Read the SFGate.com profile of Sullenberger, who has bachelors and masters degrees in psychology as well as a distinguished pilot career... and raises guide dogs for the blind with his wife!

Actually, most of the time, the engine will chew up and spit out the remains of the bird out of the exhaust with only a hiccup. I think once every 10K flights result in a bird strike, which doesn't sound like too much until you realize that means there is one or two bird strikes every day due to all the flights in the US.

What is unusual is whatever happened, it took out both damn engines. That is something pilots practice for but never really expect. It must have been one thick and large flock, so that both engines (on opposite wings) took in (probably) multiple birds simultaneously. Temperature might have had something to do it with, if the engine blades were still (relatively) brittle if this was the plane's first flight of the day.

I suspect whomever is in charge of bird control at LaGuardia is having a very bad day, because there is no way that large of a flock should have been anywhere near LaGuardia's landing/launch paths without lots of warnings...

it was an emergency landing

Actually, it was a ditching.

t /pilot pedant

Which they aren't required to practice in the simulators, which just makes it all the more incredible that this pilot and first mate got the plane down in one piece.

Which they aren't required to practice in the simulators, which just makes it all the more incredible that this pilot and first mate got the plane down in one piece.

Cool. Needless to say, I don't know anything about pilot terminology.

I don't know anything about pilot terminology.

And I only have a foot-launch glider experience, so I'm not really qualified, either.

I was, however, sort of horrified to see someone quoted in the NYT just now criticizing the pilot for choosing the Hudson and not trying to make it to a runway (because the quoted one thought he should go for the place where emergency crews/equipment would be available). It almost made me think that anonymous person was jealous.

What I don't remember is if that conviction was just a higher degree of manslaughter or, murder 2, or if it was Murder 1? Anyone know offhand what it would be in most states?

I'm not a lawyer but doesn't Murder 1 need to prove intent and premeditation?

Which they aren't required to practice in the simulators, which just makes it all the more incredible that this pilot and first mate got the plane down in one piece.

NPR profiled the pilot last night and mentioned that in between flights he works as a safety consultant for the airline, and a noted flight safety expert said something to the effect of, "Obviously, you never ever want to have any kind of flight emergency at all, ever, but if it has to happen this is the one pilot you'd want, out of, like, all of them."

that's horrifying and sad.

It really is. Chris was such a terrific person, too.

The whole Hudson landing saga's pretty amazing. I'm glad it had a happy ending.

was, however, sort of horrified to see someone quoted in the NYT just now criticizing the pilot for choosing the Hudson and not trying to make it to a runway

I have to believe things would have been much worse if he tried for a runway. I was wondering how many people fought to get their laptops off the plane.

How awful and sad for your friend Chris and his loved ones, Calli.

The NYT reports that the pilot was glider certified: [link]