The OTHER HERO & PILOT: Jeff Skiles, US Airways

[Voice Of Reason]

http://gawker.com/5133340/why-we-should-leave-sully-alone

 

[Voice Of Reason]

Thought this was put well...

"
Now that the jubilation has settled down, I think it’s important to point something out.
No rational airline pilot wishes to be called a hero.
It’s true. If you are called that….name, it means that something very bad has happened. It means that you undoubtedly had something to do with the situation (even if you were the reason the situation turned out well).
It means you will be put under the microscope by the Feds, and the passenger’s attorneys, and whatever dimwitted reporter is staked out at the front of the terminal after the accident/incident (your company always prohibits you from talking to the press - It’s in the Employee Handbook! READ IT! NOW!!).
It means that you dare not pick up the phone when it rings once you get home (unless you have caller ID).
It means you are probably not going to be able to leave the house for awhile, and when you do, you’re going to have to replant that area out by the sidewalk, where said dimwitted press types have been holed up waiting to dry gulch you in an interview (that you have to hide from anyway).
You’re probably going to end up in civil court for the remainder of your natural life while the legion of passenger lowlifes are competing in the Great American Lottery (lawsuits).
If you get the aircraft safely to the gate (or otherwise), and if you get the last passenger safely off the aircraft (or otherwise), and if you’re able to walk off the plane (or otherwise), then you will have to run the press gauntlet at the front of the terminal.
I’ve known guys that have foreseen the impending inquisition, and changed into their civvies before walking out of the terminal, and then hidden in the parking lot until one of the other crewmembers could rent a van and sneak everyone off airport property.
There is no percentage for a line pilot in being called that….name. It’s not like the military, where you get to wear a nice medal (there’s no place to wear it anyway), or maybe get a promotion because of it (your seniority system limits that). You certainly won’t get raise or a bonus for it (your union contract limits that as well).
No, being called a hero is never a good thing for an airline pilot. If you make the mistake of doing so to his/her face we will smile, offer our embarrassed thanks, and rapidly scurry off since we’ve been recognized (never a good thing). If you are kind, just write a short note thanking us for saving your lives, and give it to a flight attendant (she’ll get it to us). We can read it when we’re alone. That’s a nice thing to do. A private expression of gratitude is always the best. We usually don’t have enough time alone, at home, as it is." --1/16/2009 by Commenter "Habib" on MichelleMalkin.com "

 

[Voice Of Reason]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37719984.html

Great story about JEFF and photo at link

Co-pilot braved frigid waters to retrieve vests for passengers

Wisconsin woman, fiance were among those saved

By Stacy Forster of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Jan. 16, 2009
West Bend attorney Stephanie King and her fiancé, Andrew Gray, were in New York this week to celebrate her 29th birthday before going on to visit his parents in Fayetteville, N.C.
They didn't know the Big Apple could be so exciting.
As the US Airways jet bound for Charlotte, N.C., climbed into the air Thursday from New York's LaGuardia Airport, passengers aboard heard a bang before the engines of the plane suddenly went silent.
"Andrew was by a window seat, and it looked like we were losing altitude," King recounted. "Then the pilot told everyone to brace for impact."
King and Gray, a former U.S. Army captain who served two tours in Afghanistan, kissed, said, "I love you" to one another and began to pray.
"We were praying out loud," King said. "I thought we were going down into the city, into the buildings."
All 155 passengers on the US Airways Airbus A320 were rescued after the plane hit a flock of birds following takeoff from LaGuardia, lost power and had to land in the Hudson River. The plane was co-piloted by another Wisconsinite, Jeffrey Skiles of Oregon, south of Madison.
When Gray and King realized they'd landed on the river, King said late Friday, her fiancé told her to remove her seat belt. Within minutes, the two were on the right wing of the aircraft, waiting for an approaching ferry.
"We were soaking wet," King said. "I was trying to keep my balance because it was very slippery.
"Everything seemed like slow motion, but it probably lasted only a minute or two," King said of the time passengers heard the bang and the plane landed in the water. After the plane hit the water, she said, "there was no panic, but everybody was concerned about getting off the plane because we smelled the fire," adding that water was beginning to seep into the fuselage.
Interviewed by phone during a train ride to complete their trip to Fayetteville, King said she and Gray would love to invite the pilot to their wedding.
"We thank God for giving us that pilot and equipping him with skills and quick thinking," she said.
"We give thanks to both God and the pilot."
Co-pilot helped passengers

Earlier Friday, Barbara Skiles of the Dane County Village of Oregon described the experience of her husband, Jeffrey, the plane's co-pilot.
The water in the Hudson River was so cold that Jeffrey Skiles' legs were immediately numb, Barbara Skiles said.
Skiles said her husband, 49, walked through the plane to find more life vests for people who had exited without them. The quick response from New York City's police and fire departments, as well as ferries and other boats that helped bring passengers to safety, was a key reason no one was killed, she said.
"He did say that it was amazing the help that they got&ensp.&ensp.&ensp.&ensphow quickly boats were at the side of the airplane," she said.
Skiles said her husband lost his cell phone in the incident, but used a borrowed phone to call her with news about the accident.
" 'We had to ditch the plane in the Hudson, I want you to know I'm OK and I think we got everybody off OK,' " she said he told her. She said she's spoken with him a couple more times from his hotel room, but isn't sure when he'll be home.
"I think it's still sinking in," she said of how he's feeling. "He just really doesn't know how things are going to happen from here."
Jeffrey Skiles got his private pilot's license when he was a teenager and has been flying professionally since his early 20s, spending the past 23 years flying for US Airways, Barbara Skiles said.
He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison who majored in geology and geophysics.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is inviting Jeffrey and Barbara Skiles, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to its next meeting Feb. 5 and 6, said university system spokesman David Giroux.
"It's always nice to see UW graduates do well and serve so admirably under intense pressure," Giroux said.
Barbara Skiles and the couple's three children, ages 17, 15 and 12, spent Thursday evening watching TV coverage for more news about the incident, and were hoping media attention dies down soon so they can get back to their normal lives.
"We're so grateful," she said, fighting back tears. "Not just for Jeff but for everybody on the plane."
She said she's always worried more about her husband driving to airports in Chicago and Milwaukee than flying.
"If you're going to be in an airplane disaster, you couldn't ask for a better ending," she said.
Erica Perez of the Journal Sentinel staff in Milwaukee contributed to this report. Stacy Forster reported from Oregon; Jesse Garza from Milwaukee.

Find this article at:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37719984.html

 

[Voice Of Reason]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37719984.html
Barbara Skiles and the couple's three children, ages 17, 15 and 12, spent Thursday evening watching TV coverage for more news about the incident, and were hoping media attention dies down soon so they can get back to their normal lives.
"We're so grateful," she said, fighting back tears. "Not just for Jeff but for everybody on the plane."
She said she's always worried more about her husband driving to airports in Chicago and Milwaukee than flying.

In stark contrast, Sully's family:

"The captain's wife says a trip to D.C. might happen.
He received a congratulatory phone call from President-elect Obama on Friday night. Now, a trip to D.C. could be "in the works" for Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and family, says the heroic pilot's wife.
"Our [two] daughters would love to go see the Jonas Brothers" who perform Monday at an inaugural ball, Sullenberger's wife Lorrie told CBS News correspondent Priya David on "The Early Show," Saturday edition. "So we're thinking about [going to D.C.]. I would love to go. It's in the works, I believe."
During their five-minute phone conversation Friday evening, Obama thanked Sullenberger and his crew for ensuring that all 155 people aboard the plane survived the crash into the Hudson River, Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs tells the Associated Press.
There might be another honor in store for the hero pilot yet: NY Gov. David Paterson says an anonymous individual has offered to donate $10,000 to have a statue of Sullenberger erected, reports the New York Post."
Posted January 17, 2009 11:31:00 AM

 

[instructordude]

I heard he was invited to stand next to Obama in the Inaguaration Ceremony.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Oh, yeah by the way this happened too


Incident: Interjet A320 at Guadalajara on Jan 16th 2009, bird strike

By Simon Hradecky, created Saturday, Jan 17th 2009 15:53Z, last updated Saturday, Jan 17th 2009 15:53Z

An Interjet Airbus A320-200, flight 4O-809 from Guadalajara to San Jose Cabo (Mexico) with 106 passengers, struck a vulture with its left engine while departing from Guadalajara forcing the crew to shut the engine down and return to Guadalajara. The airplane landed safely about 20 minutes after liftoff.

A replacement aircraft took the passengers to San Jose Cabo several hours later.

Passengers reported, that the airplane shook after the bird was ingested and the smell of burned feathers developed in the cabin.


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[denny]

You're going down too when he blows it, but you don't always have a lot of horsepower to keep 'em from blowing it.

PIPE

You state a very important principle of the crew concept. While the captain retains ultimate authority the first officer is shouldered with ensuring that the captain exercises his authority or not considering the situation. As the first officer you have every obligation, authority and responsibility to keep the captain from screwing up including taking control of the aircraft on the ground or in the air.

 

[relief tube]

APC shows US narrow-body FOs topping out at 85 per hour, and the CA at 125. It's criminal what the greedy CEOs and lawyers have done to this profession. .

You really think its them, and not the $149 fares JFk-FLL and ATL-LAS? Hope those at those airlines use this as a reason to ask for more.

 

[SLUF4]

Just read a usatoday article and the NTSB says the "ditching switch" was not pushed because it was at the end of a 3 page double engine failure checklist. But it floated pretty nicely anyway. Amazing job by everyone and i too am disappointed that the media has hardly given any credit to the FO and FA's.

 

[Sedona16]

If this wasnt already mentioned the first officer did the takeoff and was flying up through the double engine failure....then "Sully" said "my plane"......

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/nyregion/18plane.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss