I’ve bitched on these pages about the incompetence and indifference that I encounter in my daily life…whether with the post office, cell phone service providers, banks, etc. These incidents are the hazards of modern life that we all deal with by gritting our teeth and kvetching to our spouses or friends over a beer at the end of the day, and hopefully forget about soon enough.

I’m thinking that there are a number of very shaken up people in New York tonight who are also really, really, thankful for the plain, simple competence of the pilot and flight staff of US Airways flight 1549. The pilot “landed” the plane in the frigid Hudson when both engines were incapacitated by a collision with a flock of geese—one of those occurrences for which the term “freak accident” was coined. From all reports, though, he landed the plane as smoothly as could be hoped for under the circumstances, and observers almost immediately saw the floatation slides appear and the passengers disembark onto the floats and the plane’s wings.

There were injuries, but no fatalities, even though some people risked hypothermia getting wet in the Hudson River in a January cold snap. I’m sure the word “hero” will be thrown around, not only for the pilot and staff, but also for the captains of the ferries and water taxis that immediately came to the aid of the passengers. And certainly being cool and brave under extraordinary circumstances is the essence of heroism.

But the US Airways staff was also competent. It’s an uninspiring word, but if the staff had not been competent, then all the bravery and bravado in the world wouldn’t have made a difference.These people knew their shit. They got the job done.

They saved 155 lives.

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