Northwest Aerospace News August | September Issue No. 4 | Page 4

AEROSPACE NORTHWEST N E W S M A G A Z I N E 708 North Argonne Road #18 Spokane Valley,WA 99212 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS 509-995-9958 PUBLISHER ISSUE No. 4 DEAN CAMERON w w w. n o r t hwes t aerospacenews.co m PUBLISHER DEAN CAMERON [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTOR & EDITORIAL DESIGN REBECCA LLOYD [email protected] COPY EDITOR & PROOFREADER ANN CONTOIS [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: DEAN CAMERON GOODLOE SUTTON BRYAN CORLISS JONATHAN FRANK PAUL DELANEY FIONA MCKAY JENNIFER FERRERO MARY KAYE BREDESON LEAD DEVELOPER | I.T. SUPPORT ADAM TOWNSEND FINANCE | BOOKKEEPING PAM CAMERON Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from Northwest Aerospace News magazine - a Top Drawer Media Publishing company is strictly prohibited. Top Drawer Media does not accept li- ability for omissions or error in Northwest Aerospace News. Any and all advertising and other content submitted is assumed to have all the proper licenses and copyrights before submission. The content held without does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Northwest Aerospace News magazine. Northwest Aerospace News Magazine does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, or reliability. Northwest Aerospace News Magazine is not responsible for the content or availability of any external or 3rd party websites and does not warrant or guarantee the products, services or performance of any party shown by article or advertisement within the print magazine or our website. 4 4 American Heroes I was recently invited to attend the Spring Meeting of the Association of Washington Businesses here in Spokane. The keynote speaker was Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, who successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a flock of Canada geese caused major damage to his plane. All passengers were successfully rescued. Recently another very rare commercial airline tragedy took place when a failed engine exploded on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, causing severe lack of thrust and drag due to a lost window — one passenger tragically lost her life. With nerves of steel, Captain Tammie Jo Shults successfully brought the crippled plane in for a safe landing. She was also reported to have spoken to each passenger after they landed, to ensure their safety. What struck me most of all in both cases, was the fact that their background, experience and training lead them to do an exemplary job when it was needed most. Often someone is hailed a “hero”; in this case, you hear them say, “I was just doing my job.” Training, awareness of the situations around us, and the ability to execute your skills when needed is something business leaders do every day. It may not be as dramatic as a crippled airplane, but it is no less important. Livelihoods for families, benefits to the health of our communities, success and growth in your business — all these play a part in the execution of the skills and talents of the “unsung heroes.” Here are some aerospace facts. · There are over 26,500 commercial aircraft flights per day in the U.S. · That is over 9,672,500 flights per year in the U.S. · The last commercial plane crash with fatalities was Colgan Air Flight 3407 (a connector flight with Continental Airlines), which crashed into a house outside Buffalo, New York, on February 12, 2009, killing all 49 aboard and one on the ground. · Until the tragic accident with loss of life on Southwest Flight 1380, there have been approx- imately 87,052,500 successful takeoffs and landings of commercial aircraft — without loss of life in the USA. To all of you who build parts for this industry, who struggle through the paperwork, the overtime, the urgent needs, the strict attention to detail and quality — I take my hat off to you and call you a hero. Keep up the good work! Dean Cameron Publisher NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS