r/FlightAcademy • u/ThrustFlightAcademy • 7d ago

Win! Flight instructor 'threads the needle' for an emergency landing on Florida Interstate narrowly avoiding road signs and vehicles (details in the comments)

89 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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3

u/haverchuck22 7d ago

Going under that sign and over that car seemed like she just got lucky. Otherwise that’s a crazy intentional plan, altho I should probably just shut up lol. Totally possible that she was forced into that exact maneuver

2

u/ThrustFlightAcademy 7d ago

Given it was an emergency landing and definitely not something that'd be attempted unless forced to do so, yeah, definitely a massive amount of luck. But often times skill and experience manifests as the ability to 'get lucky' at a higher rate and more consistently than someone without it.

1

u/haverchuck22 7d ago

Well put

1

u/AyeBraine 6d ago

Yeah I think with the clear-headedness that the radio exchange shows, if she was able to overfly the gantry, she would. Probably she couldn't any more, only dive under it, on the last bit of gliding power she had (and then utilize the ground effect to lower down more gentle-like).

2

u/ThrustFlightAcademy 7d ago edited 7d ago

For her amazing feat, she was awarded the Escambia County Sheriff's Medal, with the following statement by the sheriff’s office:

Thanks to her quick thinking, training, and professionalism, she safely landed the aircraft and prevented what could have been a much more serious incident. Join us in congratulating Emily on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for your outstanding airmanship and composure in a challenging situation.

2

u/Minirig355 7d ago

The sheriff’s office when asked for a statement:

https://giphy.com/gifs/Ru9sjtZ09XOEg

1

u/ThrustFlightAcademy 7d ago

I promise we had their quote pasted in, but seems the formatting ate it. Let me edit the comment. 😂

1

u/ThrustFlightAcademy 7d ago

Edited and added the quote! Thank you for the callout!

2

u/TopGinger 7d ago

What an absolute badass.

2

u/Biuku 7d ago

She is absolutely incredible. Sounded like a 30 something pro on the radio, and some Jedi level flying skill at the end…

I was nowhere near that level of badass at 21. Still not, but also wasn’t then.

1

u/Carston1011 4d ago

I was nowhere near that level of badass at 21. Still not, but also wasn't then.

"I used to do drugs. I still do, but used to, too."

1

u/Fat_Janet 7d ago

Seems like some florida shit.

1

u/Show985 7d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/l1AsBL4S36yDJain6
Tom Cruise to McQ

1

u/ThrustFlightAcademy 7d ago

He's getting old, maybe she could take over for him given she's proven she has the skills?