Sullenberger: The Right Stuff Despite the Wrong Interviewer

The pilot of flight 1549, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III is just what this country needed. Not only did he perform a heroic act but he demonstrated the sincerity, the humility (but not the false modesty) and the honesty we rarely see these days.

Sully is a little awkward about being a hero  and, by his own admission, acknowledges that to deny it is to not honor the lives of the people he saved. He also knows precisely what he did that afternoon on the Hudson River.

There was no praying, no wasted emotions, just calmly doing what he was trained, which included some original thinking and impromptu planning. All part of the job.

The emotions came later as did the humor. The one good thing about 60 Minutes using Katie Couric for the interview is that he played a fabulous straight man to her awkward questions and startled reactions to his responses.

I am a modest Couric fan since she landed the job at CBS. I felt she could grow into the job. The Sullenberger interview was more fitting of Entertainment News and E Tonight. She was confused and even shocked that Sullenberger remained calm, failing to pray, as he whisked though his four minute strategy to save his passengers and crew and even more people on the ground.

Ed Bradley interviewing Sully would have been one for the ages - serious, analytical, funny, emotional, without the pathos.

As I noted in the post last month, Miracle on the Hudson. Why?  "Sullenberger's training and experience must have contributed to his awareness of his environment and the quick critical decisions."

Now I am convinced that his wit - brilliance and humor - contributed to the heroics, from "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," to telling his wife that he was OK having just destroyed one of the airline's planes.

Comments

[Kyle]

I was glued to the TV for that interview. I snapped out of my funk/awe a few times to ask myself "Why is she asking him that (dumb) question?"

I know the NTSB has released the ATC recordings. I can't wait to hear the actual CVR.