Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson (Hardcover)

~ William Langewiesche (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Atomic Bazaar

“A gripping, frightening and essential story.” —John Freeman, The Denver Post

“One need read only the first three pages of The Atomic Bazaar to be reminded of William Langewiesche’s formidable talent as a journalist whose cool, precise and economical reporting is harnessed to an invigorating moral and intellectual perspective on the world he describes . . . An important book.” —Jonathan Raban, The New York Times Book Review

 Praise for The Outlaw Sea

“Astonishing . . . As [Langewiesche] demonstrates time and time again in this brave, often electrifying book, [the sea] is a world that is both new and very old, and we ignore it at our peril.” —Nathaniel Philbrick, The New York Times Book Review

“William Langewiesche’s enthralling study of the epidemic disorder of our oceans is hard to put down. His prose flows seamlessly and elegantly, effortlessly integrating investigative reporting, political analysis, travel writing and even film criticism.” —Jesse Berrett, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

Praise for American Ground

“Slim but powerful . . . One of the gifts of American Ground [is] truth, unclouded by sentiment. This book’s other gift is its capacity to surprise: it is a work of original reporting, and its pages are filled with astonishing observations.” —Jeffrey Goldberg, The New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinary . . . An amazing piece of journalism, full of colorful characters and astonishing scenes.” —Peter Carlson, The Washington Post

Product Description

On January 15, 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport in New York when a flock of Canada geese collided with it, destroying both of its engines. Over the next three minutes, the plane’s pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, managed to glide it to a safe landing in the Hudson River. It was an instant media sensation, the “Miracle on the Hudson,” and Captain Sully was the hero. But how much of the success of this dramatic landing can actually be credited to the genius of the pilot? To what extent is the “miracle” on the Hudson the result of extraordinary—but not widely known, and in some cases quite controversial—advances in aviation and computer technology over the past twenty years?

 

In Fly by Wire, one of America’s greatest journalists takes us on a strange and unexpected journey into the fascinating world of advanced aviation. From the testing laboratories where engineers struggle to build a jet engine that can systematically resist bird attacks, through the creation of the A320 in France, to the political and social forces that have sought to minimize the impact of the revolutionary fly-by-wire technology, William Langewiesche assembles the untold stories necessary to truly understand the

“miracle” on the Hudson, and makes us question our assumptions about human beings in

modern aviation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374157189
• ISBN-13: 978-0374157180
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,293 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Aviation > Piloting & Flight Instruction
  #2 in	Books > Nonfiction > Current Events > Disaster Relief
  #2 in	Books > History > World > Transportation > Aviation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In retrospect, what mattered most to [Sullenberger's] ultimate success was not what he did, but what he chose not to do.", November 10, 2009

By	Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

William Langewiesche's analysis of all the factors which contributed to the "Miracle on the Hudson" is a story that matches the events themselves in terms of excitement. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, pilot of the Airbus A320 which hit a flock of geese, lost both engines, and landed in the Hudson River with no loss of life on January 15, 2009, has rightly been lauded for his performance and has become a popular hero. But he was not alone in the making of this miracle. The plane itself contributed mightily to the successful outcome and the saving of the lives of all one hundred fifty passengers and five crew. Designed to remain stable under the most extraordinary conditions, the European-made Airbus is controlled by computerized systems which can not be over-ridden by pilots as they make split second moves during emergencies. "This marriage between electrical control circuits and digital computer [has become known] as fly-by-wire."

Langewiesche, an award-winning journalist and pilot, is at home with his subject, and he has interviewed virtually everyone who could give input into this story, creating a vibrant, lively, and thoughtful analysis of all the individual elements--including luck--which contributed to this happy ending. At the same time, he also analyzes some of the elements which may have led to the accident, including the issue of bird strikes throughout aviation history and why they happen. In his attempt to give the complete picture, Langewiesche also considers the financial problems of the airlines, the power of the pilots' unions, the comfortable relationship between the NTSB and the airlines and unions, and the competition between Airbus and Boeing. He includes a number of case studies of major accidents, many of which will be familiar to readers, and one of which is the disappearance into the Atlantic of the Air France flight from Brazil to Paris in June, 2009.

As Langewiesche describes the flight from takeoff to landing in the Hudson a mere five minutes later, he really hits his stride, creating a fast-paced narrative full of tension and human drama. Co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, air traffic controller Patrick Harten, and the flight attendants, are praised. Ultimately, Langewiesche grants enormous credit to Sullenberger for his decisions, including the decision to head for the Hudson when many thought he might have made it to an airport. "Sullenberger made the right decision. No matter what," Langewiesche says. Sullenberger also made a few original decisions based on his feel for the plane and his intense concentration during the emergency, despite the fact that these moves have never been included in any operations manual. One of these decisions helped prevent a more catastrophic loss. A serious study which nevertheless has moments of humor, Fly by Wire is a thoroughly absorbing account of a great moment in aviation history and the people and the plane which made this moment a "miracle." Mary Whipple

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Miracles on the Hudson, November 26, 2009

By	William Holmes "semloh2287" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading "Fly By Wire" on a recent trip, I find it interesting to visit Amazon.com and see a recapitulation of the passionate debate that Langewiesche describes in his book. On the one hand, there are those who feel that "fly by wire" technology is overrated and perhaps even dangerous--these reviewers tend to give the book low marks and hard reviews, some of which strike me as a bit unfair. Other reviewers--admirers of Langewiesche's journalistic style or the cogent explanations that he offers--give him high grades. On balance, I enjoyed "Fly by Wire," but I can understand how it will hit some raw nerves.

For the record, Langewiesche has nothing but high praise for Captain Sullenberger and his crew. He agrees that they did a superb job under incredibly difficult conditions, and the fact that they did it in an Airbus A320 takes nothing away from their accomplishment. As near as I can tell, the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 are real heroes and deserve the praise they have received.

"Fly by wire" technology combines electrical control circuits and digital computers to replace traditional hydraulic and mechanical flight control systems. Langewiesche really "pokes the bear" and elicits a strong emotional response from many of his readers when he suggests that "fly by wire" was a major contributor to the Miracle on the Hudson. Readers who want their heroes to be like Beowulf, brave and omnisciently skilled, dislike the suggestion that Captain Sullenberger and his team may have been helped by the revolutionary design of the A320. Pilots who are concerned about losing control over their aircraft to computers are also bound to take issue with Langewiesche's core theme, which is that the revolution in "fly by wire" technology pioneered by Airbus has saved lives and will continue to save them. It's not unreasonable for people to argue with Langewiesche's thesis, but I'm glad that he and others are having this debate--I suspect that in the long run many air travellers will be safer for it.

Regardless of your views on this hot topic, the book is worth a read. The author is an experienced pilot, so he is able to offer more insights than most journalists who covered this story. He does a good job of discussing bird strikes (especially the somewhat unusual one that crippled Flight 1549), the development of the A320, several crashes where "fly by wire" technology might have saved hundreds of people, and other examples where highly skilled pilots "pushing the envelope" in passenger aircraft have confidently done things that are amazingly dangerous, with disastrous results.

At the end of the day, I'm sympathetic to Langewiesche's argument that even great pilots can make mistakes, and that computers can help them accomplish things at the edge of their skills and experience that they would have a hard time doing on their own. Whether the computer or the crew was the decisive factor in The Miracle on the Hudson is at some level beside the point--not every pilot will be as skilled or capable of concentration as Captain Sullenberger, and computers can help prevent mistakes by crew who are pushing the outer edge of their experience and abilities.

For those who are convinced that "fly by wire" can never outperform a great pilot, consider two things. First, the question is not really whether fly by wire can outperform Captain Sullenberger, but whether it can outperform the average pilot with the average level of experience and savoire faire. Put another way, the next time you board an airplane, ask yourself whether the pilot flying your aircraft is one of the greats who will act like Captain Sullenberger, or one who has less skill or experience (the law of probability suggests that on any given flight, you are more likely to have the latter at the controls). Second, if you believe that "great" pilots are superhumans who never make mistakes, read Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, which describes how KLM's famous and accomplished chief pilot made a series of errors that resulted in the worst air disaster in aviation history. Everyone, no matter how skilled, makes mistakes--"Fly By Wire" helps us to understand how we can harness our technology to avoid errors at the edge of the envelope where the skills or experience of most people gets spottier.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvelous Achievement, November 15, 2009

By	Baron Jerome "Bjerome" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews

I just finished reading Fly By Wire and I feel it necessary to chime in, because I feel that some of the assertions in this thread are, unfortunately, off the mark. One person alleges: "It is widely accepted that the crew of 1549 are heroes. This author attempts to diminish their efforts." On the contrary, it's very clear that Langewiesche takes every possible opportunity to praise not only Sullenberger--whose decision-making and piloting he described as "masterful"--but the crew as well. A well-deserved number of positive adjectives are situated next to Sullenberger's name throughout the book. Just because Langewiesche goes a step further to praise the revolutionary aircraft, too--and its forward-looking engineers led by Bernard Ziegler--doesn't take anything away from what Sullenberger accomplished that day. He is merely telling the whole story.

And this: "This author disregards the numerous worldwide crashes of airbus aircraft due to its "fly-by-wire" automation. One of the best examples of this is the crash of an A320 which was doing an airshow fly by with one of Airbuses test pilots flying the aircraft. [...]. This airbus was flown below 50 feet over the runway for the fly by..." Langewiesche not only reconstructs this accident in exhaustive detail in the book, but he devotes AN ENTIRE CHAPTER to it. "Disregards?" Horribly irresponsible, to say such a thing. Please. Please. Read. The. Book.

I have followed Langewiesche's writing for years (his recent work at Vanity Fair and his encyclopedic catalog from The Atlantic in the 90s, and early aughts). He has never struck me, in any way, as a sensationalistic writer. He's not one to take on tabloid subjects. And this book IS NOT about debunking the hero myth of Sullenberger (he simply doesn't do it. See for yourself.). There are clearly bigger and more important issues at hand, and Langewiesche is operating at a much higher level (or, to keep with the theme at hand... A much higher "altitude"). It's the whole story of not only what happened the day, but a history of modern aviation.

(Also, in recent news: Langewiesche's extensive aviation writing--he's a professional pilot, after all--is being published in a forthcoming volume by Penguin Classics. The last I checked, they don't exactly do that for amateurs...)

My favorite part of Fly by Wire can be found in a gripping section where he pieces together the entire flight from inside the cabin--take-off to the Hudson. At one point he describes how one passenger, a man, takes a woman's child and protects it against the imminent crash, at a risk to himself. "What more can be said of anyone?" Langewiesche asks.

It's an amazing, thoughtful book that blazes by! Please. Read it!