Balls that clang, for sure.
[Story here.
](RAF helicoptor pilot shot between the eyes by Taliban flies 20 to safety)
There’ll be a gong in the offing, I’m sure.
That’s fantastic. Isn’t it weird, though, that the article doesn’t say how he is? I’m assuming he survived.
Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS.
Good thing sully retired, there is NO WAY he (or anyone else) gonna top that for a while.
Wow, that’s pretty impressive. We like to throw the word hero around, but this guy definitely fits the bill!
After his recuperation and promotion, he’s ready-made to take over as the next Biggles. Wing Commander Fortune to the Rescue!
Flight Lt. Fortune, indeed.
Certainly not to belittle the skill required to crash a commercial jet in Manhattan without the loss of a single life, but, yeah, safely flying and landing a damaged helicopter after having been shot in the head is rather impressive.
That’s exactly what I meant, in case there was any confusion.
Nice one Flight Lt. Fortune!
Speaking of Sully, I recently read his book, what a great tale of an ordinary person doing an extraordinary thing. Do you know he walked the cabin several times making sure everyone was out? There was a medivac jet that ditched off Australia recently and in great contrast to Sully, the Captain, Dominic James, was first out, leaving a patient strapped to a stretcher, her husband, a nurse, and a doctor to fend for themselves. Nice one Dominic (with sarcasm this time.) I hope I meet Dominic James sometime, so that whenever we come to a doorway I can say, “after you,” and make little gurgling drowning noises as I follow him through.
This reminded me of Saburo Sakai:
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And what would be his alternative? If he wanted to survive, he’d have to land.
Not to unfairly diminish his achievement, but I am always a little suspicious of such stories. Depending on who is writing, “severe bleeding” may be anything from a minor scratch and a few drops of blood on the forehead to a serious concussion and a couple pints pooling on the floor. Saburo Sakai’s story is impressive, though.
That is my thought. Saburo Sakai had probably been shooting at my Daddy, though, so screw him. 
This reminded me of something I read in an article in a recent New Yorker about the B-29. A phosphorescent smoke bomb malfunctioned and fired into the plane. From the Wikipedia article on Staff Sgt. Henry “Red” Erwin, the smoke bomb exploded:
…in the launching chute, and shot back into the interior of the aircraft, striking him in the face. The burning phosphoresce obliterated his nose and completely blinded him. Smoke filled the plane, obscuring the vision of the pilot. S/Sgt. Erwin realized that the aircraft and crew would be lost if the burning bomb remained in the plane. Without regard for his own safety, he picked it up and feeling his way, instinctively, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot’s window. He found the navigator’s table obstructing his passage. Grasping the burning bomb between his forearm and body, he unleashed the spring lock and raised the table. Struggling through the narrow passage he stumbled forward into the smoke-filled pilot’s compartment. Groping with his burning hands, he located the window and threw the bomb out.
Update: he’s been awarded a DFC. BBC article here.
Christ. While I applaud the pilot mentioned, the persistent and repeated bravery of Cpl Ricky Furgusson (same page), brought tears to my eyes. What an amazing bloke.
Agreed. Another man whose balls clang loudly.
And in that picture he still looks like he could kick some serious ass.
Well, ankle.