CYNICISM SURVIVES A WATER LANDING

1/16/09

Yesterday, Americans were thrilled to learn that everyone on US Air Flight 1549 out of LaGuardia survived what normally would have been a multi-fatality crash into the Hudson River after a flock of geese rendered one of the A320’s engines inoperable. The passengers were saved from the 40 degree waters of the Hudson through the valiant efforts of local ferry operators, police officers, fire fighters, and ordinary citizens. But most of the credit for their survival, and for the avoidance of even worse carnage, goes to Captain Chesley B. (“Sully”) Sullenberger III. Captain Sullenberger, a former Air Force F-4 pilot has been flying with US Air since 1980 and has 19,000 hours of experience with US Air. He managed to avoid the skyscrapers of Manhattan and execute a perfect water landing in the crowded Hudson, a feat for which pilots are trained but that many experts believe is very difficult, almost impossibly so, to execute in real life. Captain Sullenberger did execute the landing in real life, saving the lives of his passengers and crew and of countless others who would have died had the plane crashed, say, into a skyscraper or onto a busy New York street. He then walked the length of the plane to make sure that no passengers were left behind. He was the last to leave the plane for safety.

All Americans ought to be proud of the efforts of all those involved in the rescue of Flight 1549, and especially of Captain Sullenberger. Captain Sullenberger is a true American hero, the type of person who made our country once great, and an increasingly rare breed.

My cynicism, however, cannot go on break for very long.

After watching, listening to, and reading the story of Captain Sullenberger and Flight 1549, I couldn’t help but wonder how much time will pass before some snot noses in a private equity group buy US Air and decide to fire Captain Sullenberger because, due to his long tenure, he makes too much money, replace him with a kid right out of flight school who will work for ¼ of his salary, and then pay themselves (After all, they are the types whose “managerial talent” is in such short supply in our economy.) bonuses at the rate of ten times Captain Sullenberger’s former salary.

Just wondering.