# Mayday Mayday Mayday. Cactus 1549



## Alien (Sep 5, 2001)

For those of you who remember January 2009, or saw the movie 'Sully', here is the US Airways Airbus A320 ditched in the Hudson river.

I followed the events quite closely (Yes, even from New Zealand) and I always wanted to build a model, so with the Sully movie being released I was spurred into action.

The Aircraft is a 1/144 scale kit by Zvezda. I brought some US Airways decals on eBay. 
Both the kit and the aftermarket decals were Russian made.. Go figure!

I found some unpainted 1/150 peeps on Aliexpress.com and a bit of amputation and reposing was undertaken.
The Zvezda kit is great in the fact that the flaps and slats are able to be modeled slightly extended. The front left door is also a separate part to enable it to be attached in the open position if desired. I desired!
But I had to cut out the right hand door and the over wing emergency exit doors from the body and make new ones.
There is a cockpit interior (Jeff Skyles is in his seat following a checklist.) and also the front galley area.
I built the right hand slide raft and left side over wing evacuation side from Evergreen styrene. The left hand raft is still packed in its yellow bag as it did not automatically deploy when the door was first opened. One of the cabin crew is grabbing for the manual inflation lever.
_If you saw the movie you may have noticed that there was no packed slide raft hanging from the bottom of the door opening. Just a slight error._

The airliner is missing its left hand engine as it was ripped off on landing, but you can see the left hand engine through the murky water.
I used a square of 2mm clear acrylic sheet for the water. I cut out the shape of the plane and glued it in, filling all the gaps, with clear epoxy glue and then textured the whole surface with gloss Modpodge tinted with black acrylic paint.

Hope you like it.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

GREAT-JOB... DUDE!!!!! 
looks GOOD-Enough, for a Movie Miniature !! (Special-Effects).. 


Not sure (??) 
But I "Thought" (& I'll admit I'm SENILE) ... :freak:
That the only "Doors" that were "Opened"... Were the Emergency-Evacuation Windows over the wings...

Due to that They were "Higher-Up" from the waterline.. to aid in the attempt to keep the Aircraft. In a better Buoyancy.. Lengthening the time that it would Stay Afloat "Above" water (???) 
I Do remember, NO-One, Actually got Their Feet-Wet, B-4 They were on rescue-crafts... :smile2:

Mr. "Sully", has been down here (Memphis) to Donate His Time (& Who Knows What-Else :wink2: ..) 

To Filming a VERY-Heart-Strong TV Message (OK, "AD")..
For ; ST. JUDE'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL .... "IF" You've seen it, You understand :wink2:

Bubba The Senile 123 :willy_nilly:


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Eventually all the doors were opened and passengers stood on both wings and raft ramps before the rescue boats arrived.


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## Alien (Sep 5, 2001)

Hey Bubba,

Thanks for your kind comments.

Milton Fox Racing is correct, sort of.
All the over wing emergency exits were opened as well as the two front doors. The slide rafts deployed from the front doors allowing many passengers to exit the aircraft and remain totally dry.
The passengers on the wings got wet feet, and a couple of people slipped off into the river, before being rescued by the Ferry boats.

The two rear doors had water up and over their sills and should have remained closed. However a passenger forced her way past flight attendant, Doreen Welsh, at the rear of the aircraft, and desperately tried to open one of the rear doors. The door opened slightly and water started gushing in and they could not get it closed again due to the force of the water. The door did not open far enough for the slide raft to be released and inflate. This was not depicted in the movie.

The aircraft suffered severe damage to its rear during the ditching, and that coupled with the rear door being opened caused much water to be taken on and the aircraft sinking faster than it should have.


Funny Stories.
A few passengers, after reaching the shore in the Ferries, hailed cabs and went back to the airport and caught the next flight out to Charlotte NC.

First Officer Jeff Skiles had never been to Seattle before (They were flying there as part of their schedule). He asked Sully if there was anything interesting to do and see around the hotel where they over night. Sully told him to go down to the harbor as there are float planes that operate there. They would let Jeff ride in the jump seat on a flight if he asked. Jeff replied "That would be great. I have never landed on water before."


Alien


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Lovely looking diorama. Well done. I like the water as well.


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