Uber, Apple, Amazon and Sully Sullenberger walk into a bar – er, self-driving car committee The US government has pulled together a high-powered bunch of execs to form a new committee focused on self-driving cars. The advisory committee, set up by Uncle Sam's Department of Transportation, boasts among its 25 members the CEO of General Motors, two mayors, several academics, top execs from Apple, Google, Amazon, Uber …
Perhaps he's there as a crash expert and will take control of the out of control test vehicles, at the last possible second, thus saving a school bus filled with special needs children from going over a cliff into a lava pit filled with snakes and counterfeit skin lotion? It could happen.
"Perhaps he's there as a crash expert and will take control of the out of control test vehicles, at the last possible second, thus saving a school bus filled with special needs children from going over a cliff into a lava pit filled with snakes and counterfeit skin lotion? It could happen."
Ah, you've seen the script for the latest episode of Speed then?
It's a rather tough call.
If memory serves me right, NOBODY managed to land the plane on a simulator set up to rerun the Canadian kamikaze attack on that A320 over the Hudson. Same as Air Transat 236 - only a handful of pilots have managed to bring that one successfully down on a simulator. Most fail.
Even so, as you pointed out - in situations like this it is the human's job - the autopilot disengages.
A tool for the job. It is about using it where it is needed. Say having it control engines where it can manage fraction of a second changes... but allow it to both communicate and be overridden, so when it does something stupid (like fly into the sea because no one saw the pitch authority), it can be corrected.
Is the movie any good?
Either way, I suspect we won't see many (any?) more like him. Which is a shame, for lots of people, many of them have probably never heard of Captain S and probably never will, unlike (say) the numbers of people that have heard of (say) Jedward and wish they could forget.
15 January, eh. Here's a glass for the Captain.
The consensus view on Rotten Tomatoes suggests that Sully is a typically well made film from its director Clint Eastwood:
As comfortingly workmanlike as its protagonist, Sully makes solid use of typically superlative work from its star and director to deliver a quietly stirring tribute to an everyday hero.
Mr Eastwood has a reputation for knocking out good films ahead of time and under budget.
The movie has an shocking/exciting opening, mostly deals with the NTSC investigation and Tom Hanks is, as always, good.
I was struck by how much the NTSC seemed (in the movie) to have it in for our hero though.
"...crash..."
"Forced landing"
"What?"
"It wasn't a crash, it was a forced landing on water"
Having lived in Toulouse for a little watching the Airbus Belugas fly in and out, it was interesting to see their Simulators in the movie.
Is the movie any good?
It's OK. The flying scenes are really rather good.
Sadly, they "sexed up" the behaviour of the NTSB, who were , in reality, nothing like as confrontational as shown in the film; they asked difficult questions, of course, but the movie has them trying to assign blame, which they would not (could not?) do.
Still worth a watch, though.
Vic.
"He chose the Hudson as the safest option open to him."
I haven't seen the movie (yet), but after only one listening to the ATC recording (?), I still remember the general gist of that part of the conversation between Sully and the folks on the ground.
Obvious respect is obvious -->
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