deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Crew

His name was Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third Which for a pilot sounds absurd.

A pilot’s name should be Buzz, Bill, or Chuck But a name like Chesley may mean good luck.

He was flying an Airbus out of New York When at 3,000 feet the engine lost torque. His voice was calm as he sent out the word: Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third.

No time to maneuver or head for New Jersey; The force of gravity shows no mercy, And there was the river stretching for miles

So he said to his copilot, Jeffrey Skiles, “We’ll put it down here, don’t look at the maps. Bring the landing gear up and extend the flaps.”

And the flight attendants prepared themselves: Donna Dent, Sheila Dail, and Doreen Welsh.

Three hundred, two hundred, one hundred feet, And he landed at the foot of 48th Street.

On the Hudson River he landed the bird, Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third. The plane did not sink, it lay on the river And all aboard were safely delivered.

It could have been tragic but no deaths occurred Thanks to Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third.

The next time you fly, glance in the cockpit Where the captain and co-captain sit, Ready to take you up and onward Like Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third.

Take you off for a thousand miles With officers like Jeffrey Skiles

And attendants who, in crisis, don’t fail: Donna Dent, Doreen Welsh, and Sheila Dail.

By Garrison Keillor