Tom yanks the throttle as ‘Sully’ takes-off to celebrate a heroic landing
The film ‘Sully’ is about Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger of the US Airways and his heroic stewardship of his aircraft in January 2009. Actor Tom Hanks plays the lead and going by the reviews has done a good job. The film has had a very good
opening. Immediately after take-off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Sully’s plane, flight 1549 flew into a flock of geese. The resulting damage to the engines left the Captain and his First Officer without much chance.
A Captain’s Choice
Captain Chesley had two possible conventional options. Either to try to head back to LaGuardia Airport or to land at an airport closer to him, the Teterboro Airport at New Jersey. Finally he decides against both these options. He attempts to land on the frigid waters of the Hudson River and succeeds. All the 155 passengers and crew members escape unharmed.
The National Transportation Safety Board tried to question Sully’s decision by claiming that the Captain’s action was not the best possible one. They believed he had enough time to make it to either of the two airports as stated above. However practical simulation tests conducted later proved that Sully’s decision was the best possible under the circumstances.
Cool Chilli’s Comments
The NewsTikka team believes in leveraging technology but also believes that our intuitive intelligence tempered by logical thinking should not be dispensed with easily. Our opinion is that the thousands of years of Evolution would have done something beneficial.
Had Sully not gone with his gut feeling, helped of course by his vast flying and other relevant experiences, his reputation may not have been so unsullied. He and others aboard the flight might not even have lived to tell the tale. We are amazed by the power of the Human Spirit and the Human Intellect, which, in the right hands, can wrest hope and happiness out of despair.
We salute Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffery Skiles!
Additional Reading
Knowledge Necessary but not sufficient in Wisdom’s absence
