I wonder what the outcome would have been if the NY area had low cloud coverage that day. Would a military or a civilian background pilot have made a difference. It so happens that on that day the sky was clear there was good visibility. Theīgoodīcaptain made a good decision i.e. the river that, was in view and that the other airports in the area where to far for a safe landing. That he did a good to excelent job no question. That he had a lot of experience yes. But, that a civilian or military background pilot would have made the diference, I donīt buy that at all. We are all trained for numerous emergencies and have the capability to preform under almost, most scenarios which require good judgment, experience, CRM and I might say a bit of luck!! We practice this every six months (not the ditching) but, some scenarios which require the same good judgment, understanding that are the norm in most airlines today. To the goodīcaptainī bravo, a job well done. His expreience showed. And as he said the outcome could/would have been the same if, another crew had the same situation under the same conditions.