The ATC controller for the Miracle on the Hudson flight was named Patrick Harten. He deserves more recognition.

I am not a pilot. I know nothing about being a pilot, but, man, you explain things very clearly and in a way that anyone can understand. thank you

Since you tend to be tougher on the pilots as a pilot, I'm gonna be harder on ATC because I'm a controller... The controller talking to 9UP Should hang up her headset. That's just embarrassing as a controller. As Kelsey Pretty much stated and I will add...a good controller would have given the pertinent weather instead of Is asking the pilot to verify he had the information. That's adding stress to an already very stressful situation. The pilot literally said he had his hands full. With all that being said I would take the loss of my ratings over a loss of human life any day... "AO"

The first time as a 200 hour PPL that I landed at a major international airport, all went pretty well until after I had landed, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself as I swiftly vacated the runway at the first exit and switched to ground frequency as requested. Job done! Nope. The fast barrage of complex taxi instructions might as well have been spoken in Greek. Totally overwhelmed, I weakly replied, "Erm, request progressives ... please?" The controller came back with a chuckle - "Just wait there little fella, I'll send a followme vehicle ..." Profound relief!

Literally had no interest in airlines, pilots, ATC anything like that yesterday. At work today and stumbled upon this treasure of a man. Now I can’t stop watching

she's the type of controller to tell you to be sure to not hit anything when you crash

I’m an MEII and I had a student that wanted to fly somewhere for his lesson. We decided to fly from Tulsa to Lake Charles Louisiana. Hours before the lesson he asked if his Mother and Sister could go. He informed me that they were apprehensive about small planes. We were to take a Cessna 310, so I said okay, because being the ambassador for aviation that I am. The C310 was being flown by another CFI while I pre-flighted. Upon landing, he grounded the 310. I called the owner and he advised I could take his Piper Aztec for the day. The women definitely voiced apprehension and I could tell me student was playing ambassador too, however their vocalizing was coming off more as nervous chatter than serious fear. We loaded up and I talked the ladies through each task I would be putting my student through, so they would have some expectations and be less nervous. Sister really relaxed, but Mom, not so much. I isolated the headsets and addressed the situation with my student and he reassured me that was normal melodrama for Mom. I decided there may be some impending air sickness with mom, so I got more into IFR navigation / multi engine work to keep the motion part to a minimum. It was a beautiful day with many small vertical clouds and we had filed IFR so we quit dodging clouds and started popping in an out of them, however this started to get bumpy for Mom and again I sensed an impending air sickness incident. Just about then a loud chunk was heard and within 4 revolutions the critical engine just stopped frozen. I put my student through his paces and he was at best doing a C- job of handling it, but he wasn’t F-ing the situation so I let him continue. Sister kinda knew it was real, but Mom thought it was still all training. We declared an emergency and asked for vectors to the nearest. To my surprise, I was soon getting vectors to and talking with a Barksdle AFB controller. I reassured the controller that although it was a training flight, we had numerous options and we were maintaining altitude with an ever so slight decent rate, so if he would rather we not AFB it, I was okay with that for now. He was THE BEST controller I’ve ever dealt with-period, and on top of that he sounded quite young. I lamented to him that although this was taxing my student and I knew we’d be okay, I still wanted to take this lesson up a notch or two in order to not waste the real world experience we were having. I let the student do all the talking to the controller from then on-but- when he repeated the declaration of emergency (done to fully start the lesson from the top), that’s when it hit Mom that this was really happening. My student was just starting to come down off the initial shock of what was happening, when Mom went full-on freak-out. I tried to reassure her, Sis tried to, and my student kinda barked at her to stop. Well, she started whooping, streaking, and grabbing. It got really bad really quick. I then declared to the controller that I was now having a real emergency. The controller could hear her freak out during my call. My student started to get too distracted by Mom’s antics and he was looking for me to take over. I put my left hand on his right hand on the throttles and gave him a stern, yet reassuring look and said, “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate-now fly this plane and deal with the problem.” Although Mom never backed down a notch and hyperventilated on short final, it was like my student just tuned her out and latched on to the controller’s voice. As we saw Barksdale in the distance ( that’s one big, wide runway) I commented to the controller, that “everything is going good and we’re having a great learning experience up here”, to which the controller responded, “we all could use some real world, from time to time.” I knew he was still picking up Mom’s antics from the back. Although we were still IFR but again now below the clouds in beautiful VFR conditions, I pulled out my foggles, handed them to my student and instructed him to request an ASR approach. The controller gladly accepted, but I could tell he had to think about it for a second or two. As my student did some B+ flying and the controller spit out the turns, I could really get the sense that both my student & the controller were really into that approach. Mom never stopped even as we were rolling out. After learning we’d absolutely chunked a distributor, I requested to meet the controller. He told me he’d never gotten the opportunity to do a real ASR approach and certainly never expected to do one on an airplane moving “so slow”! I’ll always remember that day fondly. He really was a great tempered, super professional Controller. Mom, well, we had to spend the night awaiting repairs, so Sister rented a car and all three drove back. I flew home myself the next day. A Controller’s temperament, professionalism, and assistance can make ALL the difference, as he helped me take not one, but three issues (engine out, student, and Mom’s freak out) and keep it all in the realm of a great learning experience.

ATC, Patrick Harden, who Assisted the Crew of Flight Cactus 1549 definitely also deserves mad props for everything he did during that time. I believe he can also be attributed with the swift assistance at the landing site this crew received in evacuating the passengers to safety. He is a significant part of the reason their was no loss of life along with the flight crew and flight attendants in the back.

In South Africa we generally use "Trainer 1" as our callsign in the simulator. One day out of Johannesburg an aircraft had a bird strike and the pilot came on the radio "Mayday mayday mayday Trainer 1 bird strike... " instead of using his actual callsign, the ATC just went with it and used "Trainer 1" as his callsign while they returned to the airport. The ATC was accommodating, knowing that the pilot was comfortable with the callsign and just continuing with it.

I’m a controller and you explained everything very well. I cringed pretty hard at the second controller really not helping at all…

509UP is one of my company's aircraft. The PIC did a great job, despite the controller being awful, and he wasn't flying alone. We don't do that. Always two type-rated pilots in the cockpit. Besides that, the Citation (either the X pictured, or the XLS actually involved) isn't certified for single pilot operations. By the way, they weren't just dealing with an open door/airstair, but also with the loss of an engine. When the door flew open, a jacket flew out and went straight into the #1 engine. We do have terrain avoidance software on the airplanes, but we aren't supposed to use it as a primary means of avoiding the terrain. However, if it's all you got, you can point the aircraft toward the green returns, avoid the yellow, and the red will kill you. It shows the highest terrain elevation within the area you have displayed also. The controller is worried about minimum vectoring altitude, which gives a minimum of 1000 feet above the highest obstacle in the area, and only the controller knows it, but in a situation like this one, you shouldn't really care about having 1000 feet of clearance--just having enough to not hit anything! The only thing I might critique the pilot on is not having a plan for an emergency return ready to go. When I was in the Air Force, on an IFR flight (even if the weather was good), we were required to take off with the applicable emergency return instrument approach briefed and loaded, and tuned in (if the aircraft's systems allowed that). When I flew a jet that only had one VHF navigation receiver, I would have the navaid frequency needed for departure tuned in, and the one for the emergency return IAP set in the standby freq. These days I don't bother with a lot of setup if the weather is good and terrain isn't an issue, but when those things are a factor, I will at least have the applicable instrument approach loaded on the iPad, and the LOC freq for the emergency return tuned in. We are required to brief our plan for an emergency return, but it's important to also be ready to execute that plan. We all have the SDP loaded and ready to go when we're departing a mountainous airport that has one, just in case we lose an engine, but a lot of people are a bit complaceent when it comes to other airports. Also, not to be too nit-picky, but why are you showing a Citation X during that episode? There are plenty of good Citation XLS pictures to use. 😎

"I understand he's loading her up with a ton of information that she's not used to...I get it - but he's also not used to having a DOOR FLY OFF his plane either! Give him some slack" I lol'd at this amazing statement!

During my air traffic controller training, we looked at the Hudson case and the actions of the responsible controller as a positive example. He did an amazing job, giving Sully all available options while keeping his transmissions short and causing as little distraction to the pilots as possible. If I ever become a part of an emergency situation as severe as this, I really hope I will perform like that controller did.

“The passengers are going to be pretty upset” understatement of the year xD

EXCELLENT vid. I've never been a 747 pilot, but I HAVE been an Air Traffic Controller (1974 to 2008), and I have handled emergencies (many), and I just wanted to tell you that you were absolutely CORRECT about that controller working the EMER biz jet. I cringed listening to her! If she'd have demonstrated that attitude as a trainee of mine, I would have done all I could to get her OUT of the profession. Unfortunately, persons with such attitudes rarely "reveal" themselves until after check-out.

My boss is a retired regional ATC. He said that once, he got a call from a small private plane who declared an emergency, needing to land immediately. As luck would have it they were near a small uncontrolled rural airfield. My boss grew up in this same area and was able to sucessfully direct them to the airfield using landmarks, at night. I was impressed.

This woman would have requested Sully to check the tide and water temperature in the Hudson.

Sully: Unable, we're gonna be in the Hudson. ATC: Confirm you're responsible for obstacle clearance 😂

ATC (Patrick) should have been recognized at least equally as Sully. That dude was on top of everything. On a 1 to 10 scale, this ATC gets a 27. As good as the landing! Awesome Patrick!!

Here in UK there was an interesting exchange between the passenger of a single engine light aircraft returning back home after a day out with his friend, the pilot and aircraft owner. Part way through the flight the pilot suffered a massive heart attack and died. John Wildey, the passenger got control of the plane but had zero flying experience. Eventually he managed to make a Mayday call on the radio and they began talking him through the process of approaching the airfield and then hopefully, landing. It took four attempts as each time he was coming in too fast so was told by ATC "not to worry and just go around again". John replied back, "it's alright for you mate, you're on the ground and i'm still up here in this bloody thing"!! After he successfully landed he told the ATC crew he knew he had to get the plane down because his daughter had invited him out for a meal that evening! 😂

Former controller here....I can’t believe she was verifying And asking for the ATIS in that situation

Having been a controller for 27 years, I am just embarrassed at the incompetence of this controller. The problem is only getting worse.

02:05... the handoff to the second airport was so smooth and fast by both ATCs... although we know he ends up in the water, the professionalism and speed at which both ATCs confirmed a clear runway to land at Teterboro was impressive.

The idea that liability could even matter in life or death situation just boggles my mind. I remember learning in a first responder class that one of the top reasons people chose not to do CPR is fear of being sued/ liability, I was dumbfounded.

Paramedic on the scene of an accident to patient: "Here's a number you can call to get your blood pressure taken. Let me know when you've got it."

“hey teterboro, cactus said he’d rather be in the hudson then land at that sorry excuse for an airport! go giants” - Tower

My grandfather flew with sully when sully was a FO and my grandfather a captain. (He had been retired shortly before 9/11 happened so hadn't flown with him for a LONG time) USAir was a huge airline at the time so they weren't partnered often but in my grandmothers own words my grandfather was "ecstatic!" when the news hit. His phrasing was along the lines of "That's Right! You fly the ...beep beep beep... plane!" According to grandma it was as if he was watching the super bowl, the world series, and the National open all in one, lol.

As you mentioned, when I first heard that tape of the communication between Sully and the tower, I was SO impressed at how quickly that guy in the tower was operating. Granted he wasn’t fully absorbing the gravity of the situation consciously, but when the airwaves resonated an emergency, he hit the gas making arrangements. Very cool. 😎

I was a controller for 20yrs, that female controller irritated the 💩 out of me. She was parrot, not a controller, and didn’t know how to think outside the box or standard phraseology.

Think putting legal liability avoidance ahead of the preservation of human life is pretty inexcusable to be honest.

Kelsey is a true value producer. He is picking things out of the trash and turning them into entertaining, instructive, thougth provoking, relatable and potentially life saving lessons.

I saw Captain Sullivan "land" his plane on the Hudson River that day ( NY side). Still can't fathom how smoothly, and ( I guess) gracefully his Hudson "runway" landing was. Skill, a team of professionals, and angels seemed to be the amazing formula!

That controller talking to Sully was very sharp and quick. He did an excellent job.

There's this map called an Emergency Obstruction Vectoring Map that controllers can bring up showing the altitudes of all obstructions, to be used for vectoring in an emergency. Controllers should know all outages on their airports. Controllers shouldn't send emergency aircraft to other frequencies to get the weather when they can read it to them. Controllers are sitting safe on the ground. If they can't remember that, if they freeze or get stupid when a plane has an emergency, they need to find a new job.

I'm in charge of testing and evaluation at my ATC facility and I always get questioned about things like "why are we required to know the localizer frequency for tests?" 99.9% of the time you don't, but on that rare occasion like this, it could significantly improve the outcome of a situation and the level of service you are providing. One thing to note, controllers handle emergency aircraft almost routinely. Over 90% I'd say are low risk, standard scenarios. So sometimes it's hard for a controller to deviate from habitual control practices to meet an elevated level of service required, even though they might understand that this is a more critical situation. I think this can all be mitigated by a more in depth focus of CRM (crew resource management). There's a specific part of CRM called the decision making process. It's defined as a continuous loop of identifying problems and working to a solution while weighing all the information you have available to make the best decision for a given scenario. For us that can be learning a little more about what pilots have to deal with, some of their requirements, aircraft characteristics, etc. A pilot comes on the frequency in a panic talking about not being able to climb because a door fell off the plane probably doesn't warrant 4 transmissions asking to maintain terrain and obstruction clearance. Obviously the situation has deteriorated to the point that CYA and normal control practices are out the window. I agree with everything the pilot had to critique in that scenario.

Just like to say "thank you" to all pilots, ground crew, controllers, attendants, everyone who dedicates their lives to flying us jerks around the world. I don't know how you do it, but I'm sure thankful that you do.

Many years ago, I was approaching Glendale airport in AZ. I was flying an ultralight, (top speed 60 MPH,,, in a dive). After reporting at 10 miles out, I was told that I had 3 "heavies" (anything bigger that an ultralight) behind me. They request, I granted that they pass. At 3 miles out I had a Cessna 175 behind me and would arrive approximately at the same time. ATC asked and requested that I land on the taxi way. I did. (BTW. within the 10 miles and landing, I was asked several times, my speed and what was taking so long. At 4 miles, after being asked again, I reported that "I was peddling as fast as I could"!! When ATC acknowledged, I could hear a lot of laughter in the background). FYI I was a Cessna pilot before I flew ultralights.

The ATC handling the Sully emergency must’ve been so scared Respect to him for staying calm and trying to handle the situation so well. He really did everything he could in that situation.

Agree 100% about the weather information. Asking a pilot in the middle of an emergency if he has the latest ATIS information means he has to find the frequency, dial it in, and likely listen to it for more than one full running (as it's rare to dial it in at the beginning of the message). When it's hitting the fan, this simply isn't going to happen.

Controller here, that second aircraft is the result of a stiff controller who strictly follows rules. Nothing is wrong most of the time, but during grey areas it can be stressful. Vectoring an AC below an MVA is pretty much always a ratings list scenario. Nothing in the .65 (our rule book) says it’s ok for emergencies although it is common practice if they need it they need it. We really need a different rule book for emergency situations like this to be efficient. The only time I ever lost my ratings was clearing an emergency AC at 3000 feet for a visual approach that he requested during IFR weather. I informed the pilot the weather was IFR and instrument approaches were available if needed. Pilot said unable request visual airport in sight. I said cleared visual approach. Pilot landed fine. I got pulled out. Was told I should have said roger and let the pilot do it on his own. I still disagree as the last thing I imagine pilots want is to be told unable approach clearance or anything that sounds remotely like that 3 miles from an airport. However, .65 doesn’t make exceptions and my facility disagreed with me.

As a pilot that was VERY hard to listen to. I don’t know how long I could stay professional in an emergency with a controller like that. Absolutely did not care one bit.

I'm an ATCO over here in Norway, and what you're saying about losing identification (radar contact) is absolutely right. Yes, there sometimes (although rarely) are blindspots that we know they'll fly through, but I always get a notch higher heightened sense of awareness every time someone goes off the scope. Add that to the fact that the aircraft is an emergency, and your stomach just drops. It's in our nature as ATCOs to want to know where everybody is, even those inside adjacent uncontrolled airspace, just because we want to make sure nobody gets into an accident, and if they do get into an accident, that we know where to send help. Whenever you guys have any issues, we can sometimes feel quite helpless, which is why we feel an urge to spew out information to help you guys. The human mind is an interesting thing. As EuroControl puts it: "The flight crew's perception is that there is too much to do in too little time, whilst the controller's perception is that there is a too long time between communications." Remember: We're here for you guys. If there's something you need, give us a holler, and we'll do our best to give it to ya. If it can't be done, we'll try to give you the next best thing. Props to everyone involved in the Miracle on the Hudson, from the flight crew to the rescue personnel, the ATS, heck even the passengers did a great job. That incident is a textbook example of how to respond to incidents.

Once on a trip across country, I could hear the pilot talking to the ATC. I was then that I understood how the ATC would shepherd the plane point to point. I was especially impressed by the professionalism of the ATC and pilots. It was a good flight.

I retired after 32 yrs and 25,000 + hrs. but lost my medical. My son and I really enjoy watching your channel. Very entertaining and fun to watch.

"OH MY GOD!! My hair is on fire and my copilot is dead!" "Sounds insane mate, can you not fly into a mountain?"

ATC:' You also got Newar Airport in your two o'clock in about seven miles.' Kelsey: I'Id never want to be in that situation' Newark Airport: *:'(*

I was there the day 9UP encountered the emergency situation and your opinion of the controllers' actions is spot on. I cringed as I listened to her transmissions. Yes, controllers' transmissions are scrutinized to the nth degree to determine if the controllers' actions may have contributed to the event and/or to ensure there were no rule violations. However, in an emergency situation like this, she should not have badgered the pilot about terrain and obstruction clearance and if he had the current ATIS. I believe it was after the second time she asked about terrain clearance, (still cringing) I suggested she "bring up" the Emergency Vectoring Obstruction Map (EVOM) which displays actual height of the terrain as opposed to Minimum Vectoring Altitude maps. It was after displaying the EVOM she calmed down a bit. One thing I will say in her defense as far as not knowing the localizer frequency, for runway 10, is she's a departure controller and didn't have that info readily available, Rwy 10 does not have a precision approach, and is seldom used. Her skills as a controller were average. She got the job done but didn't do well during heavy traffic volume or situations like the one 9UP encountered.

Your first scenario raises a point which is valid for many occupations. These days there are generally two ways to approach any task - the ethical/right way, and the regulation/mandated way. They are often very different. During 45 years practicing medicine I often came up against the paradox of being mandated by a regulatory agency to do things one way, while the best thing for the patient was to do it another way. I always took the course that helped the patient most. If you are consistent in your insistence on doing the right thing, you will acquire a reputation that protects you from capricious criticism or discipline by the Small Minds.

The words "Radar contact is lost" always give me chills

ATC: Which runway do you need? Sully: The Hudson

I am binge watching, which explains this comment a whole year late, but I just gotta say, I love how Kelsey says honestly he has never been an ATC so he does more critical thinking about the pilot's actions and responses. I respect that acknowledgement a lot! And ADORE this channel!!

As a Tower Controller I have to say that you have the perfect attitude about runways: Spend as little time there as possible, especially at busy airports! Whenever leaving via the wrong taxiway, never ever in your entire life enter the runway again without the explicit permission to do so by ATC! That might lead into a very serious runway incursion, nobody wants to deal with that.

We’re gonna be in the Hudson has to be one of the most iconic lines in aviation

I always forget about how good the ATC controller was during Sully's incident! I guess I just hadn't heard it in a long time but the response he got information was incredible absolutely incredible! I mean their dialogue was just INCREDIBLE to hear!

I got chills listening to the first two minutes of this. What a pilot, what an ATC!

I am a retired controller with 32 years and am currently a corporate pilot flying a Citation Sovereign. I agree with you 100% that the controller did a poor job of helping out the Citation pilot, although I don’t think I would necessarily blame her. During the last decade of my FAA career I saw the training requirements for controllers go rapidly and severely down hill. There used to be a pretty tough screening process to become a controller and the wash out rate was high. But the FAA in their infinite wisdom went to a “Train to Succeed” program. Their new philosophy was that given enough training anyone can be a controller. I thoroughly disagree. The screening process I went through was pass/fail and they were looking for those people that had the correct aptitude. Some people just don’t have what it takes. I’m not saying there’s any shame in that because as a kid I took several years of piano lessons. I just didn’t get it. To this day I couldn’t play you a song if my life depended on it! Unfortunately I think society in general is going that way. Everybody gets a participation letter and nobody is allowed to fail.

You would’ve thought Sully was getting a foot rub during those comms….cool as a cucumber. What a pro and so thankful his skills paid off.

Yeah, the 2nd one is pretty nuts. He's got stuff flying around the cockpit trying to get out of the clouds and avoid terrain and she's bugging him about the ATIS.

You are right. That controller on the Uniform Papa call was out of her depth and had blinders on. It wasn't just about passing off responsibility for maintaining obstruction clearance; she wasn't giving him what he asked for. Even in Vatsim most controllers know the Localizer frequency....she didn't know. She needs to be retrained.

Thank you for your comprehensive explanations to the lay persons on the most technical of issues in this field! You've cleared up many confusing situations for me, as well as for others, I'm sure.

Another thing I like about that Sully ATC recording is the attitude of the involved controllers. First the departure controller, but also the tower controllers. "We got an emergency right now." " OK get him in." no questions asked no hesitation just getting it done.

One thing you never want to hear from ATC is "what are you doin' now, man?" That made me laugh out loud.

Kelsey 74 gear, that I've seen for years you are hands down the number one KZfaq intelligent program to watch. Your clarity sets the bar across the board for KZfaq and what it should be for. Thank you for your outstanding efforts !!

1st time watching and loved the insight here. A good example id seen before watching this, was a Thomson flight from manc (263H). Hit a bird on takeoff and the right engine had to be shut off. Was really interesting listening to how calm both ATC and the pilot was as they went through options before returning back. Got a lot of respect for pilots/atc unreal job you guys do on a day to day basis.

I used to work on the ATC equipment in the tower. The scariest feeling for a maintenance person is when an emergency is declared and you hope all of your equipment is working properly.

ATC: what do you need to land? Sully: Engines!

I recently retired after 35 years at a major airline and agree with everything said in this video. Both Sully and his controller were fantastic. That controller does deserve more credit for being intelligent and supportive and nimble, offering useful information and options without trying to over control. The UP pilot was amateurish with his phraseology and his controller was more of a distraction than a help. She was more interested in CYA than providing useful information to help him get it on the ground. Awful. So, for non pilots interested in aviation and wondering whether or not this guy is for real, he definitely is.

Something fascinating about your channel and content is that not only does it help others, but it is helping you become a better pilot as well

I don't know why KZfaq decided I wanted to watch this channel but I'm really enjoying having my world expand with knowledge about what goes on between pilots and control towers

Two Remarks from an European pilot, who is no English native speaker: 1. For me, flying to the US always took a lot of concentration, because controllers and pilots communicated in their native language and did not give a damn about phraseology (same with any folks, speaking their native language on radio (French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian)). That's fair enough, but during emergencies it really undermines one asset, that any pilot/controller could use: structure. If I have an emergency, I give a Mayday-call and everyone on the frequency is instantly informed and knows, what to do. Also thank you for explaining the importance of "aviate navigate communicate" (which is also a great tool to get structure into a possibly overwhelming situation). For pilots, I would like to advertise TPAA or PPAA to deal with any demanding situation (it sure helped me a few times). 2. I talked a lot with our controllers over here and they told me, that they do not have the same legal "get free of jail card" as pilots do, meaning that they are not allowed to use any means they think necessary to handle a flight safely. We pilots (or at least I hope most of us) do have that paragraph in our operating manual, that we can do anything to safely conduct a flight, if it is necessary. Controllers don't have that, so if they are vectoring a plane below their minimum vectoring altitude, they may face a lawsuit. Perhaps this is different in the US (I would hope so). Also always remember, that we are all humans, prone to make mistakes (and sometimes to be really unhappy about something ;-) ). Thanks for the great video!

I've only 270 hours in the left seat, but I would be appalled at getting this response from ATC. I appreciate your candor.

I am retired ATC from Miami ARTCC with a commercial pilot license with instrument and multi-engine ratings . I've had many emergency situations, hijackings, controlling Airforce 1, among other things. I was the last ARTCC controller to speak to EA401 before he was handed off to Miami Approach Control (not an emergency at that time). I only say these things because I've been on both sides of the fence. This controller should have been more in tune with what was going on and handled it better. As some of your viewers may not know, that controller probably had others helping her or should have. She should have known that the ILS was not functioning and at the very least, knew all the frequencies. There are coordinators, supervisors and adjacent controllers, or should be, available. Whenever an emergency is declared, priority is given to that aircraft. We try to be accommodating to everyone else when possible. Most pilots understand that when an emergency is in progress that they are not the priority. On another note, being a controller in Florida, we had many interesting situations. Besides hijackings to Cuba in the early days, there were many space shots off of Cape Kennedy. Several times when I was working high altitude sectors, I would get requests for pilots to spin circles over Orlando to watch the launches,especially the night launches. There were times that I've had 10-12 planes holding (obviously legally separated) until the shot got off. They were all thankful and, of course, the passengers were thoroughly impressed (a feather in the cap of the pilot). When it came time to line all these aircraft up for in sequence for the various approach controls, they were super cooperative. It doesn't hurt to maintain good relations on both sides and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

During my training, one of my instructors told me, "The controller is there to help you and they usually will, but remember that at the end of your flight, they're going to go home - you have to be responsible for aviating and navigating. If the controller aims you towards a mountain and gets too busy to tell you to turn in time (think KFLG in a Cessna 172 on a busy weekend), it's up to you to say, 'Hey, there's a mountain in front of me, should I turn now?' before you turn into a geological artifact."

This pilot saved a lot of lives that day. True balls of steel this guy has.

Your commentary on things is great training for both ATC and pilots.

Gives me chills too brother. It's always harder for me to NOT be the one in emergency. Listening to it and not being able to do anything about it... that's the worst for me. That controller was a friggin boss. Totally dialed in. Watching his testimony was heart breaking

Wow I never realized I've never heard the actual real life conversation between ATC, Tower, Cactus and Teterboro until now. What an amazing job all of those guys did in that situation. Straight to point and rapid firing possible solutions at Cactus.

Tower: You landed on a taxiway. Advise when ready to copy phone number. Harrison Ford: No need to give me the phone number, I already have it.

The Miracle on the Hudson audio makes me feel much more confident flying knowing that the people responsible for our safety are able to keep a clear, cool head under the most stressful circumstances.

The pilot in distress with 'average' controllers enunciation may not have been perfec' but I found him very clear and easy to understand. Did a fine job, I thought.

509 UP: I’m not a pilot but I live in the Bay Area and am familiar with SFO. SFO Localiser not working on Runway 10 is probably normal. 99% of landings are on Runway 28 from over the Bay. I have never seen an approach to SFO Runway 10 and probably only happens in emergencies. ATC should have known this immediately.

I'm currently studying to be an ATC and this was very helpful

Hey Kelsey, i admire your work and efforts in explaining how to become a zen monk among the world of aviation. Cheers!!!

Here is an observation that few pilots or controllers think about ... but greatly impacts what they should expect, how they interact, and how they should interact. Some pilots only fly 10, 20, 40 hours *PER YEAR* (or less). On top of that, many if not most pilots fly to and from *MANY, MANY DIFFERENT AIRPORTS* ... some or many of which they've never seen before. In contrast, a controller works 40 hours *PER WEEK* ... and *ALWAYS AT THE SAME AIRPORT.* Once you think about this factoid, you realize the obvious consequence is --- there is every reason to expect the controller to be *EXTREMELY* familiar with *EVERYTHING* about his airport and the local vicinity (local terrain, local weather patterns, current weather, other airports ... everything). Even if it wasn't the job of the controller --- which it is --- anyone who spends 40 hours per week in a single place and doing a single task becomes very familiar with everything. In contrast, almost the whole point of flying an airplane is to *go to other locations* (except during training). So a pilot encounters dozens if not hundreds (or thousands) of different airports. Including many airports they've never been to before ... others airports they rarely go to ... other airports where new runways or taxiways have been added or removed - or where procedures have been changed. Furthermore, for those who don't fly, consider this factoid. When I learned to fly, I flew with an instructor for 20 hours ... and was then set loose to fly on my own (as in, I'm alone in the airplane and not even in contact with an instructor on radio). Compare that to 40 hours of experience a controller gets *EVERY WEEK* ... and in a location where [at least usually] there are other controllers or knowledgeable people around to ask questions. Which means, pilots operate in a *VASTLY* less familiar, *VASTLY* more variable environment, and *VASTLY* more dangerous environment than controllers ... pretty much all the time. Given these facts (that we rarely if ever think about, and I never even noticed until 40 years after I became a pilot), I have to say that maybe pilots should expect *MORE* out of controllers ... and controllers should expect *LESS* out of pilots. And, this also makes me think that the correct attitude of both controllers and pilots should be ... controllers are there to work for pilots, not the other way around. But as we hear, only some controllers seem to "get that" or have that attitude, while other controllers think they are some "authority" and "master of the universe" (or at least their airport). Well, in a way they are in "control" of what happens near their airport ... but for the sole purpose of keeping pilots from crashing or running into each other (not being "cops" on a highway looking to get drivers in trouble and raise revenue for their own paychecks). I'm curious how crazy controllers and pilots out there consider my comments. And also, since it took me 40 years to realize the above basic factoids, I wonder whether other controllers and pilots have ever noticed these factoids and their impact on the operation of airports and airplanes.

The professionalism of both pilot and ATC in the Hudson River situation is awesome!!!!

"If one of the engines fell off my plane, that'd be a Pan-Pan, or maybe not even that." I remember a B-52 pilot talking about the same circumstance, he said "We probably wouldn't even notice if one fell off."

The SFO controller wasn't doing her job. I''m a commercial pilot and worked at Oakland Center as a controller. When a pilot declares an emergency in the USA (and you're right about foreign controllers), communicate however you can. I've had foreign pilots not understand basic English. I got in big trouble speaking to a Spanish speaking 727 pilot in Spanish, because he couldn't understand turn right heading 210, descend and maintain 16 thousand. It became IMMEDIATELY ...etc and he put his plane on its wing tip... You're good. And this controller/jet pilot/CFI (most of them) enjoys your work...and description of your days. Been there, done that and you're accurate in your descriptions. THANKS! PS. And Patrick Harten was terrific. I agree with @gotham61

When I was 10 years old, my father used to let me help him with his flight plans for flying a B-36 in and out of Fairchild AFB. I grew up in the Air Force. My younger brother was a thirty year air traffic controller. I completely agree with 74 Gear's assessment of both parties involved in the missing door event. One thing I know is that far too many pilots have crashed their planes over flapping doors. Fly the plane FIRST, then get the ATIS if you need it. The ATC should have given it to the pilot. I recall asking my dad what it was like flying a B-52, and he said that it was like dancing with a fat girl. B-24s to B-52s he logged nearly 3000 hours, the last of them in Viet Nam.

She could briefly mention her rules, then vector him to the safest path available and forget the rest of the rules explanations, crap he doesn’t need to know. Asking him if he had Lima wx was inexcusable and shows a complete lack of understanding the big picture. When he crashes while he’s distracted trying to dial up the wx, she can rest assured she followed the FAAs guidelines for lawsuit avoidance phraseology. No common sense.

A few years back, I attended a leadership conference at Disney (FL) featuring Sully as a keynote speaker. Hearing him talk through the ‘208 seconds’, in person, was something I’ll never forget ….

I was in the other room when he said "Most people aren't going to take off or land on taxiways, minus a couple people". Had to come back and back it up to see if a picture of Harrison Ford flashed when he said that. I was not disappointed. Bonus points for Han at the helm of the Millennium Falcon. 🤣🤣🤣

Kelsey, this was hard to listen to. I am a retired ATCS from the ARTCC in Cleveland. You are exactly right about the controller. She should be giving him the ATIS information rather than making him turn in and listen to it himself. Also, I knew all the NOTAM's and other pertinent information on all airports in my sector, regardless of size so I could relay that to a pilot without hesitation. Great videos my friend, keep up the good work.

"Errr Uniform Papa, your emergency's a bit inconvenient right now. Could you take your bloody door and divert somewhere else! Take the hint I couldn't be less interested!" 🤣🤣 Lets just hope she couldn't hear him properly so didn't realize the urgency!

That second scenario Kelsey, yeah I’m with you all the way on your assessment. I never want to be in an emergency talking to a controller who thinks that’s an acceptable way to behave!

I've had a casual interest in aviation for a number of years. Quite a long time ago (17-18 years ago), my old boss took me up in his single-engine prop plane on my last day as a going away gift kind of thing. It was amazing! I remember as a young kid, I've been to the flight deck of a 727 while it was flying to Cuba. Now I'd kind of hoping to build a small flight simulator of sorts, so I've just been kind of browsing a couple KZfaq videos here and there. Good sir, your videos are very interesting! I've just come across them over the last day or two, and I've learned so much! It's so neat to hear all of the little details about flying and aviation in general from you! Thank you so much!

Sully was a navy pilot ! He is brilliant and his navy training came in super handy ! What a beautiful and inspiring story !

I sure enjoy your videos, Thank You, Sir. My most embarrassing flying event was getting lost at a giant complex airport. After several calls to Ground, a military AWACS told me to follow the grey four-engine plane with a flying saucer on top. They were going to the same runway and understood the complex taxiways. All was good but my passenger lost a lot of respect for my flying abilities.

"Unable" oh man that just gives me chills every time.

I love these videos. I subscribed to you a while back and havent seen you in my feed for whatever reason and havent watched in a long time. Binging now! I used to fly a little in general aviation as a teenager and had to stop for medical reasons. I wanted to become an ATP, but now I'm an Aircaft Maintenance Technician. Aviation is definitely my passion. Love the videos! Keep it up!

My brother-in-law was an FAA Terminal Supervisor and the Sully Plane was one of his assigned planes so he was one of the FFA Officials that came to NY after the crash into the Hudson for the investigation into the incident. I didn’t know that at the time but in a conversation years after the event was watching a video about the crash and he told me about his role in the saga.