Not to joke too much1 about something that could have been an enormous tragedy, but how much do you suppose passengers on board U.S. Air Flight 1549 will receive in compensation for their landing in the Hudson River?
From what I’ve read it sounds as if the pilot is a genuine hero. Good thing the marine who ejected over San Diego last month wasn’t flying this plane.
Update: Can the Passengers of Flight 1549 Sue for Emotional Distress?
Update Two: In case you were wondering, about that airplane in the Hudson. Interesting assessment.
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1 Howard Stern reportedly was once fired from his radio job in D.C. for inquiring on the air in 1982 after a plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, how much the fare was from National Airport to the 14th Street Bridge.
Ken, thanks for breaking the ice by making the first joke.
All I could think, once I read the cause of the crash, was:
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!
Also, the joke you know well on the topic, the punch line of which is: Try again, but first thaw the chickens!
Sick, I know.
I read in an article that the pilot of the plane has a sideline consulting business in safety for airlines. Evidently he’s been studying the art of the crash landing for a while now.
And all I can think is…wow are his rates going to skyrocket.
He’s a heck of an interesting guy and by all accounts I’ve read, a real hero.
Hero?
1. A real or mythical person of great bravery who carries out extraordinary deeds. Um, no.
2. A role model. He was just doing his job. Does that make Bush/Cheney a hero?
3. The main protagonist in a work of fiction. Not fake
4. A champion. He didn’t win the landing. He didn’t beat anybody in a contest to land.
5. A large sandwich made from meats and cheeses. YES!
Geez, what kind of person gets pleasure from refusing to acknowledge the amazing accomplishment of this pilot?
Take a look in the mirror, dude. I mean, I’m cynical, but you are ridiculous.
This pilot did something that had literally never been done successfully in the history of aviation. Never. As a result, 155 people are alive instead of dead today.
That is an “extraordinary deed.” (See NEVER DONE BEFORE). As for the role model aspect of the description – just ask yourself honestly whether you would like the pilot of the next passenger jet you board to have learned something from what this pilot did. He did a lot more than just do his job. One might even say he overachieved.
Tiger Woods isn’t a hero for playing hurt at the U.S. Open. George Bush isn’t a hero for standing at Ground Zero with a bullhorn. But Sullenberger is a hero.
Amen! Think of the death toll if Captain Sullenberger had not had the training and skill to ditch that plane in the river instead of crashing in the city.
If Sullenberger isn’t a hero then there is no such thing as a hero.
Yeah, I don’t think much of the pilot in the San Diego crash: if you’re over a populated area, you ride it in.