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Miracle
on the Hudson
New
York Governor David Paterson pronounced it a “Miracle
on the Hudson.”
He
was referring to yesterday’s landing of the crippled
US Airways jetliner into the
Hudson River after the plane struck a flock of birds
just after takeoff at LaGuardia Airport, apparently
disabling the engines.
Due to the heroic efforts of the pilot, all 155
aboard were saved.
Robert
Bea, a civil engineer who co-founded UC Berkeley’s
Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, said he could
think of few pilots as well-situated to bring the plan
down safely than the one in the cockpit of Flight
1549.
The
pilot, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, 57, of
Danville, CA, is a former fighter pilot for the US Air
Force and has been flying for US Airways since 1980.
Sullenberger also runs a safety consulting firm
and, ironically, has been studying the psychology of
keeping airline crews functioning even in the face of
crisis.
In
this crisis, Sullenberger proved to be the man for the
job!
The
pilot “did a masterful job of landing the plane in
the river and then making sure that everybody got
out,” said NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“He walked the plane twice after everybody
else was off, and tried to verify that there was
nobody else on board, and he assured us there was not.
He was the last one up the aisle and he made
sure that there was nobody behind him.”
“You
look at his training, you look at his experience.
It was just the right pilot at the right time
in charge of that plane that saved so many lives,”
said Candace Anderson, a resident of Sullenberger’s
hometown in Danville. *
Although
this world is headed on a crash course (2 Peter
3:10), we, too, have a Pilot who can
safely lead us to eternal life (Romans 6:23).
He
is the Perfect Pilot – in fact, the ONLY One who can
guide us to safety (John 14:6).
And He WILL save those who will trust
Him (Hebrews 11:6), turn from
sin in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), be baptized
(immersed) in His name (Acts 2:38; 22:16), and follow
Him faithfully
(1 John 1:7).
As
the US Airways Flight 1549 jetliner descended, Vallie
Collins tapped out a text message to her husband,
Steve: “My plane is crashing.”
Thankfully, she survived.
Friends,
our WORLD is “crashing,” and it will one day come
to an end. But
the Pilot will lead you safely to eternal life IF you
will trust and obey Him.
Won’t
YOU?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned
from the Associated Press.
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