CanadianTire: "There was no miracle."

I'm no man of God, but I strongly beg to differ on this. There isn't very much training for ditching, and simulators are extremely limited for what they can do in recreating these kinds of scenes. This was the smoothest possible outcome given the circumstances, and I daresay this could be the most successful ditching in recent aviation history; not just in terms of its execution mind you, but the fact that everybody onboard survived with little or no injury. In other words, no one died; that, in and of itself, is a miracle. There are some in the aviation community (at least in my small slice of that pie) speculating this could set a new precedent in pilot emergency training. Only time, and the results of the NTSB investigation, will tell.

Not only that, Primo, but the location was key: Plenty of boats around and lots of emergency services from many different bureaus, agencies and jurisdictions in the area for a quick response.

BW said it all...

You really have to be in that moment to then after realize that your life from there is like another chance...
This women who was interviewed said she had called someone, or had her cell-phone on or something so they could track her body for her loved ones to have proper funeral...

If you're in that situation, if you're in a plane and the pilot comes on and says "brace for impact, we're just about hit a river" and two minutes later you find yourself on the wing of the plane with EVERY other person on the flight standing by your side, that's TRULY beating the odds...

"There isn't very much training for ditching, and simulators are extremely limited for what they can do in recreating these kinds of scenes. This was the smoothest possible outcome given the circumstances"

-Like Primo said, there were a number of factors that contributed to this "miracle", like they say in business, location, location, location. Also, from several news reports, the plane not not gone far from the air port nor had gained much altitude. So it's reasonable to assume the plane wasn't traveling very fast, and force of impact was much lesser than if he had started at say 30k feet above ground.

"I know, I fish it plenty"

- BW, I certainly hope you don't eat fish from the Hudson river. Do you have any idea of the chemicals poured into urban rivers?

"
Ive seen it.  Quickly the so called non-believers are on their knees, breaking down like little girls"

- So what boy- touchers are squatting on their knees screaming praise to the "Almighty Father" - also weeping like little girls- it's somehow more justified?

It's a miracle because it was mostly the one pilot who those people needed.  They couldn't have asked for a better pilot (have you looked at his past trainings?  His resume is quite impressive.)

So God saved those people? God put that pilot on the plane?

If God is all power and all knowing, then why didn't he just get the birds to wait until the plane had gone before they flew past? Did he make a mistake and miss that one?

God controls all events on earth, but for some reason decided people could handle themselves? He has planets and suns and stars to play with but for some reason he bothers with tiny humans?

Well the earth is the centre of the universe, isn't it? That is what the church said for many years. How many other things have they got wrong over the years? Perhaps they have got one single big hypothesis wrong?

Take any (almost) any Christian person, yourself perhaps. If you were born in say, Indian, Pakistan, Egypt, etc etc, you may have been taught about Buddha or Mohammad (sp). Do you believe that you would have realised thath these teachings or interpretations were incorrect, and realised actually Jesus is the man that we should all be following?

There are so, so many things that I would love to chat to every christian/hindu/muslim/anything person about. Experience has shown that it always ends in 'you need faith' 'you dont understand the big picture' 'he acts in mysterious ways'. Goodie, that just mean's I've won the debate, thanks.

I don't know everything about science, but I do know that I'm learning all the time. In the 1200s or whatever I couldn't have proven that the Earth was round, that everything is made up of tiny atoms, or that people coudl fly through space, but I do now. Science is learning, is pushing the boundaries and knowledge and understanding of the universe forward, but God, religion, is holding us to the past.

A past that results in killing of each other because the imaginary friend that you talk to has a different name than the imaginary friend that I talk to.

A bird flew past my window just now. I interpret that as the big guy in the sky talking to me and keeping an eye on me, so perhaps I should shut up.

Sorry for being completely OT. At least I started on topic.

> Christ you non-believers are a little to over the top..... relax.

Christ is a non-believer :S? Huh?
Well i guess he was Jewish. That pretty much means Christians worship a jew .

No wonder Israel can do no evil!

> Black_Wing wrote:

"People lived, because a Pilot had the skill and ability to be bold and do what he thinks was best for all."

exactly, it was not a miracle caused by God. It was skill.

"Christ you non-believers are a little to over the top..... relax"

First time I've ever heard that.  Maybe I'm getting into a non-religious fervour.

All I know is this, this guy comes to my job all the time and just like a very good portion of pilots you see, he drinks all night long. I'm still holding him responsible for it all!

> Black_Wing wrote:
> what is this GOD saved, or God put the pilot on the plane ??
Its a good story.   A tragedy was averted.
People lived, because a Pilot had the skill and ability to be bold and do what he thinks was best for all.
Christ you non-believers are a little to over the top..... relax. <

  So which is it, pilot-skill or magic beard-man?
Or are you having too much fun avoiding the question to hold yourself up to your own standards and give the straight answer you would be demanding if positions were reversed?

> But, tell you what..... You non-believers would be the first to convert to GOD if in that spot.....because, when in that situation where life is a matter of seconds away from terminating......you start to question your so called MORALE choices......you lack of religion, your total disdain for those that do believe..... <

  Shall I tell you a tale of physical, mental and sexual abuse, of pain, suffering and death, of heart attacks, strokes and comas, of overdoses, gunshot wounds and choking, of Bankok hilton's and padded cells?
Sometimes I said "Oh God" or "Why God"... why? Figure of speech, wouldn't you agree? Unless you want to insult me like you did that pilot and tell ME that I would not be here without YOUR invisible crutch.

Keanu Reeves: "lol Pilots don't take home flight attendants. They sleep with them at the hotels!"

Yeah, unless they already booked a room with their F/O. The pay schedules for pilots aren't so glamorous anymore that they can afford their own rooms.