Jet Blue lands safely at LAX
What a joy to see Jet Blue #292 land safely at LAX with its front landing gear 90 degrees out of alingnment. Even though I have been a very frequent flyer for over 3 decades, I still experience a slight repressed sense of anxiety every time I land. There is so much that can go wrong. And I have been in a couple of dicey situations over the years, though I have always walked away intact.
It is vastly reassuring to see experienced professionals making cool—headed judgments and executing them flawlessly, as happened tonight at LAX. This Jet Blue pilot managed to land his A 320 exactly in the center of runway 25L, with the broken gear tracing the center line as its tires flamed away. I cannot imagine being as cool and collected. I am simply not pilot material, I guess.
The few times I have flown Jet Blue, it has impressed me as a fine organization, managed efficiently and professionally. Tonight's performance recinforces that impression. When and if I return to coast—to—coast commuting (as I used to do for years), I'll probably fly JB a lot.
Thomas Lifson 9 21 05