E-I-C Note: The Aero-TV Team --
Jim, Tom, Nathan, Paul, The
'Other' Jim, Ashley, Birgit, Wes, Klyde, Anjin, and the rest of the
aero-gnomes -- want to wish you Happy Holidays while we
all pursue our own various and sundry holiday diversions. Our
regular daily webcasting schedule will resume promptly on
Monday, January 3rd, 2011. In the meantime, please enjoy this
'classic' episode of Aero-TV from the past year
as we all recover from our various and sundry
Christmas celebrations...
Jeff Skiles, First Officer of US Airways Flight 1549, "The
Miracle on the Hudson," was the guest speaker for the AEA Annual
Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 9th, during the Aircraft
Electronics Association's 53rd annual International Convention
& Trade Show, from April 7-10, in Orlando, FL -- he was also
our guest for an intriguing interview shortly before that
speech.
Skiles stepped into history on a bright, 20-degree afternoon in
January 2009, as US Airways Flight 1549 rolled down New York La
Guardia Airport's main runway with 155 passengers and crew, headed
skyward for Charlotte, NC. Everything was normal until Skiles
spotted a formation of Canada geese on the right side of the
aircraft, seemingly headed directly toward them.
Skiles, who was flying the plane manually, was relieved when the
nose of the plane rose above the geese, but that relief was
short-lived. A few seconds later, he heard four distinct "thunks"
as the birds crashed into the engines of the Airbus A320. Both
engines immediately failed. Skiles lost his instruments.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger took over flying the plane and
lowered the nose to retain airspeed. Within 60 seconds, the pilots
made the decision that returning to LaGuardia or diverting to
Teterboro or Newark Airports was just too risky - they'd have to
fly over densely populated areas and there was no guarantee they'd
make it. So, surrounded by nothing but skyscrapers and
neighborhoods, they decided to head to the only open, flat space
available: the Hudson River.
In his humble, Midwestern style, Skiles has criss-crossed the
country explaining the key lessons of teamwork, adaptability,
training and preparation, which he and his crewmates relied on that
day, and relates these concepts to the daily lives of individuals
and organizations. From the mechanics and the maintenance workers
to the people who write the emergency protocols and the flight
attendants, Skiles believes every level of the US Airways
organization is responsible for the outcome on January 15,
2009.