Count Your Blessings - Past, Present and Future!

January 16, 2009


On Thursday, January 15th, 155 passengers and crew boarded a U.S. Airways flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport for Charlotte, North Carolina. Nothing unusual about that. Prior to take-off, the flight attendants went through their usual routine of giving the safety instructions. Seat belts, location of the exits and life vests in case of a water landing…

Since I fly quite often, I’m willing to bet (due to my personal observations) that the passengers on that flight engaged in all the other activities they found more important than listening to the safety instructions. Reading, talking to their seatmate, going to sleep, to name just a few. And of course, they didn’t take the safety card out of the seat pocket in front of them per instructions.

And the people seated near the exits gave the perfunctory agreement to opening the doors in case of an emergency, blah, blah, blah!

Little did those passengers know that several minutes after takeoff, they would need to ACT on those very safety instructions they had just ignored. According to recent news reports, the pilot radioed to Air Traffic Control that both engines had been struck by birds and the plane had lost all power. A crash landing, on water, was imminent.

All of a sudden, the location of the emergency exits was pretty important, and the pressure on those passengers sitting near the exits surely must have quickly mounted!

To the credit of the pilot, who did a masterful job of landing the aircraft in the Hudson River, in one peace, and the professionalism of the crew (which actually do much more than push the beverage cart up and down the aisle and remind you to fasten your seat-belt and put your seat and tray tables in the upright and locked position, all 155 passengers and crew were safely rescued, and none suffered serious injury. One passenger, who ended up in the 42-degree water, was given the shirt off the pilot’s back to assist him in keeping warm.

Whether you are a travel junkie like me, or just an occasional flyer, ask yourself, how many times do YOU busy yourself with YOUR agenda items as the flight attendants are going over the safety instructions? And this level of not being “present” isn’t limited to our airplane behavior.

When you get into your automobile (which is actually a 2,000 lb weapon when you’re NOT present), cross a street, have a conversation with a family member, friend or co-worker, just how present ARE you?

Unfortunately, anything short of an airplane crash, serious auto accident or other REAL life threatening event keeps us operating under the illusion that there will be a “tomorrow” when we’ll get to do all those things we put off doing today!

Having had way more than my share of life threatening situations, I can assure you, the survivors of that US Air flight won’t be experiencing boredom any time soon. And it’s highly unlikely they will be putting things off for later, or “some day.”

The good news is you don’t have to personally experience an aircraft crash or total your car to get the benefits of such an event. You can learn and benefit from the experiences of others – should you CHOOSE!

I have deep appreciation for the pilots and crews who nearly every day, take on the massive job of transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers daily to their respective destinations, and getting them there safely.

Next time you’re disembarking an aircraft, take a moment to thank the pilot and crew for getting you there safely. They are ALL unsung heroes/heroines.

Since I’m a private pilot, I never take take-offs and landings for granted. Each time it turns out is a blessing.

Take a moment to examine where YOU are taking things for granted, and if so moved, do something about it.

P.S.

Less than a week until the Inauguration!