Not to take anything away from Sully.........
Originally Posted by
iPilot
Before my rant, as an FO I have to agree that he needed more credit. It wouldn't have been that hard to let him have at least a sentence in what he did during all this however....
I thought Sully was quite reserved the whole time and courteous. Sure the FO didn't get much face time but I think we have to realize that most people have absolutely no idea how a 2 crew thing works. Instead of spending the majority of the piece explaining who did what and who gets the appropriate amount of credit, just go with it. Not saying the FO doesn't deserve plenty of kudos but I think we all have to realize that, like most news pieces, have to be framed properly for the audience.
And one good reason Sully should get every bit of respect he's getting: he was the one at the controls when the plane hit the water and that alone took some dang fine piloting to keep it in one piece. Basically at that point everyone was along for the ride, including the FO.
But this crew was also very lucky,....... lucky that they had enough altitude to reach the Hudson,........ lucky that it was day time,.....not IMC,.....lucky that the Hudson was calm and that the A320 like the E190 must be one of the best gliders among Airline jets as it is near impossible to stall. If the system was stil working that is....
They do not have a stickshaker as it is not necessary because they have a system that trims it to prevent it from stalling so if you trim it up when not having power the airplane itself will keep lowest possible flying speed until it hits the ground (or water). Not that the slowest flying speed is always the best glide speed but it takes away the problem of getting to slow and worrying about stalling when having to manuver to reach your landing spot.,
The system gives you more time to concentrate on calculating your landing spot......... .....the system is perfect for landing with no engines. I wonder if the media know this.
Not taking away from Sully AND THE CREW that they did an excellent job., and not tring to make any point or sound if I know much about the A320
Last edited by HermannGraf; 02-08-2009 at 07:02 PM.