Plane Answers: Why captain Sullenberger and his crew deserve the hero status

by Kent Wien on

There’s an interesting trend in our culture that cites pilots either as heroes or villains based on their performance in an emergency. I would imagine that Captain “Sully” Sullenberger would actually cringe at a pilot being given either label. And while we won’t hear from him until the airing of 60 Minutes this Sunday, I imagine he’ll proclaim that he simply did his job the best he could, and that the entire crew’s training contributed to the successful ditching.

But Captain Sullenberger might deserve far more credit than he’s (hypothetically) giving himself. Sullenberger’s ‘stick and rudder’ skills are what I would hope most pilots are capable of. But his true act of heroism, and the main reason he may actually deserve that label, isn’t getting much attention.

It was his decision to abandon any chance of an engine-out landing back at LaGuardia or the Teterborough airport, and make his way for the Hudson River, that should be commended. Considering the position they were in, I’d imagine a majority of pilots (probably myself included) would have made the attempt to turn back to LaGuardia. Of course, in hindsight, this would have been far riskier.

Prior to US Airways 1549, ditching an airliner in icy water has, for most pilots, been a euphemism for meeting thy maker.
We train for ditching scenarios mostly in ground school, since the simulator can’t really recreate a water landing. In a classroom we cover the emergency equipment, slide and emergency exit operation, safety equipment location and crew member responsibilities every 9 months to a year during our recurrent training.

We’ve been told that a successful ditching is entirely possible, that the airplane will have a rather significant amount of buoyancy, and in fact “may float for a considerable amount of time if intact.”

This Pan Am ditching is a good example of that theory.

In the simulator, we often end our training session with a ‘dead stick’ (engine out) landing at an airport within 50 to 100 miles of our location which is rather realistic. Realistic enough to be sweating by the time you touch down.

Even after being taught about the potential for a successful ditching, most pilots imagine their scenario in the middle of the Atlantic. And this thought has led many of us to consider a successful ditching rather improbable.

Since every pilot has now witnessed how successful a well planned ditching can be, Captain Sullenberger may deserve some credit in the future for saving lives. There haven’t been many recent ditching examples, and certainly none have received more attention than that of US Airways 1549.

I’m sure many pilots would have made attempts to go for the other airports with varying degrees of success. I’m looking forward to running through this exact scenario in the simulator. I’ll be sure to share the excitement of attempting to land at LaGuardia in a future Cockpit Chronicles. In the meantime, you can try your luck using a rather ridiculous web simulation.

My hat’s off to the captain for making this difficult decision, his command of the evacuation and even his presence of mind to retrieve the aircraft logbook after checking for any other passengers before being the last to step onto the slide-raft.

And the rest of the crew?

US Airways has seen an amazing amount of stagnation – more than any other U.S. carrier in the past decade. First officer Jeffrey Skiles has witnessed that first hand. He was previously a captain at the airline but even though he was hired in 1986, his seniority caused him to be bumped back to the right seat during the past 8 years of shrinking.

Skiles immediately jumped into his role as the non-flying pilot after the bird strike caused captain Sullenberger to take over. He turned to the only procedure in the book that might get them out of the situation, a loss of both engines checklist and made every attempt at getting an engine started.

It was a procedure that was designed to be accomplished at a higher altitude with more speed. But who knows; with the right combination of starting the APU (auxiliary power unit used for electricity and the air to start an engine at slower airspeeds) and his relentless attempts at a relight, maybe first officer Skiles would be the hero today.

Every ground evacuation seems to result in either broken bones or, in some cases, fatalities. That’s what makes the water evacuation led by the very experienced flight attendants at US Airways all the more amazing. With no fatalities and minimal injuries to the passengers, flight attendants Shelia Dail, Doreen Welsh and Donna Dent pulled off one of the most challenging procedures in their manual with, by all accounts, the utmost in professionalism.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Monday’s Plane Answers.

Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along on one of his trips.

Budget Travel: 7 Quick tips for cheap airplane tix

by Grant Martin on

Spending some time on the road this year? Chances are, you’re going to have to battle the internets for a good deal on your flight. But what to do when the prices are sky high and your wallet is recession skinny?

Most respectable travel websites out there have giant lists, strategies and flow charts about the best way to get the absolute best price. It works, but it can be complicated, and in a busy world like this, few of us have time to look through an ITA Matrix and calculate the most optimum routing.

Don’t know what an ITA Matrix is? Then keep reading for our quick tips to getting the best price on airplane tickets.

  • Flexible Flexible Flexible: There’s a reason that Kayak has a “flexible dates” option in their search engine. Traveling on Fridays and Sundays are most expensive (highest demand,) so if you can, try Thursday or Monday. Monday AM flights are often drastically less expensive and you can still often get into work by 10.
  • Book early: Probably more than a month out. Definitely more than two weeks. If it’s inside of a week, drive or take a hot air balloon.
  • Use a metacrawler: Given that we just mentioned Kayak, we should point out this important tip: Always use a metacrawler. Both Kayak and Mobissimo search engines search all of the traditional search engines on the market AND airline websites, so you can guarantee that you’re not shelling out extra cash on a third party website.
  • Check the Low Cost Carrier: Southwest doesn’t publish its fares on the regular search engines, so make sure you do a cross check at southwest.com before you book your ticket.
  • Search nearby airports: Flying out of Los Angeles? Make sure you check Long Beach (LGB,) Santa Ana (SNA) and Ontario (ONT) as well. Airports with a large LCC presence often have more competitive fares.
  • Look for coupons: As our friends at Airfarewatchdog (AFWD) recently pointed out, promo codes are the way that airlines are going this year. American, Virgin America and JetBlue are among the carriers that frequently used coupons last year and you can expect moreto come. Not sure where to find codes? Check with AFWD or your respective carrier over at flyertalk.com.
  • Consider a consolidator: For international travel, consolidators often buy tickets in a discounted block and pass the savings onto passengers. Hotwire.com and airlineconsolidator.com are both fairly simple sites that you can use, or you can always use a local (physical) source.

Finally, the best piece of advice we can give is to be patient. If you’ve got a few months before your dates of travel, set up a fare alert at Kayak. You have to create an account, but once you do, you can have the software automatically search for your fare every day and report to you when the price drops.

Galley Gossip: Flight attendant of the month – a retired New York City detective

by Heather Poole on

Name? Kieran

Base? LGA (New York)

What did you do before you became a flight attendant? NYC Detective 23 years, Insurance Fraud Investigator 7 Years

No way! I’m impressed. So what exactly made you want to become a flight attendant? I saw an ad for open house at LGA Marriott.They were looking for flight attendants for New York only. I went with my resume and I figured even if I didn’t get the job, I might get a date. I got the job that day and the date years later.

Not just a date, Kieran, but a fiance! (His fiance is also a flight attendant.) Last flight? Las Vegas

That was the trip we worked together, which was a very nice flight. Hours flown this month? 50 hours this month

Galley or aisle? I like to work first class on the 757, S80, 737, and aisle on 767.

Thank goodness there’s you, because I’m an aisle girl myself. First class, business class, or coach? All classes

On the widebody or narrowbody? I like widebody but if something else with a nice layover shows up, I’ll fly that.

Favorite airplane? 767 and 737

Regular Route? I have been doing Las Vegas the last couple of months but I will probably fly whatever my seniority holds.

Dream Trip? Long San Francisco layover

Nightmare Trip? Seattle

I thought I was the only person who didn’t love the Seattle flight. Craziest thing that ever happened on a trip? It was a 767 San Francisco to New York trip. The plane was taking off and about ten seconds into lift off, this women screams and runs to the back of the plane where I am (simply out of fear of flying). I yelled “sit down you crazy nut” and she sat on the floor next to me until we leveled off. I recommended she take a greyhound bus on her return trip home.

That’s why I always recommend that passengers who are afraid to fly book seats near the front of the aircraft because there’s less turbulence. Tell me, what exactly is in your rollaboard? Shirt, pants, underwear,socks ,jacket and shaving kit.

That’s it? Any packing tips/tricks? I am the worst packer

Me, too. My bag always looks like it’s going to explode. Nicest airport? Las Vegas

Worst airport? Miami and Dallas

I take it you don’t enjoy walking three miles between connecting flights. Favorite airport restaurant? Figs at La Guardia

Any traveling snacks? no

A flight attendant without snacks? I don’t believe it. Hotel away from home? Sherry Frontenac

Favorite in-flight announcement? “Ladies and gentlemen the front door of the aircraft has been closed so if you have a blackberry,blueberry ,cranberry strawberry,banana, cantaloupe and it has an on and off switch or a battery you must turn it off. I will let you know when you may use approved electronics when we are in flight.”

Book / Magazine last read on the jumpseat? Collected poems of Robert Service

So you’re a romantic! I had no idea. Most annoying passenger question? “Where are we?” My answer is usually “In a big airplane high up in the air” Then I ask the captain.

Kieran and his fiance (who is also a flight attendant)

Gadling Gear Review: Arc’teryx Atlas AR Jacket

by Grant Martin on

Nothing is more important in your adventure travel than packing the correct gear for the job. Whether this is the right set of cams for a pitch through Joshua Tree or a comfortable pair of all purpose shoes for exploring Venice, the wrong gear can drastically affect the way you travel and ultimately can make or break a trip.

Skiing, in particular is a sensitive topic for me. Having spent each winter on a different hill for the past dozen years, I’ve always struggled to find the right gear to keep me warm – keep my fingers and toes correctly insulated, my face dry and my head covered, and I’ve constantly been let down by the performance of my gear.

Four years ago I finally found a system that worked well for me in the Salomon Advanced Skin line of jackets, a two part series that is extremely waterproof and just as warm to boot.

Technology has advanced, since then, however, and on a recent ski excursion to Snowbird in Salt Lake City I decided to take a look at the newest state of the art. Arc’teryx’s Atlas AR jacket, their top of the line insulated mountainside system was where I started

Key requirements? It needed to be lightweight, warm and waterproof. But with technology as advanced as it is today, all jackets should have these features, right? So I’ll take a look through some of the finer details of the jacket, what takes the technology above and beyond the competition, what areas I’d like to see improved and explain what justifies the $400 price tag.
Among adventure gear brands, Arc’teryx has long had a reputation as one of the best designers and manufacturers. Zippers are taped and seamed, and zippers are well and thoughtfully built to be waterproof and not invasive. So regardless of how much snow or sleet you splash onto them they won’t let in moisture. The Atlas AR is no exception, with two hip pockets, a left sternum pocket, two inner compartments and a left arm pocket.

Outside, the jacket is large and well styled with smooth Gore Windstopper material on the outer faces. At 6’3″, the Large was almost too long for me, although I suppose that’s important for keeping snow out of your pants when you wipe out. The tall collar has a zippered compartment from which a hood can be extracted, adding an additional layer if conditions are hazardous, but this also limits your side-to-side visibility, so if you’re bombing down the mountainside you probably want to keep this down.

Inside, the waterproof shell is insulated with lightweight, PrimaLoft media. This means that you get the waterproof, lightweight benefits of a regular shell but you also have insulation inside of the jacket so that you don’t need an extra fleece layer. It also means that you’re going to be warm on the mountainside. With the weather at about 30 degrees I wore a base layer, long sleeve t-shirt and sweater underneath my Atlas AR jacket, and by the time I reached the chair lift I was roasting.

It’s misleading in a way, because the jacket is so light and compactable, but that little amount of insulation in the jacket goes a long, long way.

It’s also got a standard powder skirt, draw strings at the waist and nifty sleeve skirts for wrists so that you don’t get snow up your arms.

One interesting feature of the jacket is the Recco avalanche beacon. A small black patch on your upper right arm is where the passive beacon sits, and in case of any emergencies, anyone (presumably, the ski patrol) with a Recco detector should be able to find you under the snow by tracking this beacon. Pretty cool, if you’re skiing in avalanche zones, but probably not necessary if you’re riding on the paltry hills of the Midwest. Unfortunately, I was not able to test the Recco avalanche beacon.

Taking the jacket down the hill, the first thing that you’ll probably notice about the Atlas AR is how windproof it is. If you tuck your face into the tall collar, you can barely feel an external effects on your body, and I took more than one run in this manner.

The tall collar is great for this use, but with it in close proximity to your mouth, it does tend to build up moisture and if your neck is small like mine, it’ll scoop up snow pretty quickly while you’re tomahawking down the hill. Many jackets have a felt or cloth material right at the collar to keep your face warm and dry, but the Atlas AR doesn’t have this. Any resulting moisture around your neck area will therefore just bleed down the inside front of the jacket.

This can be a bit of a concern if you’re carrying your phone or camera on the inside of your jacket. I usually keep my electronics inside of my jacket or well positioned in case (when) I fall, but I found that the outside pockets were in sensitive places and the inside pockets were moist, so I ended up keeping most of my equipment in my jeans. Comparatively, in my Solomon jacket there is an external clavicle pocket where I tend to keep my camera.

Otherwise, the jacket performed well on and off the hill, keeping me warm, away from wind, and providing a wealth of places to store gear. Oh and on top of that, it looks great. Even though my demo model was Oscar-the-Grouch-green, I got a lot of compliments.

Would I buy one? Maybe not for the $400 off the shelf, but if it was a good price at the end of the season I would seriously consider it.

Destination on the edge: SEAL training

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Navy SEALS seem to have a phrase that functions as both “hello” and “goodbye”: kick ass! But, it’s not reserved solely for these purposes. This expression also works as a motivator, squeezing every last ounce of effort out of the recipient. And, at Extreme SEAL Experience, you’ll need it. Spend close to four weeks pushing your mind and body past every limit you’ve ever imagined, and you’ll finally understand the full definition of “kick ass!”

Extreme SEAL Experience is one of many military-themed vacation spots at which you can get an inside look at elite military training. This one is different, though. When the instructors at Extreme SEAL Experience send a letter of recommendation to the official Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school, it makes a difference. Of course, it helps that the program’s teachers have combined special warfare experience of around a century. They can spot talent, and the U.S. Navy knows it.

Extreme SEAL Experience offers four programs, running from the sheer agony of the first day (a prerequisite for the other courses) to SEAL Advanced Operator Training, which includes fastroping, night operations and a frighteningly real field exercise. Each minute of each program is carefully scripted to inflict the most pressure possible … and push you to new levels of, um, “self-discovery.”

The first night, “Hell Night,” is mislabeled. It actually lasts more than 24 hours. For the vast majority of this effort, you will not be happy. There’s no other way to put it. Misery tops (and pervades) the agenda. But, you come out the other side with more confidence and a greater sense of what you can accomplish. Unlike the official version of BUD/S, Hell Night is not designed to hit an 80 percent attrition rate, but you won’t graduate without some pain.

Participants in Extreme SEAL Experience programs understand the intensity of the program (or think they do) before registration. Thus, most are in great shape and have the necessary “Type A” personalities. Youth is abundant, with most guests in their late teens or early twenties. In almost every course, there are a handful of people whose names are stenciled in red. This means they are using Extreme SEAL Experience as a way to test the waters before enlisting and applying for BUD/S. They receive the benefit of some extra attention along the way.

Prospective SEAL candidates are not the only attendees singled out, however. Anything that makes you different will catch an instructor’s eye. If you are the youngest or oldest in your class, you will not escape detection. Those with a bit of gray hair can expect to have the stress of leadership added to an already strenuous program. The “old folks” usually do well, motivating younger team members and adding a touch of maturity to the mix. Age is not a barrier at Extreme SEAL Experience, and it can be an advantage. The oldest graduate was 58, and he was hardcore.

The advanced courses delve into the tools of the special warfare trade. You’ll still push your body and sacrifice some sleep, but you’ll get to have some fun at the same time. Hand-to-hand combat, small unit operations (mostly at night) and live-fire weapons shooting add to your portfolio of skills as an elite recreational special warrior. If you complete all four courses, you will leave with a pretty good sense of what it takes to be a Navy SEAL.

I know what you’re thinking: there’s no way Extreme SEAL Experience can be as tough as the real thing. Duh. There’s no way it could be. The instructors would have to keep an ambulance on site 24 hours a day. Nonetheless, the team goes as far as it reasonably can, which you’ll see is pretty rough. If you can finish the Extreme SEAL Experience, you have a decent chance of surviving BUD/S, but there are no guarantees.

Some people do have a tough time with the program. In fact, it has led a few aspiring SEAL sot reconsider their plans before heading to see their local recruiters. Even if you change your life plans after only one night, the instructors will continue to motivate you. Usually, a decision to quit a session at the camp is averted by a pep talk from the cadre. The participant may not go on to BUD/S, but he can still call his time at Extreme SEAL Experience a success.

If you’re looking to punish your body with aggressive military-style training, you have choices. Shoot for the nastiest experience imaginable, and graduation will be most fulfilling. Extreme SEAL Experience will punish you – which is what you’re looking for. Spend a 27-hour night or a few weeks with these misfits, and you’ll know you’ve accomplished something.

[Photos thanks to Extreme SEAL Experience]