the runway! (I declined.) The next morning, there was my mug on the front of the Reading paper holding the one goose wing that wasn't stuck inside my airplane's sheet metal. Hero? No, I simply saved my own ass. The hero was the ATC guy who pointed me at Reading and talked me in.
There's an especially good account in The Times of London, which says, in part,
Captain Sullenberger was asked: “Did you, at any point, pray?” He replied: “I would imagine somebody in back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the airplane.”But who celebrated the Air Traffic Controllers? The ATC guy in New York Tracon was EXCELLENT. Grace under fire. If you have not heard the audio yet, give a listen. He -- on behalf of his ATC brothers and sisters -- deserves the Keys to the City too.
Let me tell you, I've been there, done that. One dark night, 3000 feet over eastern Pennsylvania, maybe 20 years ago, I flew my Cessna 172 through a vee of geese. The shadows flew inches from my head, I heard a thunk, the plane slewed to the right. I thought I was dead, but I pushed in the throttle, and my little putt actually gained altitude. I called ATC, and declared the emergency. The Tracon guy told me there was an airport four miles off my left wing. I looked, but all I saw was darkness. I said, "Got anything bigger?" And he said, Reading is nine miles straight ahead. I came over one hill, and there was Reading Airport, with all its lights blazing bright. It was only then I could see the goose lodged in the sheet metal of my right wing. I was never more glad to see a bunch of emergency vehicles, lights a flashing, waiting for me. They even asked if I wanted them to foam the runway! (I declined.) The next morning, there was my mug on the front of the Reading paper holding the one goose wing that wasn't stuck inside my airplane's sheet metal. Hero? No, I simply saved my own ass. The hero was the ATC guy who pointed me at Reading and talked me in.
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Comments:
wow - amazing story and you are right. There are a lot of people showing grace under pressure.
Remember when Reagan went after them?
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Remember when Reagan went after them?
