Plane Down in Hudson River - NYC
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60 Minutes Text
Not quite a transcript, but full report with just about all quotes of the interviewees at Flight 1549: A Routine Takeoff Turns Ugly, Captain Sullenberger Recalls The Bird Strike And The Tense And Crucial Minutes That Followed - CBS News
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I thought that this was a very interesting program to watch.
Of course, we all know what happened whether from the cockpit voice recorded or various "experts" but it was nice to hear from Captain Sully first-hand.
He is a very composed man it seems.
Katy Couric (who I really cannot stand), asked him if he prayed during the time that was left as he glided towards the water.
"No", Sully replied. "There were people at the back of the plane who were doing that for me!"
Great response.
Again, she asked him another "tabloidy-shock-horror-type" question...
"Did you think to yourself how are we going to get ourselves out of this?"
"No," Sully replied firmly. "My initial reaction was one of disbelief. How can this be happening?"
What a wonderful answer.
The most comic insight of the night was when Sully turned to his Co-pilot Jeff Skiles after landing on the water and said, "That wasn't as bad as I thought!"
The most moving part of the program was when the crew of 1549 met up with the 155 passengers and family in CLT.
"Thank you for saving my life... "
"Thank you so much from bringing my husband home to me..."
"Thank you for not making me a widow ...for allowing my 3 year old son to have a father."
"Thank you for keeping our family altogether."
A gem - every one.
You can watch the videos from the program here:
60 Minutes - Video, Reports, Profiles, Interviews - CBSNews.com
Of course, we all know what happened whether from the cockpit voice recorded or various "experts" but it was nice to hear from Captain Sully first-hand.
He is a very composed man it seems.
Katy Couric (who I really cannot stand), asked him if he prayed during the time that was left as he glided towards the water.
"No", Sully replied. "There were people at the back of the plane who were doing that for me!"
Great response.
Again, she asked him another "tabloidy-shock-horror-type" question...
"Did you think to yourself how are we going to get ourselves out of this?"
"No," Sully replied firmly. "My initial reaction was one of disbelief. How can this be happening?"
What a wonderful answer.
The most comic insight of the night was when Sully turned to his Co-pilot Jeff Skiles after landing on the water and said, "That wasn't as bad as I thought!"
The most moving part of the program was when the crew of 1549 met up with the 155 passengers and family in CLT.
"Thank you for saving my life... "
"Thank you so much from bringing my husband home to me..."
"Thank you for not making me a widow ...for allowing my 3 year old son to have a father."
"Thank you for keeping our family altogether."
A gem - every one.
You can watch the videos from the program here:
60 Minutes - Video, Reports, Profiles, Interviews - CBSNews.com
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Mayday
In fact, MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY !
So how many pages have been written on this particular thread regarding the use ( or not ) of this call ????
See...Sully said it himself ! Watch the interview. Oh how quickly folk jump to conclusions...
Not sure if Captain Sullenberger will decide to keep on flying...his life certainly wont be same from this moment on.. but one thing is for certain... many many people owe their lives to the man...
So how many pages have been written on this particular thread regarding the use ( or not ) of this call ????
See...Sully said it himself ! Watch the interview. Oh how quickly folk jump to conclusions...
Not sure if Captain Sullenberger will decide to keep on flying...his life certainly wont be same from this moment on.. but one thing is for certain... many many people owe their lives to the man...
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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In this interview, he is sitting in a chair in a studio, but his right hand is briefly shown and it looks like it sits right on the throttles. It's the hard wired default position for a Captain's right hand I guess. 
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I listened to the interview and what struck me most was the lack of we.
It gives the impression that whilst he (the captain) was flying the a/c he was starting the apu and he was trying to restore power etc.
I hope if ever I was in a similar situation I would say we were (the first officer was) trying.....
It gives the impression that whilst he (the captain) was flying the a/c he was starting the apu and he was trying to restore power etc.
I hope if ever I was in a similar situation I would say we were (the first officer was) trying.....
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The captain probably had more time to deal with helping the situation than the FO already overloaded with restart checklists, etc so I can see why he was turning ignition switches on, starting the APU and other things that might help the situation. Survival was what was their concern, not who's job it was.
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We
Yes I was surprised at that & wondered if the radio transmissions were made by FO Skiles but it appears not, so he did the radio too.
also the cabin crew didn't know they were going into water, I guess the FD crew simply didn't have time.
also the cabin crew didn't know they were going into water, I guess the FD crew simply didn't have time.
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I was trying to imply that he could have mentioned in the interview that the first officer was working like a one armed paperhanger as well.
Instead, I think, he didn't mention him once.
Instead, I think, he didn't mention him once.
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Atc And Runway Choices
To AMF and PTH I would say this as both a former RAF-trained pilot, and subsequently as an ATCO. Very few ATCO's nowadays both in the civil and military have any actual flying experience other than perhaps in a single piston ac.
I can remember when aircrew on ground tours often serverd at ATCO's and their experience was very useful on many occasions. Having had in my flying training experience of such things as a QGH, (flame out descent through cloud to those not familiar with the Q-code), 1:1's (Hunter/Hawk) and icing let-downs for the Canberra, which required special care, this immediately makes you appreciate just how little time there is in such a situation as faced by Sully and his crew.
Runway 13 at La Guardia seems as though it "might" have been an option with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight....this would only have worked if it had been offered by ATC straightaway and this assumes that ATC fully understood just how dire was the emergency and knew that from 3,000 ft (agl) the Airbus would fly roughly 9 track miles. As most of us know, this gliding range is longest in a straight line and if required to turn the distance one can fly is reduced. It also assumes that it was clear and available without delay....no vehicles, no work-in-progress, no crossing traffic, ac under tow etc. etc.
One also has to consider obstacles on approach and the absence of an acceptable under-shoot. Going for a ditching in the Hudson removed much of the guesswork of whether you are going to "make it" or not and the risk of "collateral" damage if it all went to cock was minimised - Sully didn't want to repeat 9/11.....
What this shows to me is that Sully acted decicively, showed captaincy of the highest order, outstanding airmanship and knew how best to use the energy he had left to manoevre the ac to a survivable crash/landing. He continued to "fly the aircraft" and did not allow external distractions to spoil the outcome. This requires total situational awareness.
The final factor was that he was "lucky" that it was day and VMC but when the chips are down its is amazing how exceptional pilots somehow make their own luck in situations like these. I am in no doubt that Sully's military background helped him no end.......
MB
I can remember when aircrew on ground tours often serverd at ATCO's and their experience was very useful on many occasions. Having had in my flying training experience of such things as a QGH, (flame out descent through cloud to those not familiar with the Q-code), 1:1's (Hunter/Hawk) and icing let-downs for the Canberra, which required special care, this immediately makes you appreciate just how little time there is in such a situation as faced by Sully and his crew.
Runway 13 at La Guardia seems as though it "might" have been an option with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight....this would only have worked if it had been offered by ATC straightaway and this assumes that ATC fully understood just how dire was the emergency and knew that from 3,000 ft (agl) the Airbus would fly roughly 9 track miles. As most of us know, this gliding range is longest in a straight line and if required to turn the distance one can fly is reduced. It also assumes that it was clear and available without delay....no vehicles, no work-in-progress, no crossing traffic, ac under tow etc. etc.
One also has to consider obstacles on approach and the absence of an acceptable under-shoot. Going for a ditching in the Hudson removed much of the guesswork of whether you are going to "make it" or not and the risk of "collateral" damage if it all went to cock was minimised - Sully didn't want to repeat 9/11.....
What this shows to me is that Sully acted decicively, showed captaincy of the highest order, outstanding airmanship and knew how best to use the energy he had left to manoevre the ac to a survivable crash/landing. He continued to "fly the aircraft" and did not allow external distractions to spoil the outcome. This requires total situational awareness.
The final factor was that he was "lucky" that it was day and VMC but when the chips are down its is amazing how exceptional pilots somehow make their own luck in situations like these. I am in no doubt that Sully's military background helped him no end.......
MB
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I listened to the interview and what struck me most was the lack of we.
Don't forget, what you saw and heard was a piece of bigtime entertainment media. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.
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I am only a lapsed PPL and frequent SLF, so you professionals can shoot me down if you want, but whether he did or did not call three times "Mayday" can and will be established in due course, but is it so important?
I would rather have the successful outcome we all know about, than to hear "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.... Bang....." on the recordings.
I was taught as a PPL to "aviate, navigate, communicate" in that order.
He "rivered" (can't call it "landed") because he successfully aviated.
He missed some rather densely populated buildings in the vicinity because he navigated.
He let ATC know he had a problem succintly, even if his terminology may in the future be judged to be not quite textbook. ATC seemed to grasp it pretty quickly. Is it not that which counts?
And of course when I say "he", I really mean "they" because he was not alone at the front.
Indeed, the whole team in the aircraft seem to have been pretty good at their jobs.
Heros? No. Just extremely skilled and dedicated and worthy of respect
I would rather have the successful outcome we all know about, than to hear "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.... Bang....." on the recordings.
I was taught as a PPL to "aviate, navigate, communicate" in that order.
He "rivered" (can't call it "landed") because he successfully aviated.
He missed some rather densely populated buildings in the vicinity because he navigated.
He let ATC know he had a problem succintly, even if his terminology may in the future be judged to be not quite textbook. ATC seemed to grasp it pretty quickly. Is it not that which counts?
And of course when I say "he", I really mean "they" because he was not alone at the front.
Indeed, the whole team in the aircraft seem to have been pretty good at their jobs.
Heros? No. Just extremely skilled and dedicated and worthy of respect
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I listened to the interview and what struck me most was the lack of we.
I agree, from everything I have seen and heard on the ditching you would think that US Air have a dispensation to fly the 320 with single pilot. Without being 100% sure I dont think "Sully" EVER mentioned let alone praised his cockpit companion. I thought those types were long dead.....I wonder what the press would have said if God forbid, 100 or so pax drowned?????
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Captured 60' on tivo/dvr, but haven't watched it yet. Probably won't now if there was no WE in the program, whether due to editing or ego.
Even if F/O Skiles had turned into a blathering idiot, which I highly doubt, it would be right for the Capt. to praise him in public.
GB
Even if F/O Skiles had turned into a blathering idiot, which I highly doubt, it would be right for the Capt. to praise him in public.
GB
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TV interviews like the one on 60 Minutes involve hours of taping, which is then heavily edited into just a few minutes that is shown on TV. What you are seeing is what CBS chose out of that footage, and is not necessarily representative of the bulk of what the Capt. Sullenberger said. He may well have spent quite a bit of time praising his co-pilot, all of which wound up on the figurative cutting room floor. Don't blame the Captain for the network's editing.
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Earlier posts suggest 'the first successful ditching on water' that may be true. But let us not forget, the Hudson river was like a mill pond, calm. I doubt very much that taking this event to the open sea (3ft) swells would have had the same outcome.
TV interviews like the one on 60 Minutes involve hours of taping, which is then heavily edited into just a few minutes that is shown on TV. What you are seeing is what CBS chose out of that footage, and is not necessarily representative of the bulk of what the Capt. Sullenberger said. He may well have spent quite a bit of time praising his co-pilot, all of which wound up on the figurative cutting room floor. Don't blame the Captain for the network's editing.
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Some of you really need to get lives and stop parsing every second of a television interview to determine what the man thought or may have said.
Sullenberger told reporters the rescue wouldn't have been possible without the rest of his crew.
"Much of this in the least three weeks has been about one person and I want to correct the record — this was a crew effort," said Sullenberger. "Our crew of five and the first responders as well as the cooperation of the passengers made this possible."
Bloomberg said the incident reminded passengers that flight crews "are true professionals and not just there to serve drinks and snacks — they are there to keep us safe."
The crew was also given dinner and tickets to the Broadway show Chicago.
Earlier, Sullenberger made the rounds of morning television news shows.
He told the "Early Show" on CBS that he felt there was too much attention on him, and "not enough on the team."
"Much of this in the least three weeks has been about one person and I want to correct the record — this was a crew effort," said Sullenberger. "Our crew of five and the first responders as well as the cooperation of the passengers made this possible."
Bloomberg said the incident reminded passengers that flight crews "are true professionals and not just there to serve drinks and snacks — they are there to keep us safe."
The crew was also given dinner and tickets to the Broadway show Chicago.
Earlier, Sullenberger made the rounds of morning television news shows.
He told the "Early Show" on CBS that he felt there was too much attention on him, and "not enough on the team."