So the story about USAir flight 1549 who hit birds and lost both engines while climbing out of NYC and then landed in the Hudson with no loss of life and minimal injury is a great one. I can't get over the movies and pictures of the incident. I guess the fact that so many of these end so badly that when things do go right, it's a miracle. Here's my copy of the air traffic audio. Other sources: FAA, ABC news, BBC.

Whenever they talk about the life jackets, I always turn to my wife and make a joking comment because successful water landings of jumbos are very rare -- almost unheard of. But after 1549, I think I'll pay more attention. Also, I really don't think that the crew of the plane are heroes. They were doing their job. They are, however, experts in their craft (both on the flight deck and in the cabin) and certainly deserve recognition for that. I think that the word heroes is over used and it lowers the meaning of the term when someone really does something heroic.