Hero of Flight 1549

Wow! What a feat to ditch an Airbus A320 safely in the Hudson River with no loss of life. As Miles Vorkosigan is wont to say, luck favors the prepared:

• An experienced pilot and recognized safety expert with a trained crew
  
• An aircraft designed to stay afloat
• A very wide river near the airport to ditch in
• Commercial ferries and emergency craft on the scene quickly to rescue passengers
• Ferry crews that "routinely train for all types of river emergencies."
• Passengers who had just been briefed before takeoff on emergency procedures

This reader comment at the Wall Street Journal pretty well sums it up:

The pilot, co-pilot, attendants, the controllers, the teams of rescue workers, the trainers - simulators for pilot training, the manufacturer are all the heros in this event - everyone played a role and the passengers, people on the ground and the families of all were spared a real tragedy today. Thank the Lord we have dedicated, well-trained people in many walks of life - without them, life would be very difficult for many of us.

Comment by Jim - January 15, 2009 at 11:45 pm

The Smoking Gun shares the resume of Capt Sullennberger (h/t Drudge).

Cross-posted at RareKate Writes.