Mr.smiley
02-12-2009, 01:28 PM
A Timely Metaphor:
Where is Sully when you need him? The US Airways pilot who successfully landed his plane with 155 passengers in the Hudson River. A remarkable feat of heroism and calmness stemming from years of experience and training. His Co-pilot and crew were no less remarkable in maintaining calm and focus to assure the passengers were lead to safety from the sinking plane and chilly waters of the Hudson.
Where is Sully when you need him? The highly trained pilot who, once acknowledging that both his engines were out on his A310 jetliner some 3,000 feet in the air, assessed his situation, tuned out the advice of the nearby traffic control tower and steered his crippled ship towards his best option – the Hudson and a controlled crash. He could have continued to try to restart the engines while turning back towards the airport as the control tower instructed. But Sully was a well trained pilot who knew altitude and air speed were critical to maintaining some control. Both of which were sharply declining. So he made his decision to land in the Hudson. His crew was advised, the passengers were prepared and his flight plan set. He reasoned that it was better to set a course for a controlled crash than to risk everything and hope for a return to the airport which in his experience and training knew was not an option.
This story is well-known. The controlled crash of Flight 1549 on January 15th of 2009 saved the lives of all 155 crew and passengers on board. The decision to land in the Hudson even though it meant losing the aircraft was the right one. Sully and his crew were heralded as heroes and rightly so.
We are all on an airplane right now that is headed for a crash. America's economy has flamed out – its engines are dead and we currently find ourselves 3,000 feet in the air while quickly losing air speed. Unlike Sully, our pilot is inexperience and largely untrained. But everyone – or most everyone- on board believes he can accomplish the impossible and land safely. The crew, although mostly experienced, can't agree on what safety procedures to take and are thus in a state of confusion. The pilot is being told from the control tower to keep trying to restart the engines – hoping that if he keeps pumping fuel in them they will restart and enable the
plane to get back to the airport. The pilot is unsure – doesn't have the training to really know what to do so he is listening to the control tower, his co-pilot and his squabbling crew. This is his first real jet he has flown - always flown little piper planes before this. And now with millions of lives in his stead he has to make a decision. But this pilot believes what everyone has told him prior to taking his seat on the left side of the cock-pit. That he can accomplish wonders and do great things with this incredible jet that he now controls. And so he turns back towards the airport from which he came convinced he has enough altitude and air speed to get him back and safely,
land the plane. But he is wrong. The plane quickly loses air speed and begins to drop like a rock. What could have been a controlled crash in the Hudson now becomes a fiery catastrophic crash with no hope for rescue.
Where is Sully when you need him?
Where is Sully when you need him? The US Airways pilot who successfully landed his plane with 155 passengers in the Hudson River. A remarkable feat of heroism and calmness stemming from years of experience and training. His Co-pilot and crew were no less remarkable in maintaining calm and focus to assure the passengers were lead to safety from the sinking plane and chilly waters of the Hudson.
Where is Sully when you need him? The highly trained pilot who, once acknowledging that both his engines were out on his A310 jetliner some 3,000 feet in the air, assessed his situation, tuned out the advice of the nearby traffic control tower and steered his crippled ship towards his best option – the Hudson and a controlled crash. He could have continued to try to restart the engines while turning back towards the airport as the control tower instructed. But Sully was a well trained pilot who knew altitude and air speed were critical to maintaining some control. Both of which were sharply declining. So he made his decision to land in the Hudson. His crew was advised, the passengers were prepared and his flight plan set. He reasoned that it was better to set a course for a controlled crash than to risk everything and hope for a return to the airport which in his experience and training knew was not an option.
This story is well-known. The controlled crash of Flight 1549 on January 15th of 2009 saved the lives of all 155 crew and passengers on board. The decision to land in the Hudson even though it meant losing the aircraft was the right one. Sully and his crew were heralded as heroes and rightly so.
We are all on an airplane right now that is headed for a crash. America's economy has flamed out – its engines are dead and we currently find ourselves 3,000 feet in the air while quickly losing air speed. Unlike Sully, our pilot is inexperience and largely untrained. But everyone – or most everyone- on board believes he can accomplish the impossible and land safely. The crew, although mostly experienced, can't agree on what safety procedures to take and are thus in a state of confusion. The pilot is being told from the control tower to keep trying to restart the engines – hoping that if he keeps pumping fuel in them they will restart and enable the
plane to get back to the airport. The pilot is unsure – doesn't have the training to really know what to do so he is listening to the control tower, his co-pilot and his squabbling crew. This is his first real jet he has flown - always flown little piper planes before this. And now with millions of lives in his stead he has to make a decision. But this pilot believes what everyone has told him prior to taking his seat on the left side of the cock-pit. That he can accomplish wonders and do great things with this incredible jet that he now controls. And so he turns back towards the airport from which he came convinced he has enough altitude and air speed to get him back and safely,
land the plane. But he is wrong. The plane quickly loses air speed and begins to drop like a rock. What could have been a controlled crash in the Hudson now becomes a fiery catastrophic crash with no hope for rescue.
Where is Sully when you need him?