(March 2011) — THERE WERE TWO HUDSON River accidents in 2009. In January, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and copilot Jeff Skiles did an excellent job of ditching US Airways Flight 1549. There was also a tragic event in August, when a sightseeing helicopter and a Piper Lance collided and nine people perished. For me, these incidents resonated with an even more personal note than they might have for other pilots. In January 2006, I ditched a Piper Warrior in the Hudson River and survived, along with another pilot who had asked me to familiarize him with the now-famous Hudson River VFR Corridor. It was the quick response of the New York City Police Department and U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopters that led to a positive outcome.
Mark Sorey was a low-time pilot at the South Jersey Regional (KVAY) flying club where I was an instructor. In late 2005, he asked me for a flight review and a flight up the Hudson River Corridor. I was a flight instructor with 700 hours of total time and had flown the Hudson more than 20 times. Mark was planning future flights with friends up the Hudson but thought he would first fly it with an instructor so he could get familiarized. I agreed it was a good idea.
