JetBlue Flight Lands Safely

Every once in a while an event takes place that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Kind of like that time in college when I...um...never mind.

Commercial airline pilots are often unseen and unheard. They fly these monstrous birds across the country and after landing safely stand outside the cockpit door and nod their head generically as we exit the aircraft. Just another day at the office.

It was just another day at the office, it seemed, for the pilot of a JetBlue aircraft that had a malfunction with its front nose gear yesterday. Shortly after departure it was discovered that the front landing gear had twisted (see photo) and was unable to correct itself. From there it was determined that an emergency landing was necessary and the closest airport that could handle such a delicate situation was LAX. Again, proving the point that I've made several times, Los Angeles is just better than you.

Now, if you've flown JetBlue you know that each seat is equipped with its own private DirecTV display allowing you watch Game Show reruns the entire flight. Except yesterday afternoon the passengers of this New York bound JetBlue flight got to watch the possible tragedy of the very flight they were on. The ultimate reality TV show. I can just see Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor, drooling at the prospects of such a show. Check your local listings in about three months.

So these 140 passengers are on this plane, watching and listening to the news coverage of what could very well be a disaster waiting to unfold (at least if you listen to the pancake-faced news anchors) and these are the kinds of things they hear:

"The pilot needs to be careful not to drop the nose down to early or else the consequences could be catastrophic."

"What would happen if the nose gear hits and turns violently off course? Does the pilot have any control at that point?"

And my personal favorite from some dim-bulb news anchor in Northern CA, "Is it possible for the co-pilot to go down to the hatch where the nose gear is and repair it in mid-air?" I guess anything is possible - you have a job don't you? You moron!

After about an hour of TV coverage (watching the plane do circles to burn fuel) the pilot finally comes in for the landing. And as if he practices this technique twice a week, he lands the giant flying machine without incident.

JetBlue has yet to disclose the pilot's name but he is a hero to at least 140 people including me. You can't really appreciate the jobs these pilots do until you see them execute a landing in these kinds of conditions.

SHAMELESS PLUG: I receive no money from JetBlue whatsoever. But they are clearly the best airline flying the skies today. From the crew at the terminal to the crew in the sky they are hands down the best. Check them out at www.jetblue.com.