The Exact Opposite Of A Miracle

[Brad Kenney]

Manufacturers should be proud today. Especially the aircraft manufacturing industry, who just had a dramatic reminder of how a well-built product can perform in the toughest situation imaginable (i.e., an unplanned arrival on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff).

Millions of man-hours of research, development, testing, re-testing, customer input and training is now hard-wired into every one of these almost unimaginably complex aircraft products. And millions of people trust their lives to the manufacturer without a second thought. (Or at least enough confidence to keep airline tickets selling.)

Of course, the pilot's skill and a certain amount of luck was involved as well. However, I just want to make sure that, in all this talk about Lady Luck and the Lord's hands, the fact that the plane was built well doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

In fact, just heard the talking heads on Fox expounding on what a miracle it was that, after the pilot brought it in safely, the plane was still floating long enough to not only get everyone off safely, but to tow to shore. No, it's not a miracle. It's actually the exact opposite of a miracle -- it's a triumph of science and engineering that many people spent their entire careers creating.

[David Blanchard]

Originally Posted by Brad Kenney

Manufacturers should be proud today. Especially the aircraft manufacturers, who just had a dramatic reminder of how a well-built product can perform in the toughest situation imaginable ... It's actually the exact opposite of a miracle -- it's a triumph of science and engineering that many people spent their entire careers creating.

All true. However, as some commentators have also pointed out, it's mainly a triumph of European (i.e., Airbus) science and engineering.

[Brad Kenney]

Definitely -- and the more I read about it, the better I like the idea of the "ditch switch."

However, the Airbus A320 was not produced in a vacuum, and competitive pressures and reverse engineering of competitor features drives an industry like this to achieve pretty amazing advances.

My point is, here you have a case of a well-built product, used the way it was supposed to be used in one of the toughest situations imaginable. That should be a lesson for us all to live up to.

[David Blanchard]

Originally Posted by Brad Kenney

here you have a case of a well-built product, used the way it was supposed to be used in one of the toughest situations imaginable.

Not to get all spiritual here (although since the topic of this thread is miracles, why not?), but what if we changed the sentence slightly to say this:

Here you have a case of human courage, intellect and discipline, honed in the way they're supposed to be used, in one of the toughest situations imaginable.

The "miracle" was not that the plane held up in this situation; the miracle is that the people held up. It's a shame that apparently it's so rare that people show such courage and resolve that we now call it a "miracle." But so be it.