Friendly Skies?
Everyone has praised Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, his crew in the sky and those on the ground for their quick decision making prior to landing a full jetliner in the Hudson River last month. Yet at a House committee hearing Tuesday, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., attacked the air traffic controller, Patrick Harten, with a barrage of questions that gave the impression Mica believed the birds shouldn’t take all the blame.
Mica, with a tone much different from the other, more appreciative members’, asked if Harten had “dumbed down” the equipment on the afternoon of Sept. 15 — suggesting the possibility that the birds alleged to have caused the trouble went undetected because of his error.
Mica continued to heckle the traffic controller with questions, leading to shocked faces in the audience, wide eyes and whispers in the crowd. One member even mumbled, “What an ass.”
But Harten handled it with nerves that certainly aided him while guiding USAirways Flight 1549 — silencing the representative with a great comeback that made everyone, except Mica, laugh.
As Mica tried to make his point that the current flight plans of LaGuardia Airport are outdated and should be replaced with his plan (which he displayed on the committee’s flat screens), Harten calmly testified, “I can tell you right now, some of those aren’t going to work.”
We think it’s safe to say, everyone would rather have Harten, rather than a member of Congress, radioing with their plane’s pilot.
