Flight 1549

US Airways pilot Sullenberger did a great job a few days ago. Undoubtedly. New York Mayor Bloomberg was ecstatic. The US is so hungry for some good news! And this was just wonderful, with a perfect timing, a few days away from next (historic) Tuesday, Jan 20th 2009, where the first black US President ever is about to be inaugurated in his Washington throne.

I was cynically smiling when my favorite MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow, commenting on the crash, almost had an orgasm talking about the beauty of being American and heroic and reaching a status of resilience as result of focused training and preparation for the worst. That was just yesterday in her daily show, that is.

You know what? I heard them all talking about the unfortunate crash, about the heroism of the crew and the folks on the ferries, coastguard agents and Circle-Line staff rushing to the point of impact and helping as much as they could. And it is all true. Mayor Bloomberg already delivered numerous honors for heroism to those involved and was short of words to express his admiration for pilot Sullenberger and his handling of the incident. But still... there has been something missing... or it's just me, not having heard much about it...

It's the good ol' Airbus! If the aircraft was a Boeing or a McDonnell Douglas or anything else made in the USA we would have been deafened by now from the buzz about how safe these buggers are and that an aircraft of that size and mass managed to glide on the water surface without breaking up, etc... etc... But this aircraft was made in Europe, right? I haven't heard anything at all about the construction effectiveness of the aircraft itself, anywhere... That's because yanks, just being childish like their departing president, don't like the idea that this wonder aircraft was made by Europeans. Anyways, to their consolation, most of the modern day yanks have their roots back in Europe, so, the difference between Europeans and US Americans is much like the difference between Coca and Pepsi Cola.

So, our brothers and sisters in the US, rejoice, because this plane was as much yours as it is ours!