This makes me proud

[raefinlay]

I know that this is "bad news."  But I can't help but feel good about it.  This is how it's supposed to work.

The pilot kept his head and did everything right. The flight attendants got everyone on rafts. Rescue crews arrived within minutes. Everyone survived.

I call that a win.

Comments

[dragonmyst.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[will-ludwigsen.livejournal.com]

I'm just relieved to see all of that water landing stuff actually works!

Maybe I'll pay closer attention now on flights.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking! Big YAY for flotation devices and controlled crashings.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly so.

[writerswife.livejournal.com]

I like to see that emergency procedures really work and that people are trained to carry them out. It's a good, good thing.

[ccfinlay.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Yup, definitely a win.

[cathschaffstump.livejournal.com]

I agree. It was quite a story.

Catherine

[silkpajamas.livejournal.com]

Thank you for pointing that out. It's wonderful to notice when things work the way they're supposed to. It's wonderful to see survivors. :-)

[purdypiedad.livejournal.com]

Ooooo. The Hudson on a 20-degree day? I'd be one of the ones with hypothermia. But that is so freaking awesome! I always figured that if a plane was going to go down, there would be mass panic, and no one would remember their safety instructions. Sometimes it is very good to be wrong. What a freaking awesome pilot.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

I would definitely call it a win, too. And as such, it does not require the banner 'breaking news' on my TV six hours later. *sigh*

[hkneale.livejournal.com]

True Wins are not where nothing bad happens, but in the good handling of the bad when it happens.

This was definitely a Win.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

(also, my poll is still accurate! Hooray!)

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Holy cow, that's right! I had totally forgotten about that ticky option.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Yes, after that near-miss I expect everyone to go back and redo their answers. Wow.

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

I agree... for a really screwed up situation, everybody did everything right. That's awesome.

[retrobabble.livejournal.com]

Hee, Rae. They're all over it here because the pilot's from the Bay Area...

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Superb quick thinking on the part of the pilot. "I have to put down now...where's a large, open area?" And then being smart enough to know the wheels should not be down.

I love, also, that the local tugs and ferries immediately headed out to pick people up, and were sensible about how they did it. For the last 7+ years, we've see a lot of evidence that 9/11 changed NY's approach to crisis. People stay calm and decisive. Things that could turn into horror shows don't.

Having observed several water-crashes in my lifetime as a Queens resident (LaGuardia has short runways, over water, and every ten or fifteen years a plane goes into the drink), it's doubly obvious to me how much better handled this was than similar, earlier accidents.