Originally Posted by
The Banjo
We must remember these pilots are not flying from ILS to ILS sipping on a cuppa tea in an airline. It is a very demanding job with low flying, heat and mechanical turbulence, wind shear, reduced vis in smoke and undulating terrain.
They survived in one piece. The jet is replaceable.
A good outcome in the circumstances.
So true. It was just a clapped-out old Boeing, not some super manoeuvrable squillion dollar tactical jobbie specially designed for the task. If it had been a fire truck that rolled over and burned, it would hardly have made the news, and the crew would have copped little criticism - more likely praise for doing such a dangerous job. But because it’s an aeroplane everyone gets their knickers in a knot.
Those of us (all of us at least once, surely?) who have screwed up and not crashed, had the luxury of a few more feet between us and the ground.