Tenth Entry (Characterization)

Write about the relationship between two characters and how it is changing or developing. What are the characteristics of the relationship? What does it work or not work? What is changing? How do they affect one another?

The relationship between Capt. Sullenberger and his wife Lorrie

After their marriage in 1989, they settled down in Danville California, which means that he had to commute between his residence and New York and to be away from home quite often and for a longer time.

This is the main reason why he missed quite a lot about the growing-up of the two daughters they had adopted.

Lorrie had to assume full responsibility for their education, but she didn’t affect their relationship negatively. She just hoped that after her husband’s retirement things would get better, a which is the case now, and this allows them to make up for all the feelings of loneliness she experienced during the time when Capt. Sullenberger was working so irregularly. Now they enjoy their life together, and Lorrie is of course very grateful that her husband is still alive. When she got informed about his bravery, she was very proud of him and had to answer a lot of questions from journalists all over the world who wanted to know how she had felt as the wife of a nationwide hero.

(227 words)

Ninth Entry (Reflection)

Write about how the setting or any of the characters remind you of people or characters in your own personal life. How are the situations or events similar to your own life? How are they alike and how are they different?

I would like to become a commercial pilot myself and have already had about 160 flying hours on different types of aircrafts. Therefore, I was fascinating by this book, not only because of the extraordinary landing on the Hudson River which is described so accurately, but also because of the personal background of Capt. Sullenberger, which I can compare in the initial phase with mine.

Like me he started flying and had his first solo flight at the age of 16, but I can well imagine that he didn’t have any voice contact with his flight instructor – according to what it says in the text. On the other hand, we have to assume that the plane he used wasn’t as well equipped and safe as the one I fly with.

It’s also interesting for me to know in advance what is coming up step by step in my own career as a future pilot.

From all these statements, it should be clear why I have chosen this book and why I can well identify myself with the technical education of Capt. Sullenberger.

(225 words)

Eighth Entry (Analysis)

Name 5 of the main themes of the novel or play.

As five of the main themes of the novel, I think I could mention the following:

·       The way Capt. Sullenberger describes in all detail how he grew up in Texas and spent his happy childhood there.

May 1969

·     His career in the army, where he had the opportunity to develop his skills as an aviator in a combat aircraft.

Summer 1971

·      The way he got to know his future wife and how they set up a harmonic family with two adopted daughters.

The Sullenberger family with President Obama and the First Lady at an inaugural ball, January 20, 2009.

·      The different phases of the flight US-Airways 1549 and the bird strike which led to an engine breakdown on both sides and a power-off glide of the plane.

·       The way Capt. Sullenberger took the decision to land on the Hudson River, which can be considered an extraordinary exploit. It was owing to the pilot’s experience and sangfroid that a catastrophe – which would have caused the probable death of about 100 people – could be avoided.

Flight Path of Flight 1549, January 15, 2009.

(170 words)

Seventh Entry (Analysis)

Write about the style of writing the author use.

 

The book is meant to be an autobiography in which the author makes us participate in his development from early childhood on.

I must admit that I didn’t find the introductory part of the book very exciting as I was more interested – as a future pilot myself – in what happened in connection with his heroic act.

I found his style of writing relatively simple and easy to read, and I didn’t have to look up too many words in the dictionary.

The fact that he has experienced live all the feelings and emotions described in the book makes the text much more authentic and thrilling compared to what may have come out of it if he had just imagined the whole accident.

I think this is the main difference between a novel, in which the author makes up an imaginative story, and an autobiography, in which he can report facts and situations he has really been confronted with himself.

 

(172 words)

Sixth Entry (Characterization)

Write a short letter to the author/playwrite or to one of the characters. Tell them what is on your mind.

Dear Mr. Sullenberger

As I would like to become an airline pilot myself, I can well imagine how you felt when it came to the emergency described in your book.

I admire you for having had the nerves to remain calm in the situation you were confronted with. I also guess that few other pilots would have taken the decision to land on a river without being aware of the risk you were taking.

I congratulate you - as many others did - on being successful with the manoeuvre you had in mind and on saving thereby the life of 155 passengers.

All those people must be very grateful to you for what you did, which was only possible thanks to your coolness and your experience.

I hope many other pilots will take advantage of your advice and instead of panicking, keep a cool head in a similar situation where you have to react spontaneously in order to avoid a catastrophe.

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to read your book and to profit from your experience in my own career as a future pilot.

Best wishes

(211 words)

Fifth Entry (Prediction)

At any point in the story predict how some character is going to change/develop (character development) as the story progresses. How will they change?

Taking Capt. Sullenberger’s wife as a character that develops throughout the story, I could mention the following:

She was a flight attendant and was sent over to him to replace the one who had been selected to join him and who got sick.

At that time she was 27 and he was 35. Her name was Lorrie Henry and they had never met before. She straight away showed her interest in him but it wasn’t love at first sight.

She didn’t appear to their first date, but a friend told her that she would never find a man if she kept sitting at home on the couch. So she decided to go out with him after all. This is the way they finally got in closer touch with each other.

About three years later, they got married and soon afterwards she gave up her job. Because she couldn’t give birth to any children, they decided to adopt two girls in order to be a real family.

She always suffered a bit from his being so often away from home as a pilot, but accepted the situation and tried to make the best of it.

She was also worried that something could happen to him, but now that he is retired, she can fully enjoy their relationship.

(245 words)

Fourth Entry (Analysis)

Are there any words you are unsure of their meaning? Write down the words. Then write down what you think they mean, guessing from the context. Then write down a dictionary meaning.

Sure there were words I could not quite understand. But that's just exciting that you can expand your vocabulary.

“I felt an exhilarating freedom.” (page 9)

I would paraphrase it as: great, unbelievable, enchanting.

The definition in the dictionary: erheiternd, erfrischend

“And lucky that when I left the military, I found work as an airline pilot, when such jobs weren’t plentiful.” (page 17)

I would paraphrase it as: in abundance

The dictionary meaning: reichlich, im Überfluss (vorhanden)

“But we weren’t gawkers.” (page 59)

I would paraphrase it as: onlookers

The dictionary meaning: Gaffer

“Hers was not a painless childhood, but she isn’t one to make excuses.” (page 171)

Pain means “Schmerz” and less means “wenig”, so I would say: She didn’t a painful childhood.

““No,” I said. “There’s been an incident.”” (page 254)

I would say it as rewriting: something happening

The dictionary meaning: Vorfall, Ereignis, Zwischenfall

(185 words)

Third Entry (Recount)

List the 10 most important things about the text you are reading.

Regarding the 10 most important things happening in this story, I’m going to quote in short a certain number of passages from the book:

·       There are three general rules about any aircraft emergency. We learn them in our earliest lessons as pilots.

Maintain aircraft control.

Always make sure someone is flying the airplane, and is focused on maintaining the best flight path.

Analyze the situation and take proper action.

Through our training, we know the actions we should consider depend upon what systems have failed and how much time and fuel we have to deal with the situation.

Land as soon as conditions permit.

This means we have to factor in weather and runway conditions, the wind, the length and width of the runway, the emergency and rescue equipment available at the particular airport where a landing might be attempted, and all sorts of other factors. It is important to land quickly but with due consideration. (pages 212-213)

·       I always keep in mind a remark made by the fire chief at Sioux City Airport: “Either you manage the situation, or the situation will manage you” (page 185)

·       Why did pilots wait too long before ejecting from planes that were about to crash? Why did they spend extra seconds trying to fix the unfixable? The answer is that many doomed pilots feared retribution if they lost multimillion- dollar jet. And so they remained determined to try to save the airplane, often with disastrous results. (page 229)

·       It was a pretty sobering moment for a sixteen-year-old, and it made quite an impression on me. … One simple mistake could mean death. (page 11)

·       We had lost both engines. It was a dire situation, but there were lessons people had instilled in me that served me well. (page 15)

·       When there are children who eagerly want a look inside “my office” at the front of the plane, their enthusiasm is contagious. It’s so gratifying to see their excitement about something I care deeply about. (page 18)

·       But even when I’m not trying, I can tell when the plan is climbing or descending, or when the pilots are changing the flap setting or the engine thrust. For pilots, that general awareness comes with the territory.
(page 24)

·       I know many people who have better personalities than I do, but I am doing the best I can. (page 64)

·       I know I can be exasperating to Lorrie. “Sully,” she has said more than once, “life is not a checklist!”I understand her frustration, but I don’t see myself that way. I’m organized. I’m not a robot. (page 75)

·       As women, we have to become comfortable with our bodies. That’s crucial. A woman who isn’t comfortable will turn off the lights at night and say to her husband, ‘Please don’t touch me.’ When a woman is happy in her own skin, she’s more willing to let her partner be close. (page 173)

(520 words)

Second Entry (Empathy)

Write about something happening in the book that you relate to? How did you react?

For me it’s clear that I identify most with the brave main character, because first I’d like to become a jet pilot myself, and second because I admire very much his reaction to prevent a catastrophe that would probably have caused the death of 155 passengers and crew.

In a case of real emergency, you should think first of saving your own life and forget about how valuable the aircraft is.

[I always keep in mind a remark made by the fire chief at Sioux City Airport: “Either you manage the situation, or the situation will manage you.”] (page 185)

When I read this, I think of what I always say to myself:

“If you don’t take a decision yourself, somebody else will do it for you."
As a pilot, you can hardly afford to make a mistake, especially if you are sitting at the control wheel of the aircraft.

Only if you have the situation under control are you able to carry out precisely the next steps. Of course, the pilots have a checklist to make sure that nothing gets forgotten, but if you can’t concentrate, it doesn't work either.

(213 words)

First Entry (Reflection)

Write down your first impression of the book or play. Copy whole passages that are difficult or that you really like a lot.

My first impressions of the book are very positive. Te story is written in an interesting and thrilling way, and the language the author uses is quite easy to understand. Apart from a factual report of what happened on 15 January 2009, it’s also autobiographic, which means that we get to know a lot about the personal background of the writer. As a passage I really like a lot, I take the section on page 2, which describes how the author felt during his first solo flight. I can well identify with him because I’m also a licensed private pilot and I remember in an unforgettable way my feelings when I made my first solo flight on a Grob(G115B) plane in 2008.

Grob(G115B)

By the way, I warmly recommend this book to all those who are interested to know more in detail how it came to that heroic landing on the Hudson River.

(179 words)

General Entry

The story is about Captain Sullenberger who became famous as a commercial pilot when he landed his Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in 2009.


Airbus A320

In his early childhood, je first wanted to be a policeman and then a fireman, but at the age of five, he knew exactly that his biggest wish was to fly.They lived near an air force base in Taxes and he often observed jets flying low over their house. His father gave him binoculars so he could watch them closer. He began to build model airplanes and read a lot about Charles Lindbergh who was the first aviator to cross the Atlantic on board his ˈSpirit of St. Louisˈ.

As he was 11, his mother invited him to the first plane ride, which impressed him very much.

At 16, he asked his dad if he could take flying lessons with a neighbor who was a flight instructor and who realized how potentially gifted and enthusiastic the boy was.

In this context I would like to point out that I’m in a similar situation as I have also discovered my passion for flying at about the same age.

I have already obtained my license for single engine aircrafts in America and Switzerland, and my dream of course is to become a commercial pilot like the hero of this story. It’s a long way to achieve this aim, and first of all, I have to go successfully through the BMS.

(250 words)