You’re a true hero Captain Sullenberger; come see us.

Scully 2012!

*After his polictial positions have been understood

ThePrez on January 24, 2009 at 7:55 PM

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here we go ……………..

We already have had enough of the former and need more of the latter.

The Sullenbergers are a truly classy family.

This man is what boys should be looking to as a role model. A brave and steady man, that did his duty to the utmost of his formidable ability. I salute him.

My point was simply that his actions didn’t fit any classic definition of heroism (selfless acts of bravery to save others). He and the crew, in his own words, were simply “doing the job we were trained to do.” I’m guessing some people here think that any other person would just point the plane to the ground, scream “screw it all” and kill everyone on board. My guess is ANY trained pilot would have done the EXACT same thing.

TheBlueSite on January 25, 2009 at 1:44 AM

If you want to call the pilot a hero in that sense, fair enough. I would call it absolute competence in the face of death and terror. And obviously the behavior of all on that plane was a shining example of bravery. But I usually reserve the title hero to those who can choose to avoid the crisis. For example, firemen who voluntarily rushed into the World Trade Center were heroes.

Mr. Joe on January 25, 2009 at 1:15 PM

In other words, his actions did not render him a hero per se, and could not have done so unless he were uninvolved to begin with and chose to get involved in order to save the day?

In this example, if and only if he had been *outside* of the airplane, noticed it falling from the sky, pilotless, and then somehow got himself aboard the plane (at 10,000 ft.), leapt into the cockpit and flew everyone to safety, then he’d be a hero.

But in this case, he was merely the attending pilot. Therefore, he is merely brave and capable under pressure, and not a hero.

Something like that?

Via Hot Air:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Previously:
Video Of US Airways Flight 1549 Hudson River Crash Landing

Hero On the Hudson…

All of the crew could have avoided the crisis by bailing out and ignoring the passengers. The captain did not have to check the passenger compartment twice. The captain and crew could have been the first out of the freezing waters. These were decisions that they made that placed their lives at risk.

The EMS, Fire, and Police officers that went into the WTCs did not know that the building was going to collapse. It was unheard of for this to happen at the time. Were they lesser heroes because if it? No. Could the aircraft had rapidly filled with water leaving these crew members in cold water that would have killed them in minutes? Yes.

So my point is this, do not try to ascribe bravery upon the outcome of the of the incident. The emergency workers of 9/11 were heroes because they risked their lives, not because they lost them. The same should be applied to the this crew as well.

If you want to call the pilot a hero in that sense, fair enough. I would call it absolute competence in the face of death and terror. And obviously the behavior of all on that plane was a shining example of bravery. But I usually reserve the title hero to those who can choose to avoid the crisis. For example, firemen who voluntarily rushed into the World Trade Center were heroes.

I do not know your background except from your web site. From what i can tell it appears that you and I have similar beliefs and stands. I know that this pilot and crew are heroes for many of the things listed above. Foremost is a willingness to place others ahead of themselves. If you think that they knew that the plane would stay floating in the Hudson you are very mistaken. There are many things that could have caused a massive failure and rapid sinking of the craft. You knew it would stay afloat only by hindsight. If there had been a failure of the structure, large wave, or collision from another craft when the captain was inspecting for passengers he would more than likely died. The water temperature would have incapacitated him rapidly and he would have went down in the aluminum coffin.

Many of the naysayers in this thread obviously have not had the responsibility of someone’s life in their hands. The pressure, rapid decisions, and fear have caused many to break. Having performed under those conditions I can tell you that this terror is real. Each and every member of this crew should receive accolades, and be honored by all of us. I have not worked in the field for many years, and I can guarantee that I am more cynical than almost anyone you have ever met. However I know bravery when I see it, and this crew is truly a definition of self sacrificing heroes. And all of us should be thankful that they will get the opportunity to serve again by not having to pay that highest price that they were willing to offer.

What he was is competent. We admire that in people. Those who do not freeze in a crisis, but act, and act well. The pilot had about three minutes from the bird strike to the landing to get that plane down without killing everyone on board and possibly scores of other people on the ground. And he did it. And we admire that. Because it is a very good thing.

And again, I am sure he owes it all to Microsoft Flight Simulator, which by the way you can repeat this flight (I am not sure they have the Airbus he was flying, but you can pick La Guardia and recreate the flight).

TheBlueSite

An interesting argument, flawed in two ways I think.

1 – Heroism is in the sight of the beholder. i.e. we call it heroism because it inspires others.

2 – Because it is the “job” of someone doesn’t take it out of the arena of heroism. Our troops must be considered heroes, and yet most, if not all, will tell you that they are just doing their job. The same is true of firemen. Because it’s a job doesn’t make it heroic.

And in my opinion, based upon the words you have written throughout this thread, I would define you as the classic example of an emotionally shallow, self-centered cynic.

Rod on January 25, 2009 at 8:43 AM

…or he is just desperately seeking attention…

(i.e. — Geraldo) in a week since the incident, he must be hiding something and the incident must have been due to negligence on his part.

jon1979 on January 25, 2009 at 10:02 A

He was sequestered for a week by the authorities, even his wife didn’t have much contact…normal procedure when a major accident takes place.
A total de-briefing, it is a military thing, find out all the information before it is lost by memories or distorted interviews…of course if Geraldo has spent any real time with the military he would understand that, and a simple look at FAA regulation would expose that.

Yeah, you might want to wait. The co-pilot and his wife campaigned for Obama.

SnarkVader on January 24, 2009 at 8:17 PM

That’s why he is just a co-pilot and not command material…a good back up, but not ready for leadership…leave that to the real men.

TheBlueSite – a person of too many words and silly arguments.

I wonder how long it will take for the Democrats to throw him under the bus???

some would argue it is, indeed, heroic to instead of going to a large law firm to make tens of millions, to decide to go and work with community leaders to make life better for others. If you sacrifice not your own life but millions of dollars, is that heroic? Would most Obama supporters argue that it is, indeed, heroic?

Fauxbama didn’t make life any better for others as a community organizer.
Research it.
Nor did he sacrifice “millions of dollars.”
He left the law firm and became a community organizer so he could tap into the Chicago political machine where he’s made…millions of dollars and become a state legislator, then a Senator and now POTUS
(His campaign has gotten and spent about $1 billion–what even the best lawyers make is chump change.)
These are not the actions of a hero, but of someone who is cunning, calculating and ambitious.
He’s never done his job or even had a job and he’s done almost nothing to help others while doing quite a bit to help himself and his political cronies.
Hero? Massive fail.

Jenfidel on January 25, 2009 at 2:56 AM

Jenfidel — Well said!

Community Organizer = agitator

I just don’t see anything heroic about wanting to live and landing a plane safely to do so. I think it belittle true acts of heroism (where you risk your own life for others) to label Sullenberger a hero.

My point was simply that his actions didn’t fit any classic definition of heroism (selfless acts of bravery to save others).

TheBlueSite on January 24, 2009 at 10:11 PM

“Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero”

In time a great crisis, he, and he alone made the decisions that saved the lives of everyone aboard his ship. There is no question that he embodies each of the traits listed above.

By it’s simplest of definitions, your statement that he does not fit the criteria for a hero is incorrect. However, it is a good reflection of your own character.

And in my opinion, based upon the words you have written throughout this thread, I would define you as the classic example of an emotionally shallow, self-centered cynic.

some would argue it is, indeed, heroic to instead of going to a large law firm to make tens of millions, to decide to go and work with community leaders to make life better for others.

TheBlueSite on January 25, 2009 at 2:21 AM

Obama only spent 3 years as a community organizer before he grew frustrated with his lack of power. He has had political ambitions all his life, and thought that he could use his stint as an organizer to make connections that would advance his political career (in addition, no doubt, to wanting his resume to include some public-service type job(s) so that he could look good to the public when he made his inevitable run for office). After graduating law school, Obama took a job at Sidley & Austin, a large and prestigious law firm. That’s hardly the kind of job a new graduate accepts if he’s not looking to make money.

The only reason the Obama-idiots think he’s heroic is because they believe the pablum that has been fed to them by an Obama-besotted MSM. The truth about his life is far different from the myths he created in his fictionalized autobiographies, and that the MSM has happily perpetuated for him.

NONE of the accounts suggest his life or even his safety were at risk when he walked the plane to make sure all had been safely removed. (You have to remember- people generally want not to be fired from their jobs or face lawsuits that would ruin their lives.)

My point was simply that his actions didn’t fit any classic definition of heroism (selfless acts of bravery to save others).

Newsflash: Floating on the Hudson River in the middle of winter for longer than a few minutes is hazardous to your health.

Blue, you sure do spend lot of energie and effort trying to take away from that all people want to do is honor this man. What exactly do you gain by making your pedantic argument? (According to the dictionary definition, his *ability* and *noble qualities* indeed characterise heroism.) Especially considering that walking up and down the aisles twice does in fact entail some risk. It may sound like merely a sound idea to avoid over-torted attorneys, but there actually have been captains who let passengers go down whilst they scrambled to save their own bottoms. (I recall a ship in particular about ten years ago, but the have been others.)

Also, there are very few cornfields near Manhattan. However, there’s a sizeable bridge, LOTS of tall buildings and very LITTLE margin for error. That he chose to credit others and not pat himself on the back also speaks volumes more than any words can do.