Article content

I used to work in radio. Every once in a while, there would be a screw-up on air. An interview subject’s name would be mispronounced. We’d get the date wrong on something. A mic would be left on the air for a disparaging remark about the staff Christmas party to be heard. Dumb stuff. But sometimes it was the equipment that would fail and there would be dead air plus a mad scramble.

The damage, however, was always negligible. No china was broken. No one’s dinner was burnt. There was no need for a tow truck. You’d cringe just the same, but we used to console one another with a particular phrase: “It’s not as if you’re flying a 747.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'I got everyone home today': How real-life pilots feel with our lives in their hands Back to video

This worked like a charm. Perspective would be restored and you could shake off the gaffe. It proved to be a handy little maxim. Unless, of course, you actually are flying a 747.

No, when pilots have a bad day at work, it’s not a small thing. The margins for error are microchip thin and the smallest of vagaries can result in a catastrophe. As much as flying is about getting you from A to B in the fastest way possible, to the pilot it’s mostly about risk management. Sully is never going to be offered as an inflight movie; the last thing an airline wants is passengers thinking about “the unlikely event,” let alone an unprecedented one.