We got one.

You can have him back when you pry him from our cold dead fingers.

Now just stop it.

Make your next article a good one.

Sullenberger had the good grace to admit that he was doing his job and trying to avoid the "Hero" mantel. BTW, when a surgeon saves ones life does that make him a "Hero?" Or, how about a lawyer who wins a multi-million dollar judgment--a "Hero?" Or any other professional who, practicing their chosen profession, presides over an exclamatory outcome, an outcome they've trained and practiced for for years.

Looking at the security photos, I don't believe there's a licensed pilot out there who wouldn't envy the FLIGHT CREW'S outstanding job performance that day. BTW, Ernie Gann's "Fate is the Hunter," piqued my interest in flying.

Petra

2 days after the miracle, I had dinner in tucson with my brother-in-law, who is a captain for Frontier, flying the A320. Of course we talked about the incident and he too bristled at the hero label. He cited the perfect, daytime weather conditions (luck) and the smarts to bring the aircraft in downstream (professionalism), much as you did. I fly maybe 25 to 30 times a year, and have long been a reader and fan, and I have to say that you got this one right. Thanks for all your words.

I agreed with 99% of what you wrote in your last column, but also expected (with 100% certainty) that you'd get raked over the coals, Patrick.

I doubt, however, your equally cogent explanation in the current column will do anything to calm the rabble. You're using logic and intellect in a fight against emotion; this is far too often a losing proposition. Two good cases in point -- the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. As we saw in 2008, though, reality DOES sometimes triumph.

Another thought -- those who disagree with you are going to be far more highly motivated to send blistering e-mails than those who agree with you are to send praise. Just human nature -- irritating, but predictable.

I guess my question is, that you always have such a tendency to show solidarity, to stand up for the profession of pilot. I think you resist the implication that one pilot could be a 'hero' because it implies that most other pilots would not have done the same thing in the same situation. Reminds me of cops; they are almost always very uncomfortable celebrating anything like heroism by a fellow cop, just like they resist any implication that a brother or sister officer could in fact be culpable.

But human beings do from time to time screw up, sometimes monumentally. There are bad cops; there are also heroic ones. Why are pilots different?

The converse of heroism is pusillanimity. It is pretty rare that you hear a pilot willing to describe a monumental unforgivable fuckup by another pilot. So well trained, so well monitored, that would be inconceivable. Inconceivable, I tell you.

Well most of us plebes just don't believe it; we live in the real world. Pilots, like cops, are just as fallible a group as the rest of us. And any occupation is guaranteed to have members that the public should deeply distrust.

Howabout some stories about actual real human error, of terrible fuckups by pilots actually costing lives, about times that yes, the pilot actually was at fault. Otherwise, you are just giving us one more Thin Blue Line: trust us, we are always right, move along, nothing to see here.

Mr. Smith, I see you are in a conundrum of sorts. I disagree with you, I guess, because I do feel Sullenberger is a hero, and I don't throw that word around lightly. Why do I think he is a hero? Because he saved the lives of 155 people by remaining calm, focused, selfless, and professional in the face of death. I know from your point of view, that is to be expected from a pilot, it is part of the job description, I guess. But from my perspective, it is heroic because I don't think that is usual. Not because human beings are selfish or undisciplined, but because a lot of us can't survive such a test, even if we want to. I don't know how I would react in such a situation, but in learning about this one instance, I hear the story and I think "That is an person to look up to." Beyond all professional expectations and such, I feel generous enough to label him and his crew heroic, whether they would agree with me or not. They set a perfect example, something we humans need sometimes, something to look up to and believe in. Now, maybe I am being too generous in labeling Suly and his crew heroes. As one of my personal heroes pilot Dieter Dengler once said,"I don't think of myself as a hero. No, only dead people are heroes."

I, for one, understand what you were saying. By going for miracle and hero, the media trivializes the actual skill and training that is really responsible for saving lives. It's frustrating. No! You want scream at the idiot reporter on tv. It's not a miracle. It's brilliant flying (or landing, actually) and should be credited as such. And you said it perfectly.

Since you're evidently reading this, let me say: I'm a complete layman as far as flight is concerned; I've criticized you on some points; but I thought your column admirably explained itself on exactly what the crew in the Hudson River did and exactly how they deserve praise.

The words "Hero" and "Miracle" have been thrown around so much since 9/11 that they have become almost meaningless. I enjoyed your fair handed assessment of the event so much I read the article aloud to my entire family.

Thanks,

B.

I am a writer that lambasted you last week...I was let down to see ANOTHER article this week about the tragic accident. Move on and stop pandering to those of who disagreed with you...You are not going to make everyone happy but stop trying, stop pandering, and start writing interesting articles again please!