Jeffrey Skiles Plans To Resume Flying This Month
One of the two men who managed to ditch a stricken Airbus A320
in New York's Hudson River in January plans to return to the
cockpit this month. First Officer Jeffrey Skiles said he plans to
get some sim time under his belt, before resuming his flightline
duties with US Airways.
As ANN reported, Skiles was the flying pilot
when US Airways Flight 1549 departed LaGuardia Airport on January
15, for what was supposed to be a routine run to Charlotte, NC. As
the A320 climbed through 3,000 feet, Skiles saw a large flock of
geese flying towards the plane... too close to allow him time to
maneuver away from them.
Birds took out both of the plane's turbofans, turning the
airliner into a glider. At that point, Captain Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger took over control of the plane, and guided the plane
to the successful ditching in the Hudson. All 155 passengers and
crew onboard survived, with only a handful of injuries
reported.
Skiles (shown above right) made his comments Wednesday, reports
MSNBC, while being honored during the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association "Communicating for Safety" conference in
Las Vegas. Sullenberger was also lauded at the event, along with
controllers Patrick Harten and Bill McLoughlin and the three flight
attendants who handled the passenger evacuation.
In addition to the NATCA honors, the president of the Aircraft
Owners and Pilots Association also bestowed special honors on
Skiles and Harten, on behalf of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
"Every single day, pilots and controllers are doing what
they’re trained to do, but the public doesn’t come to
know it or appreciate it until something galvanizes the news media
to tell a story," said AOPA's Craig Fuller. "Out of what could have
been a terrible tragedy came an understanding of what pilots and
controllers are engaged in that is really quite remarkable."
Noting that celebrity is a fleeting thing, Skiles said he plans
to keep flying until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 65.
He also admitted to some difficulty in returning to a normal
routine in the days following the incident, saying he had problems
sleeping.
"When you normally have an incident, you have post-traumatic
shock symptoms and I did myself for the first week,
week-and-a-half," Skiles said. "I got over it pretty fast."
Sullenberger hasn't said when he plans to return to the cockpit,
but recently wrote in a magazine essay he thinks he'll be ready in
a few months.
(Screengrab image of Skiles from "The Charlie Rose
Show")
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.02.24)
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