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)