Landing a plane in water might be unusual, but that doesn’t mean it’s improvised. As a commercial pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger III was in fact trained in the manoeuvre. The procedure is relatively simple, though few can be expected to handle it as smoothly as Sullenberger did. After alerting the cabin crew and issuing a Mayday call, the pilot needs to disable the landing gear to allow for a smoother landing and turn off the air conditioning to let the cabin pressure match that of outside. The plane must then be slowed down as much as possible by being flown into the wind and extending its wing flaps. Just as the plane is about to hit the water, the pilot must ensure that wings are level to prevent either one from clipping the water, which would cause the plane to cartwheel. Once the wings are both at about the same height from the water, the pilot can lower the tail end and allow the plane to skim the surface of the water “like a pebble,” in the words of a former British Airways pilot.
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Contrary to popular belief, the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremonies is, in fact, a decidedly modern affair. The culmination of the torch relay in a grandiose display at the Opening Ceremonies is a relic of the 1936 Berlin Games—just one of many attempts by the Nazi regime to lend a mythical air to the Games. Still, despite its dubious history, the lighting of the cauldron has evolved into one of the most spectacular and ostentatious displays at the Games. And the secretiveness that surrounds the lead-up to the ceremony only lends to the hype.
When it comes to the 2010 Games, the speculation about who will be selected to light the cauldron has coalesced around whether VANOC will go the traditional route and opt for a former Olympian or take the road less-travelled and pick someone from outside the sports world. Facebook groups have popped up promoting everyone from Terry Fox’s mother, Betty, to former Vancouver Canucks captain Trevor Linden. So far, Vancouver’s Olympic organizers have kept a tight lid on who the potential candidates might be. We’ve assembled a list of the names making the rounds, but feel free to add your own in the poll or in the comments below.
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This pilot is a hero. All pilots should have the same type of training.
All pilots (commercial anyway) do have the same type of training.