This is, indeed, a wonderful story. A wonderful story that is getting pummelled into dust by the media. Holy crap, will Animal Planet have a special on this next? Will TLC have a special "What Not to Wear" featuring the passengers from this flight? Has the upcoming inauguration and the new Messiah been given credit for "changing the tone" of the planet, allowing this cool story to happen?? The overkill makes it unwatchable.

I feel jaded, thinking this way, thanks to the asses in the media shoving stories down our throats.

I guess the only thing that will sweep this from the headlines is another cute white girl disappearing, or The Messiah's coronation.

I'm frankly shocked we've heard of none yet.

Three Cheers to the flight crew (handling  large, commercial airliners requires the coordinated efforts of the entire flight crew, not just the senior pilot, you know. This is doubly true if one has lost all engine power) for safely ditching this plane.  Water ditchings are VERY difficult, especially for a large commercial airliner, so this is truly a miraculous event. 

Obama: My job is above my pay grade

My brother (NWA now Delta B-747/400 CA) said that the pilot was a United States Air Force Academy graduate. Along with all of us, I'm sure the USAFA is very proud of Captain Sullenberger.

He probably expected to die on impact (airliners tend to break up in water landings) and yet he kept his cool all the way down. After that he had the presence of mind to do two cabin checks as the jet was taking on water to make sure that no passenger had been overlooked. He was the last one off the jet according to reports.

Well done Captain and crew.

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M dad is a US Airways Captain and also flies the Airbus A320.  As soon as the story came across that an airplane was down in the Hudson, it was first thought to be a small aircraft.  I continued watching the broadcast however and soon learned that it was a jet.  When it was announced that it was a US Airways plane and an A320 at that, my heart leaped in my chest.  I immediately tried calling my father as I knew that he had left on a trip the day before.  When he did not answer my calls, I called my mother to find out where my dad's plane was at that moment.  At first when I asked her, she mentioned that he was going to Charlotte, but she did not know why I was asking.  I told her what had been reported on the news and she went directly for his flight schedule.  She was reading the flight numbers and airport codes off to me and we soon found out from this info that my father was already in Charlotte on his was to Richmond, VA. 

 We were both obviously glad that this was not my father's plane however I thoughts immediately turned to the passengers and crew of Flight 1549.  As we were watching the footage both of our phones started to ring.  Our friends, family, everyone that each of of knows, were calling to find out if my father was aboard the downed plane.  While we were happy to report that he wasn't, we obviously weren't in happy spirits thinking about those that were aboard.  This is definitely the moment that every pilot's family thinks in their subconscious, but never really thinks it is going to happen.  My father has had his share of experiences, one of which I was aboard the plane in London, England to experience for myself.  I was eight years old when we had to abort a take-off due to a fire indication in one of the engines and we had to make an emergency evacuation of the plane.  While everything was done by the book and nobody was injured in the incident, the thoughts of it have never completely strayed from my mind.  I speak to my dad at least once a day, even when he is flying and always end our call with "fly safe". 

The airline personnel have always been an extended family of sorts and I have to say from all of us that we are very proud of the way that Captain Sullenberger handled the situation.  The pilots and crew will always say that they are just doing their job, but the rest of us know in our hearts that they are heroes.  Everyday they display the professionalism that makes them who they are, but unfortunately it takes incidents such as this for the rest to realize that they are indeed the best of the best.  I must say that I hope and believe that my father would have had the same reaction as Captain Sullenberger and I for one think that we should all give Captain Sully a huge round of applause.  This is the type of person that we want as role models for our children and this is the true definition of a hero.  Especially in a world where people look up to athletes, rock stars and tv personalities more than those that display true courage and heroism.  It is the everyday hero that goes unsung and it is they who deserve our praise the most.

A big hats-off salute to Sully. It can't be easy to ditch a jet that big. Can you imagine what would have happened if that plane had cracked open or broken in half, or the wings had come off?

One thing it brings to mind -- I always thought ex-military pilots are the best for commercial pilots. They have the training, the experience, the flight hours, the right temperament and ethos  -- far  better than some young bimbo from a civilian flight school (the kind of people the gummint wants, for purposes of 'equality').

He was not only an Air Force pilot, but he was a certified glider pilot. I think we can call that a smooth glide !!!!

Hats off to Capt. Sullenberger, his co-pilot and the crew of that US Airways jet. The passengers also deserve a lot of credit for keeping cool heads and being helpful and kind to one another in a stressful situation.