Captain Sullenberger dead-sticked his Airbus A320 to a water landing on the Hudson river after a double bird strike yesterday. All 155 on board survived. What a hero.
I was particularly touched by the fact that after the plane had evacuated, he walked up and down the aircraft twice to make sure everyone had got out.
A very brave man. And yet true to American greed, the vultures – ie lawyers, are already gathering to see what they can sue him for! His next flight needs to be with about 15o litigation lawyers. Dump them into the water, and let them sink!
Definitely a brilliant pilot. Not surprisingly, he's holding glider ratings as well.
But as a fan of CRM, I'd like to underline that the copilot was flying and Captain Sullenberger decided to take-over after the strike. Taking this decision, accepting it, and managing the whole thing (including evacuation) demonstrated how good the whole crew (Captain, First Officer and 3 cabin crew) was.
But I know, for media it's well better to have a single hero.