• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

US AIRWAYS Crash in the Hudson River

Would most crews take the same actions as Flight 1549 and be as successful?

  • YES.

    Votes: 40 59.7%
  • NO.

    Votes: 27 40.3%

  • Total voters
    67
  • Poll closed .

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Dumb question but how is the plane floating?

On the Airbus 320 there is literally a "ditch button". Apparently activating it immediately closes all ram air intakes, vents, etc making the aircraft watertight.
 

Fog

Old RIOs never die: They just can't fast-erect
None
Contributor
Yep, USAFA guy former F-4 pilot.

If he was an AF F-4 driver, then he particularly liked the 80:1 glide ratio (or whatever) of the A-320. The F-4 had a glide ratio of about 2:1 (IOW it was an aerodynamic brick).
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I find it interesting that the news was saying tonight that ditching was not that uncommon. From what I know there has only been a handful of successful commercial jetliner ditchings, and this is the first one where everyone survived.
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Maybe they need to start using the BASH/USAHAS system. Nice job to the aircrew for the safe "landing."

-ea6bflyr ;)
 

GroundPounder

Well-Known Member
My favorite bit of commentary was Katie Couric asking if maybe the short runways at LGA were the cause of the accident. I also learned that airliners have radars that help avoid birds. I remember the first time I flew with a stormscope, I guess that the birdscopes have not made it down to GA yet.
 

Single Seat

Average member
pilot
None
I don't like flying commercial, because I know if something goes wrong there is jack crap I can do. I especially hate flying behind the wing... not a comfortable position.

Yeah, because you're WAY better at flying that tube than the guys up front with thousands of hours on their seat.
 

Kycntryboy

Registered User
pilot
Yeah, because you're WAY better at flying that tube than the guys up front with thousands of hours on their seat.

No I am doubting by any means their skills compared to mine... it would just suck in an emergency to not know what the crap is going on thats all.
 

Rocketman

Rockets Up
Contributor
I just got in from a business trip and my wife tells me that one of her Bank of America co workers was on the plane.

It's a popular flight for BOA employees that split time between Charlotte and NY. In fact my wife is booked on that flight next week. Other than getting wet and cold her team member is no worse for the wear. She hasn't been able to talk to the woman yet but evidently she borrowed a cell phone on the ferry and called her husband within a few minutes of the crash. Amazing stuff.
 

Huggy Bear

Registered User
pilot
This little tidbit caught my eye:

"Sullenberger's co-pilot was Jeff Skiles, 49, of Oregon, Wis., a 23-year US Airways veteran."

23 years and still a first officer?!

And... great job by the crew. I think the 'miracle' word is being thrown around to losely. It sounds like it was just a crew and captain that had its shit together.
 

Junkball

"I believe in ammunition"
pilot
Yeah, because you're WAY better at flying that tube than the guys up front with thousands of hours on their seat.

I think he was getting at how much it sucks when your life is so completely in someone else's hands. Sort of how you feel strapped into the passenger seat with a really bad woman driver at the wheel.
 

Junkball

"I believe in ammunition"
pilot
I think the 'miracle' word is being thrown around to losely. It sounds like it was just a crew and captain that had its shit together.


Too late... the die has been cast by CNN et al and the event will forever be wikipediaized as "The Miracle on the Hudson."

Also: how common are FO's with 23 years in?
 

Xtndr50boom

Voted 8.9 average on the Hot-or-Not scale
This little tidbit caught my eye:

"Sullenberger's co-pilot was Jeff Skiles, 49, of Oregon, Wis., a 23-year US Airways veteran."

23 years and still a first officer?!

He might have gotten screwed with the USAir/America West merger. Or he was with USAir express for awhile. Furlough also counts as "time with the company", IIRC. Lots of possible factors at play, maybe not just a lousy pilot.

Outstanding job guys! The KC-10 ditching checklist has "put head between legs and kiss a$$ goodbye" as the step just after fuel levers--OFF
 
Top