Pilot Hero

Just saw a documentary on the Discovery channel about an event that took place many years ago, that I need to tell you about. The date was July 23, 1983. An Air Canada pilot and co-pilot successfully landed a Boeing 767 that had run out of fuel at an altitude of over 40,000 feet. As if that weren't enough, the landing was made at a decommissioned military airstrip in the middle of nowhere, some 75 kilometers from Winnipeg Manitoba. There was no control tower, no staff, and no emergency services available there. Still worse, the aircraft was approaching the runway too fast, with no way to control the descent.

Pilot Robert Pearson was an experienced glider, flying 1200 pound gliders, but had no experience gliding in a 150 ton 767. To control descent, he had to employ a technique called "slipping" - turning the aircraft's nose away from it's heading, increasing drag, thereby slowing the aircraft's speed. Pearson had never tried this technique before, even in a glider, but he came through in a big way, and saved the day.

Have a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFXJb19E4To&feature=related. Is that one hell of a bit of flying or what!?

The experience, composure and guts of the cockpit crew was directly responsible for saving the lives of the 61 passengers that day, and are therefore big-time heroes in my book...