Its often risky to propose a blanket assumption, but it seems fair to say that the actions of the pilot in this week's airplane accident in New York City saved the lives of the 155 people in his care. There's no doubt that the selfless, reflexive response by the boat pilots and emergency personnel in the immediate accident area were instrumental in saving lives, but without the steady, competent actions of this experienced airman, much of what followed would have been a recovery effort instead of a rescue.
The commercial airline industry is one of the most regulated industries in America. The pilots are held to very high standards and repeated testing. Its not like taking a 5-hour pre-licensing course and then never undergoing any further examination. Commercial airline pilots don't get a pass for passing one test. This instance demonstrates that sort of strict regulation saves lives.
In addition, that sort of strict regulation seems to also select exceptional individuals. Reports indicate that the pilot not only managed to land the airplane safely in a dire circumstance, he felt that his responsibility for the people in his care demanded that he walk the length of the passenger cabin twice to ensure that everyone got out while the plane was sinking in the frigid waters of the Hudson River. This wasn't a stroll down the sunny boardwalk; passengers reported that water was already rising as they were making their way to safety, yet this man waded through the rising flood of icy water to try to ensure the safety of his charges What makes it even more an amazing demonstration of assumed care and responsibility is because he saw it as his duty. Nothing extraordinary. These passengers placed their safety and well-being in his hands and Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger is made more heroic because he did his due diligence in the manner that any fireman, volunteer or otherwise, any law enforcement officer, emergency medical tech, soldier, sailor, airman, or marine would respond. Honor comes from doing your duty.
Its only because his actions and the professional response of rest of the flight crew saved all of the people on-board the aircraft that I feel comfortable contrasting how this result of the strict supervision of the airline industry contrasts with the calamitous after-effects Americans have suffered because of the abandonment of attention in so many other industries. Food safety. Drug safety. Financial regulation. Import inspection. As attentions have lapsed, as supervision has been abandoned, as accommodations have been made to further corporate interests and profits, people have been sickened, killed and pauperized. Imagine if we applied the same standards to air traffic safety that have been extended to other industries. Not only wouldn't this story have had such a fortunate and inspiring ending, we'd instead be deluged daily by stories of airplane after airplane spiraling into the craters that would surround most major airports. If we had ignored airline industry regulation to the extent that we've swallowed the fairy tales that the corporate mercenaries who bankrupted America have our best interests foremost in their kindly hearts, no one would venture to travel further off the ground than a Greyhound bus seat.
The slickest salesmen in America aren't the infomercial hucksters that populate cable television's off-peak hours. They aren't the guys who try to sell you a driveway sealing job that consists of pouring used motor-oil on your blacktop driveway. They're the ones who insist that national and international corporations have your best interests at heart and can only serve to improve your economic situation if they're allowed to operate under rules that would shame a 17th Century pirate. Then, just before they dive-bomb us into life-sucking disaster, they'll abandon the airplane beneath golden parachutes. They're the ones who insist that if you leave them alone to deal with things as they see fit, they'll respond just as nobly as the people in whose hands we daily place our lives.
They won't come even close to that standard of decency and duty.
