I did see and hear an interview with the pilot who was very self-effacing. He credited his good fortune and that of his passengers to the rigorous and ongoing training mandated by his airline. In addition, the passengers themselves spread the stories about the heroic actions of the pilot, a much more valuable source -- from a marketing perspective -- than the airline or the pilot. This included the pilot's walking up and down the aisles making sure everyone got out safely. It is that kind of viral marketing every company and organization dreams about. The fact that Sully (and the rest of the crew) does not want to cling to his 15-minutes of fame is entirely in keeping with his character.

I hate to be the wet blanket here, but here goes.
The crew and the corporation are missing a golden opportunity here. With airlines struggling every day to avoid bankruptcy, the pilots could have come on TV and talked about how the company stresses training and preparations for just about every circumstance. They could have become known as the safest airline in people's minds. This could have been worth millions and millions in revenue.
While I understand there is an "ongoing investigation," there is never anything wrong with simply telling the truth about the event to the media. As long as the pilot and crew avoid speculations about what might have occurred, there would be no legal jeopardy. Far too often, companies listen to lawyers when it comes to public relations.

While I appreciate the media's desire to hear the story of how Sully saved the lives of his passengers and crew, it is appropriate that he not speak out at this time.

In my former life, I worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. I also covered the 1996 ValuJet and TWA crashes as a report for a national transportation magazine.

Airline crashes have amazing liability issues, since they can result in changes in laws as well as criminal charges. That is why the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates major aviation crashes, has adopted a "just the facts" approach to its comments on its ongoing investigation.

What this crash does illustrate is the decline in the number of reporters covering specialty beats. I was amazed to see Wolf Blitzer conducting a telephone interview with a survivor immediately following the crash, until I remembered that CNN hasn't had a full-time transportation reporter for five years.

I think the sad thing to ponder is that in 3 years when Sully is 60, he will have to retire under the current regulations governing commercial pilots at most airlines. Let's hope that wisdom and experience, certainly in this case, make a better case for retaining those with long service and expert knowledge until a physician determines that their abilities to pilot a plane safetly might be diminished. I want to fly with Sully and his crew!

I know it's the world we live in, but not everyone wants to be a media star.

And judging from how the media frequently treats ordinary people -- Joe the Plumber, et al -- you can understand why.

Can you just imagine the totally dumbass third-day questions poor Sully would be subjected to?

"Wasn't there something you could have done to avoid hitting the birds in the first place?"

The crew has provided a refreshing dose of humility. Kudos to them!

I totally agree with Michael.

Cudos to both U.S. Airways and the members of the flight crew. The stress was magnified for the pilots and crew with the responsibility of survival for all the souls on-board in addition to the aircraft and any unknown situations on the ground.

I don't think the delay will diminish the interest in the pilot or the rest of the flight crew by the media--or the public, at large.

The words that come to my mind are "professionalism" and "integrity."

A nice breath of fresh air.

In his reticence, and his family's single, quiet statement, "Sully" is coming off as a class act. Calm, dignified, level-headed -- just the sort of person I'd want at the helm of MY crashing airplane. Sometimes less is more.