I saw photos of this on our news earlier. I had the tv off all day today while trying to figure out my internet connection. It was absolutely shocking. Lineups showing people on the wings even. In freezing temps.!

Birds can be a problem in airports in all parts of the world. They have been here in airports in Australia in the past.

Laser pointers too sadly. :( We've had some weirdos pointing laser lights at incoming aircraft here in Australia. True story. There was some weirdo pointing a laser light at a South African Cricket Team member here during a cricket game this week so he wouldn't catch the ball. It disgusts me that some australian citizen would do such a shocking thing. It was cricket!!!

I was actually horrified at the images shown. I felt their fear and I'm so thankful that it turned out the way it did eventually. <sigh>

I keep thinking about all the people dying in places on this earth though where airplanes are not involved. Just hatred. It makes me so sad I cry. I cry for all the innocent children and all the innocent families who just happen to live where there is a war between other people. *tear

I think it is really
 

lucky that the plane floated as it did.

There was coverage last night on CNN that said the reason the
plane floated was that it was full of fuel, and that is less dense
than water, and kept it up and prevented the sinking.

The pilot was just fabulous the way he brought it down and handled the situation.
(there was a long interview with a passenger who helped people out the exits, and he described in detail what the landing in the water was like).

A miracle really!
We had a similar crash in the 80s of a Northwestern plane as it took off from our Metro area. It came down on a freeway and all were killed except for an infant! The rubble trail was horrible...That could have happened to the NY plane.
Those people were so lucky!

the pilot and crew and rescue workers all earn those special wings we all seek, job well done

like someone said on other thread lucky they didnt open the BACK door, can we say sink like a rock

you know...
 

this is a bit of related trivia:

The eagle thread we have here? That is pretty popular with some posters?

The female eagle we watch at Norfolk Botanical Gardens had a first mate about 4-5 yrs ago. They are close to a military base, and she and her first mate had a nest there. He was hit by a jet and killed.

So she moved over to the Gardens and took a new mate.
In fact the DNR cut down the tree they used near the base for their nest to encourage the eagles to move away from the planes. And that worked as the birds now nest more safely.

So that is a bit of trivia about birds/planes that we have seen already from another point of view...the birds' point of view.

Cheryl:

I had absolutely no idea how dangerous birds were to engines. I was reading my local newspaper this morning and there were articles explaining air disasters in the past (having to do with birds getting sucked into the engines).

I really got quite a history lesson.

No more funny jokes by me on this subject. It's very serious.

And yesterday afternoon, when Alan said to me "they are talking about the plane on tv". And I said "what plane?" and he said "what are you talking about WHAT PLANE?, it's all over the tv". I said: "I have no idea what you are talking about".

See, I hadn't been watching tv at all and had no knowledge of what was going on. I then turned on the tv and HOLY COW, there, in the Hudson River, was this PLANE!!!

Then I watched as it floated on by. Now it's tethered to the dock and there is a crane and the experts are trying to figure out how to hoist it into the air.

So yesterday, when I heard that a plane went down in the river, all I could think of was THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNSTAIRS FROM ME (THE OLD ITALIAN COUPLE), were flying back from Arizona.

So what do I think? That they are on THAT plane that is in the river.

I said "Alan, the people downstairs are not home yet, (this was 9 p.m. last night). He said "do you think they were on the plane?" I said 'I have no idea, but where are they?"

Then he said "the plane was leaving LaGuardian and going to North Carolina".

I said "Oh, they are coming home from Arizona".

They came home at midnight and I was in their apartment at 8:30 this morning hearing all about the commotion at the airport.

These are two 82 year old people who got scared out of their mind when they saw all the police and rescue teams. They witnessed the whole thing.

Holy Cow!!!

One never knows.

I am kissing the ground and staying on it!!!

Melody