Fla. Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Dies

Autistic boy is fascinated with flying, parents say

(NEWSER) - A 13-year-old Florida boy with autism was found in San Jose, Calif., last night after driving himself to the airport and, apparently without identification or a credit card, getting on a cross-country flight, the Palm Beach Post reports. Kenton Weaver—who had never before driven—has Asperger’s Syndrome and is so obsessed with flying that he tried twice before to hitch rides to the airport. More»

Film to air in late 2009

(NEWSER) - Cable channel TLC has obtained exclusive rights to make a documentary on the story of Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully saved US Airways Flight 1549 with a daring water landing in January. The documentary will feature extensive interviews with Sullenberger discussing both his specific actions to save the plane and the approach to piloting that prepared him for the maneuver, Variety reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger told Congress today that cost-cutting by carriers is forcing experienced colleagues out of jobs, to the detriment of safety in the skies, the Chicago Tribune reports. “We will see negative consequences to the flying public,” the US Airways captain said. Sullenberger himself has seen his pay cut 40% recently, and his pension has been terminated. More»

Investigators looking at Flight 3407 crew's records

(NEWSER) - The captain and first officer on the Buffalo plane that crashed were typical of regional airline pilots, the Buffalo News reports: They had far less experience than their counterparts on major airlines. No one interviewed blames either pilot for the accident, but Capt. Marvin Renslow, 47, and Rebecca Lynne Shaw, 24, had 5,623 hours between them. Contrast that with the 20,000 hours by Hudson hero Chesley Sullenberger. More»

Survivors embrace heroes at '60 Minutes' taping

(NEWSER) - The passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 thanked and embraced hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger at a meeting in Charlotte, NC, the Charlotte Observer reports. As part of a 60 Minutes episode on the crash, about 50 of the passengers and their families met the crew of Flight 1549. “There was a tremendous outpouring of love from the families to Capt. Sullenberger,” said Mark Hood, one of the passengers. More»