WEBVTT - Miracle on The Hudson 0:00:04.120 --> 0:00:05.320 Welcome everyone. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:07.120 This is NY and TJ. 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:12.840 And this is actually a very special anniversary. I know 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:15.240 that how many years have you been in the business 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:21.560 covering events? And twenty five twenty five years, twenty seven 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:27.760 plus for me, Can you recall TJ ever covering a 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.600 plane crash where anyone survived? 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:35.000 That is, I can only remember one. I'm trying to 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.199 think of another, um and that's tough right now, I 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:39.040 can't come up with it right. 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.800 You're looking for a survivor, if anyone survived. But I 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:46.280 think we all can remember fifteen years ago. That's the 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:49.760 crazy part where there was a plane crash and you 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:53.000 didn't just have some survivors or a survivor, but you 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:58.600 had one hundred fifty five survivors. Everyone on board, passengers 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:02.200 and crew survive. Of course, we are talking about the 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:06.120 miracle on the Hudson, and I covered it. I was 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.600 with another network, just from the desk as an anchor. 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.440 You were actually on the ground. You were at CNN 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:13.840 when this all went I. 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:17.119 Was, yeah. So I was in Atlanta with CNN, which 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:18.679 was where most of the shows are coming out of 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:21.320 at that time, and it was an easy flight over 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:25.520 to Charlotte because Charlotte is where that plane was headed, 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:27.480 and so many folks on that plane were trying to 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:31.840 get home, So they didn't make it on that flight. 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.200 At least a lot of them caught the next one, 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:36.440 and I was there to receive them at the airport 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.800 in Charlotte. When Yeah, those survivors, it's crazy to think 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:41.399 you were just in a plane crash and then you 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:42.720 ran and got onto the plane. 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:44.760 Some of them did some of that, not everyone did. 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:45.560 I don't know that. 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:46.679 Would you have done that? 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:48.480 Would you have jumped on a plane right after? 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:52.040 You know what? I think? So, because what are the chants? 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:54.520 There's no way I'm going to be involved in two 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:55.320 plane crashes. 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:57.560 Lightning doesn't strike twice back to back day. 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:00.320 There's no way. And plus I know how you are. 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:02.360 I am sure you would have gotten on a plane. 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.000 I am sure because I got to get home the schedule, 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.120 you got a plan. I am sure you would have 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:07.960 gotten on a plane. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:13.440 Well, it is, and it continues to be an unthinkable miracle. Actually, 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:17.280 of course, Captain Sully Sullenberg safely landing US Airways fifteen 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.040 forty nine in the icy Hudson River. I think it 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:23.400 was like twenty something degrees outside that day, a flock 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:25.840 of geese in case you don't remember, took out his 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:31.520 engines and forced a crash landing, and incredibly, Sully as 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:36.480 he is affectionately referred, landed that plane on the Hudson 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:40.880 and everyone made it out okay. And it is a 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:43.240 story that we don't want to forget because there aren't 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.520 many stories like this that have this kind of ending. 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:52.079 And it's not even just about the miracle of the landing. 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.280 But I think what's really remarkable about this story is 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.400 it fifteen years later. It's not the crash, it's what 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.519 happened after the crash to so many of these survivors. 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.919 When you go through something that is truly a near 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:11.720 death experience, you don't live the same way that you 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:15.320 did before. And I spoke to one of the survivors 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.200 way back, and I'll never forget this woman. She said 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:24.760 to me, everyone at some point in their life has 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.160 their plane crash. It's what you do with your life 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:32.720 afterwards that counts. And so we have two of the 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:38.120 survivors from that incredible miracle like fifteen forty nine with 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.720 us today on this podcast, fifteen years later to the date, 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.920 to not only talk about what they went through, but 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.960 how this impacted and changed their lives forever, how they 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:53.280 live differently. So we want to welcome Jim Whittaker and 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:58.120 Valley Collins to the podcast to honor what they went 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:00.360 through and to talk about where they are are now 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.800 because it is such an incredible journey to get to 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:04.240 this day. 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:04.880 So welcome. 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:08.040 Thank you for being here, Jim and Valley, Hi, thanks 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:08.960 for having us. 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:11.040 Hey, folks, thanks for the invitation. 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:13.040 Well, Jim, I'll ask you, we were just kind of 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:15.640 joking here about whether or not we would have gotten 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:18.560 on a plane right after that. Is this right you? 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:20.560 I think you've told this story over the years. Not 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:22.640 only did you get on a plane pretty soon, you 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.400 were lit to RelA on the phone trying to book 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:30.520 another flight, very very soon, maybe even while the plane 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.560 was still sitting there on the hutst and you hadn't 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:34.920 even gotten the dry land yet. 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.520 I have flown a few flights and I mistakenly thought 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.120 US Airways would be ready for a crash and to 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:47.440 rebook survivors. But I was wrong every single day. So yeah, 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.479 when I first called US Airways at the time, US 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:53.000 are Ways, it was very funny because I did call 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:55.719 and say, hey, I'm a crash survivor. I'd like to 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:59.440 get on another airplane, and they didn't get it. They 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:03.240 thought it was a sicker joke than normal, because it literally, 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:07.080 by the time I called, had not even made it 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.560 to the wire yet inside of the carrier, which was 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:12.880 beyond bizarre. And then by the time we even got 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.039 to the airport later that night, those folks at the 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.920 counter still didn't know there had been an airplane crash. 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:21.120 And all I had for an ID was a library 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:23.279 card and we wanted to get on an airplane and 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:23.640 go home. 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:28.000 But I'm still struggling of your mindset. You just went 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:31.080 through something that traumatic and you don't even have time 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.120 to process it before you were literally trying to get 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:34.039 back on another plane. 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:40.599 Well, I was defective before I was only a little 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:41.640 bit more defective. 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:45.440 That's a great And you know, Jim, I don't know 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:47.400 that you know this, but I believe you and TJ 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.040 might have met fifteen years ago. 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:52.880 That was, and I might have interviewed you because I 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.279 was there at the Charlotte Airport waiting on that plane 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:58.080 to land, and it was we were all waiting, so 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:01.040 many reporters and photographers were there like, we don't know 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.200 which ones are going to be the survivors, Like what 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.400 does a plane crash survivor look like? We're like, oh, okay, 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:09.520 which ones are going to be? It was not easy 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.600 to identify, hard to identify you guys, because you were 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:15.919 wearing Red Cross blankets as like a badge of honor 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:19.080 when you got out. And also most of y'all were 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:21.839 half drunk. They were giving y'all free drinks on the 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.400 flight on the way, which they should have, but you 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:28.320 all got all You're the happiest plane crash survivors I'd 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:28.760 ever seen. 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:33.719 Well, I think it was the Red Cross blanket that 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:35.960 did it, tj. That may be a matter of opinion. 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:41.200 Was but it was the free swag from having been 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.920 a crash survivor getting a Red Cross blanket to some 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:45.120 kind of gold star. 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:48.760 And Jim, you said your clothing was still wet when 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:50.599 you got off that plane. 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:53.479 Yeah, I was being chilly, but it's true and Valley 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.640 would know the same story. But by the time the 0:06:55.720 --> 0:07:00.440 plane stopped moving in the river inside was taking on 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:04.279 water very quickly. So having survived to an airplane crashed, 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:06.520 the next scare was I really don't want to drown 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:09.080 floating down the river in the middle of the winter. 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:11.680 So yeah, we were all plenty of wet on the 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.840 inset before we got off the airplane and were rescued 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.520 to the shoreline. But then something about walking around the 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:21.480 rest of the day in wet clothes, it's just really 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:23.600 not a cool feeling. So I was free to go home. 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.920 I can only imagine and Valley. I was actually able 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:29.480 to speak to both of you a couple of years ago, 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:31.320 which was it's pretty awesome to be able to come 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.520 back five years later and see how you're doing. But 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.960 I remember I asked you what your seat number was, 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:42.760 twenty six D. You'll never forget that, never as long 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:43.360 as I live. 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:48.040 No, actually my seat was twenty sixty was my assigned seat. 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.200 But after the birds hit, I got up in the 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.400 aisle because the flight attendant was trying to get something 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:55.920 behind my seat, and the empty seat next to me 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.120 was twenty six E. Because we had one baby on boards, 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:01.280 we had an empty seat, so the flight attendant told 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:03.400 me to sit in that middle seat. So I started 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:06.040 in twenty six DY, but I landed in twenty six E. 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:08.360 I still claim twenty six. 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.040 D landed, landed. 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:11.440 How azing is that? 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:15.280 Landing on the Hudson not just your regular runway. I 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.960 want to ask you both in Valley. I'll start with you. 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:23.680 What is it like to hear the phrase coming from 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:28.360 the captain of the plane brace for impact? What's the 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:30.720 first thing you think? What's the first thing you do? 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:35.439 Well, the first thing I thought the gentleman at the window. 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:37.920 He had been looking out and he told me we 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:41.280 were going into the river, So I you know, he said, 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:43.959 be ready, we're going in the water. So like right 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.040 about the time that Sullenberger said brace for impact. So 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:51.000 I'm just thinking airplane water landing. This plane's going to cartwheel, 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.120 gonna bust into a lot of pieces. So, Valley, if 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:57.080 you're conscious, just swim to the light. That's just what 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:58.959 I told myselone. I'm a person I always wmot have 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:01.559 a plan, and that was my plan that if I 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:04.720 was awake and conscious, just well the seat, you know, 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:09.520 unbuckle the seat belt and start swimming towards the light. Now, 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:13.520 before the brace for impact comment or you know, hea 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:18.280 announcer from Sullenberger, I was pretty aware we were in 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:20.760 a dire situation. My seat mate had told me there 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:22.800 was birds. I could smell the smoke. We didn't have 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.160 any other thrusts, so, you know, in those moments, my 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:28.640 thoughts were more of just about raising my children, not 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.360 getting to see them hit all those milestones. I literally 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:33.920 I sent my husband a text message that said, my 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:37.960 flight is crashing, because I didn't want him to wonder 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:40.240 for an hour or a day or a week, you know, 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:42.360 to get confirmation. Because this was back, because it is 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.800 fifteen years ago. We didn't have Google calendars. We didn't 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:47.200 keep up with what airline, what flight number, you know, 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:50.080 we just weren't. We traveled all the time, so I thought, 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:52.320 he doesn't even know I'm on board the plane. So 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.400 those were That's kind of what I got done in 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:56.160 the three and a half minutes from when the birds 0:09:56.240 --> 0:09:57.040 hit to EVA. 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.200 Three and a half minutes. Jim, what did you do? 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.040 Well? Valley's description was a good one. There was already 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:08.360 plenty of pandemonium going on because remember from wheels up 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:11.000 to impact with the birds. It was only ninety seconds, 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.240 but everything was at full thrust. Typical day in the 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:18.160 aviation business, right, So from the moment of the bird impact, 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:23.000 pandemonium was quick to start. Of course, and then the 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:28.040 command to brace for impact only made everything exponentially worse 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:31.320 on the inside of the airplane. And you know, there's 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.720 there's probably not a set of words that does justice 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:38.400 to the things that Value was talking about and what 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:42.840 we both experienced, because that's just one of those worst 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:47.640 moments where you just wouldn't be able to describe another 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:53.080 human where people are so between total silence to praying 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:57.920 out loud, to screaming and crying to cursing in anger. 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:02.000 It was the fullest, braw range of emotions you could 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:05.839 possibly imagine ever hearing at one time. So it was 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.280 it was as raw a moment as I've of course 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:11.679 ever experienced in life. 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:14.559 But you you talk about the range of emotion and 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:17.240 a range of thoughts, Valley was just mentioning talking about 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.520 her kids, wanting to be there for our kids and 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:23.120 raise their kids. But Jim in that and right ninety 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.160 seconds the impact happens with the birds, and then another 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.720 essentially ninety seconds and you're in the river. What though, 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:34.760 at what point in those three minutes did it switch 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:39.120 from oh my god, I'm going to die to oh wow, 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:40.600 I'm going to survive this thing. 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:46.960 Well, everyone has their own experience, and everyone has their 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:50.120 own faith tradition, so that the thought of dying wasn't 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:52.640 really that so called scary to me. But I was 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:56.480 way preoccupied because I was the dummy. They got to 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.480 stand by seat, so I was sitting next to the 0:11:58.520 --> 0:11:59.480 woman with the baby. 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.200 I was really. 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:06.280 Preoccupied by a nine month old that was practically as 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:11.480 big as his mother, crawling everywhere. So for me, that 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:15.080 whole experience was really really small in the fact that 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.080 it was between two humans that had never met one 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:21.240 another before and a mother that was separated from her 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:26.360 husband and another child on board and clearly terrified in 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:29.120 not knowing what to do with this rambunctious baby. So me, 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:31.800 like a fool, being a father of five, said hey, 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:36.760 let me hold your baby. And she was incredibly, incredibly courageous. 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:38.920 As I'm sure you all have heard the story before, 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:43.200 is she actually surrendered and gave up her child to 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.560 someone else that she thought, maybe because he was a nut, 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:49.040 was going to somehow be able to protect this child 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:50.280 as we were going in the river. 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:57.520 Wow, that is incredible. I'm curious, Bally, what actually goes 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.480 through your mind? Did you believe you were going to 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:03.720 die and do you see your life flash before you do? 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:07.320 Things seem like they happened in slow motion. What were 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.560 those three and a half minutes like? 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:14.280 Well, to echo what Jim said, I don't think I 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.640 was so scared of dying. I've always been a person 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:21.760 of faith, so I remember thinking, well, God, this is 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.000 your will. I accepted. I'm not crazy about it, but 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.000 I accept it, and I do at that point. I 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.960 was thirty seven years old that day and three of 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:34.840 my four grandparents were still alive, so the one grandparent 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:36.760 that had passed, I just thought, well, he's going to 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.320 be there waiting on me. So I wasn't so scared 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.559 of dying. I was just more selfishly. I mean, it's 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:47.920 fomo at the max. Okay, I was so sad about 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:50.080 all the things I was going to miss out on 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:55.200 in my family's life. That's what really made me so sad. 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.160 You know, I'm not a perfect mother, but I am 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:01.120 their mother, and my children were four, six, and nine 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.520 on that day, so I knew it's going to totally 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:09.120 impact their life significantly for the rest of their lives. 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.080 Not that I didn't think Steve would do a great 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.640 job finishing racing them, but I was just I was 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.440 just wrecked about all those big moments, all those big 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:19.200 milestone moments I was gonna miss. 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:22.400 No, Valley, tell me, past fifteen years, what have been 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.080 the milestone moments? Would have been the moments that, Oh 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:27.920 my god, I cannot imagine I would have missed this. 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:32.800 Oh gosh, I'm gonna get teaching them all three to 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:34.800 drive a car, drive a stick shift. In our house, 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:36.880 your first car is a stick shift because you can't 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:42.040 text and drive a stick shift. You know, none of 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:46.880 your friends can drive your car up. Insurance is cheaper, 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.280 so I mean, you know, those were moments of flattery, 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:54.240 cheers for tears, so, you know, teaching them to use 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.880 a little grit to drive a stick shift. Going in kindergarten, 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:58.800 my young guest, I mean, it's first day of school, 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:03.040 the first day of high school, the proms, the graduations. 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.720 I mean, one's one's out of college, one's going to 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:09.320 graduate from college this this May, and my baby just 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:12.320 went to college. You know, Being able to take them 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:17.360 to I mean you you name it, dance recitals, baseball games. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.400 The list is long. And I think because of being 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:26.800 a part of this experience I have, all those milestones 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:30.240 are all more sweet to know that I am here 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:31.000 to see them. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.240 Where are they in college? Are they Tennessee volunteers too? 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.680 Well? One is a Tennessee volunteer. One is a graduate 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:42.000 of Wake Forest in North Carolina, the senior this year. 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:44.520 He is a he's all of ball and my baby 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.920 is a Baylor Bear. He goes to school in Waco, Texas. 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:51.560 He's sick of bears. So they've got three different you know, 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.160 three different paths, and I wouldn't want it any other way. 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:56.960 I wish you could have seen Jim while you were talking. 0:15:57.320 --> 0:15:59.920 He was clapping, he was cheering, He even had firework 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.920 behind him. At one point. He was just echoing everything 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:06.920 you were saying. We're going to hear more about what 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:10.280 this experience has done to change your life, how you've 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.520 lived differently. We're going to hear all about that when 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:13.040 we come back. 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:24.360 All right back here now. Jim Whittaker A Valley Collins, 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:29.200 two of the survivors of Flight fifteen forty nine, the 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.080 crash in the Hudson, the miracle on the Hudson. I 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:33.120 guess is what we should all be referring to it 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.480 as these days. That's how we know it. But all 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.400 one hundred and fifty five people on board that flight, 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:41.400 of course survived Captain Sully. It's been cool to hear 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:45.240 Valley here. She keeps referring to him by his full name, Sullenburger. 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:47.640 You have a different relationship well than the rest of 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:50.160 us do we call him Sully? But that's cool to hear. Jim, 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:55.960 let me ask you, what what was the pre miracle 0:16:56.000 --> 0:17:00.160 on the Hudson, Jim Whittaker like, as opposed to the 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:01.720 guy we are sitting here talking to now. 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:07.639 Well, again, both versions are defective. However, the one before 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:13.800 and there's still now today. Long time lifelong road warrior, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:19.119 thousands of flights, thousands of nights and hotels, traveled all 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:22.040 over the country, all over the world, and so the 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:26.480 whole experience of traveling, that is, and take off and 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.360 so forth and so on, that was as commonplace as 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:35.479 driving to work. But extinguishing characteristic that made this different. 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.480 And I've been on plane planes before where an engine 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:41.520 had gone out or something had occurred, but never had 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:44.080 I been on an airplane at takeoff that had gone 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:49.920 from full thrust to being a glider. No noise, no engine, 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:54.560 no nothing. And I just described that to say that. 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.199 Of course, for someone that had been on thousands and 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.320 thousands of flights, that was a new, immediate just and 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:04.720 immediate clicks in the back of your brain, like something's wrong. 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:12.159 This is a big problem, obviously, So it flash forward 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:18.000 to now. Since then fifteen years it's scary to say, 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:25.040 but not only hundreds, but I've continued doing the same thing. 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:29.040 But to the points that Valley made earlier, that of 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:32.520 all those life experiences that came there after, the graduations 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:38.119 and grandchildren and the events that were special, there is 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:44.520 an awareness to realize that I would not be having 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:48.320 this experience but for the hands of others and the 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.840 grace of God. And that is as we race through 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:55.200 all of our lives. That's probably something I know. I'm 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:57.920 often easy to forget about. Hey, I should pay attention 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:01.399 to be present in this moment, because it's a gift 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.600 that I'm here right now. We have I had thought 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:06.159 that twenty years ago. Of course not. 0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:08.440 But we need to remind folks, you weren't supposed to 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:10.560 be on this plane. You were a standby passenger. 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:14.280 Is that right? Well, again, back to the defectiveness. I 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:16.720 made a lot of foolish choices in life, but one 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:19.480 of them was getting done early in Manhattan, running to 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:24.200 the airport again being the road warrior, trying to get 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:26.600 home early. Life's going to be great. Maybe I'll even 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:32.560 catch dinner. And that was a very interesting choice to 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:38.240 get all stand violists and get the window seat next 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:39.359 to the baby in the back. 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:44.000 Jim and I have some similarities in that it's interesting 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:46.800 that you put us on here together because I flew, 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:48.800 maybe not quite as much as Jim, but I flew 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:51.280 a lot with my job as well. But I always 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.800 flew Delta, so that's where I had all my you know, 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:58.359 platinum first class bump up, all my perks. But that's 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:01.200 this trip was like a last minute. So the US 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:04.080 Airways trip ticket was like eight hundred dollars left. So 0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:07.159 I remember thinking, well, i'll save my company that money, 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:09.600 for go my little frequent flyer perks, and I'll go 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:13.600 US Airways today. So that's why I ended. So I 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.280 wasn't supposed to be on that flight either, epnically, that's 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:19.000 not normally, and that's how I ended up on the 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:22.280 last row with the empty seat that was there because 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.920 Jim had the baby in his rum. So it's now, 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.000 you know, and I think both of us kind of 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:32.320 have a faith based and you're like, well, why was 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:34.240 I there? What am I supposed to learn from that? 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:36.160 What am I supposed to take away from that? Because 0:20:36.200 --> 0:20:38.600 there were passengers on our flight that took that flight 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:41.080 every week, you know, that was just their way home 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:44.720 to Charlotte every week, but not the case for me. 0:20:44.840 --> 0:20:47.159 Do you think you were supposed to be on that flight? Now, Valley, 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:48.959 I know you said you're a woman of faith, and 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:52.480 do you think that it was something that was faded 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:56.040 to be? And you said you learned a lot. What 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:57.480 was the biggest thing you learned? 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:00.879 Well, first of all, I'm not small enough answer the 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:03.040 question of as if fate is I supposed to be there? 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.960 I'm not supposed to I have zero idea. I have 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:10.880 a lot of learnings I took away, probably the very 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.119 well two things. I'll say, after you sit in a 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:16.880 moment where you really think you're gonna die and then 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:20.240 all of a sudden you don't, there's a there's a 0:21:20.320 --> 0:21:24.040 sense of life purpose and life responsibility, you just feel 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.439 that onus even greater. Okay, I'm kind of in the 0:21:27.440 --> 0:21:29.520 bonus round of jeopardy. You know, how do I how 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:32.520 do I get this right and make the most of it. 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.160 So that's that's one of the things. Probably the biggest 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:37.960 learning I took away was just the power of perspective 0:21:38.680 --> 0:21:42.199 that you know, no matter just not just what the 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:45.320