UPDATE! Harrison Ford – A Real Life Hero
Han Solo, the pilot of the Millennium Falcon, showed the world that he is a genuine hero – not only on the big screen but also in real life. More on this story after the jump.
As most of you already know, Harrison Ford crash landed his private plane – a vintage WWII-era Ryan PT-22 Recruit – on a golf course two days ago. But in doing so, he also managed to avoid nearby houses, a school and other buildings, undoubtedly saving a number of lives.
DailyRecord has an interesting report from several witnesses and flying experts, who praised the actors’ flying skills and hailed him as a hero:
Witnesses told how they watched the Star Wars actor, 72, battling at the controls to avoid buildings after his plane’s engine cut out.
Experts said most pilots would have tried to fly the ailing World War II plane back to the airport – a move that could have cost many lives.
Ryan Kavanagh, who also has a pilot licence, witnessed Ford’s heroics in California.
He said: “He literally had five seconds – and most pilots would have turned around to go back to the runway.
“The plane would have stalled, gone nose first and crashed. Harrison did what the best pilots in the world would do.”
Ryan said the star “did the impossible” by avoiding all the nearby buildings.
DailyRecord also revealed some more details about the incident:
Shortly after taking off Ford, who played Han Solo in the Star Wars films, asked for permission to return to Santa Monica Municipal Airport.
But he realised he was not going to make it and chose Penmar Golf Course as the safest place to go down.
His two-seater aircraft plunged 3000ft and clipped a tree before landing on a fairway.
Camera assistant Eddie Aguglia, who was on the course, said there would have been fatalities if it were not for the actor’s flying skills.
Charlie Thompson, a flight instructor at the airport, said it was no coincidence the actor avoided the houses and the school.
He added: “When you have an engine failure you are taught the number one priority is the safety of the people on the ground.”
Also the Independent published a great summary of Ford’s flying career, highlighting several incidents and heroic deeds:
He has had previous near-misses. In 1999, he and his instructor escaped uninjured after he had to crash-land his helicopter during a training flight. In 2000, he saved himself and his passenger from injury when a powerful gust of wind forced him to make an emergency landing in a Beechcraft Bonanza single-engine plane.
But such close shaves were not enough to deter a man reported to have his own mini-squadron of 11 aircraft. In July 2000, in Wyoming, Teton County Sheriff Bob Zimmer was wondering how he could possibly rescue a 20-year-old hiker stuck dehydrated and vomiting near the top of the 11,106ft Table Mountain. He called the one man who could help – local resident Harrison Ford, with his Bell 407 helicopter. Ford touched down in an alpine meadow and plucked the woman to safety.
The next year Ford was at it again. This time a 13-year-old boy scout was lost in Yellowstone National Park. Ford got in his helicopter and found the boy cold, wet, and hungry after surviving a night alone in the wilderness.
Finally TheMirror reports that Harrison Ford’s charming wife Calista Flockhart is deeply worried for her husband’s safety because he spends so much time flying his aircraft.
One friend said: “Calista is devastated. Thank goodness Harrison is OK but it could have been much, much worse. It is a worry for her and his children that he has this dangerous hobby.
“But they appreciate he loves it, it’s something he is very passionate about.
“Whether or not he will pilot a plane again remains to be seen but everyone around him certainly hopes he will take a break – or give it up for ever.
“It is obviously a huge worry.”
The Mirror also reports that Ford had surgery for a fractured pelvis and that he also suffered a broken ankle, just as he had last summer during the filming of The Force Awakens.
It is more than a little ironic, given Harrison Ford’s decades-long effort to distance himself from the character of Han Solo, that he himself would embody so much of the piloting skill, the quick thinking and the heroic nature of everyone’s favorite Corellian scoundrel. A number of people living near the Santa Monica Municipal Airport very likely owe their lives to Ford’s split-second decisions and the proficiency and finesse with which he was able to maneuver his damaged airplane away from populated areas. And as we’ve seen, these were not the first lives that he has saved throughout his years as a pilot.
All of us here at Star Wars Episode 7 News hope that everything will turn out okay, and that Mr. Ford, real-life hero that he is, will fully recover from his injuries.
UPDATE!
If anyone still has doubts that Harrison Ford is a real hero, here’s another proof (via Kaipo Jones):
All joking aside, this is indeed Ford with his plane minutes before the crash.
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Sad that he is such an old man by now.
The number of comming films with him is limited.
All time favorite action hero.
Phew! Thanks for the heart attack… ;P
Jump on me if you want but i don’t really think him crash landing a plane on golf course makes him a hero.
IMHO, managing to avoid populated buildings while fighting the controls of a dead aircraft certainly does, as do his prior aerial rescues of people trapped in the wilderness.
I’ll give him hero status on aerial rescues of people stuck in the wilderness.
Maybe it should have been phrased differently. “Harrison Ford more of a hero than you.”
That’s better
I know he is, i have never done anything heroic. You seem to think that bothers me.
I agree with Duke’s first statement- crash landing your own hobby plane in a golf course does not make him a “hero”. It means he’s a good pilot.
Saving the woman in the wilderness (per the above story) is heroic.
And the boyscout !
The fact that he didn’t put his tail between his legs is the point, hero’s are courageous, so being Ford was wrongly described as a hero in your view, was less than incredible.
I feel the report was that he is an incredible pilot for keeping a plane with engine failure from killing the innocents.
But then again you think that the Incredibles
Is one of the greatest films of all time.
Since people like to bring up rotten tomatoes on here The Incredibles got a 97% and you seem to be trying to insinuate the fact that The Incredibles is one of my favorite movies this a bad thing. I guess having options about things is bad where you stand, i’ll stick with what i said.
People are really getting on Duke’s back lately. It’s as if he was second unit director to the prequels or something. Give him a break. And all you aggressive OT diehards can go to hell.
Lol truth!
No, that just means that he can keep his cool under pressure, that he’s got common sense, and a well-tuned self-preservation instinct.
If he’d made the wrong decision and cost lives (including his own) that would certainly not have been on purpose. It would just mean that he panicked and made the wrong choice because of it.
That makes him a great pilot and an admirable man who can think fast and make decisions under pressure, but not a hero.
His rescue missions do make him a hero, but that’s another story.
What did you expect:He is the only pilot who did the Kessle run in 12 parsecs!
I have nothing a gainst Ford. Infact he always seemd quite down to earth :). But calling him a hero for this one? He endangered those people plainly for his own entertainment in the first place! It’s not that he flew some rescue mission into the jungle. He spends his millions on some crazy, risky, extreme sport and risks not only his own but aparently other people’s lifes. By the by, I am quite sure he avoided those houses not only for the sake of the inhabitants but possibley, just possibly, to save his own neck.
So, yes I like Ford, but he is just an other spoiled holywood millionaire, not a hero.
The other instances when he flew out to search for a boy is certainly more heroic.
Yeah, you are not understanding the situation that he suddenly found himself in…it’s not as if he made a mistake and then landed the plane…the plane, in an instant, died on him. What he was able to do from that point on was remarkable.
Did you read the whole story.he’s rescued two people with his helicopter.
Yes and resucing the boy was heroic. Having a dangerous hobby that risks the lives of other nearby is certainly NOT heroic, but quite egoistic.
Uh did you READ the article?!
Thank you anonymous
Same here. I avoided driving my car on the sidewalk today. I chose to drive it safely and avoid running over people. The lives I saved!
He didn’t save peoples’ lives! He shouldn’t be flying some hunk of junk that’s an antique plane from WW2.
You’re saying he’s a hero because he didn’t accidentally kill people? He’s just an actor, not a real life hero.
This extended piece of eulogy is way too much praise for crashing an old plane.
First of all, it’s not a eulogy, because obviously the guy’s not dead.
Secondly, this sort of thing happens all the time with newer planes too. And it isn’t as though he just grabbed this thing out of a junkyard, gassed her up and took her for a spin. His plane had been meticulously restored, underwent regular FAA inspections, and in fact the NTSB inspector who examined the wreck called it an “award winning” restoration job.
A PT-22, as I understand it, is not the easiest thing to handle when making a dead-stick landing like this. And yet, Ford made damned good and sure that he didn’t hit anyone when he brought his plane down.
AND he’s got a history of making some pretty impressive aerial rescues, which is also a big part of what Viral was highlighting with this article.
Yes, between $60-80K in the rebuild, and that Ryan will be airworthy again. I live about 100 miles from his Jackson home and am alerted to any potential Wyoming rescues that take place. He, (in the eyes of a fellow pilot) is a VERY professional aviator…and does it right, as this has shown.
Strictly speaking, a eulogy is any speech of praise. It doesn’t have to pertain to a dead man to be a eulogy.
You need to be driving a car that suddenly loses all controls but continues to gain speed while driving the interstate…do everything possible to avoid killing people and see if you do not feel like you accomplished something pretty damn special.
You would put it in neutral.
Sorry, but just putting it in neutral wouldn’t do it. You’d still have functional power steering and brakes.
Putting the car in neutral would stop the car from gaining speed and he said “suddenly loses all controls” meaning no brakes.
I agree. This article is giving Ford a little too much credit for this recent incident. Sure, I’m totally glad he made the choice he did, but that’s all it was – a choice. It wasn’t anything too heroic really. It’s like, if my car’s tire blew out and I decided to pull over to the shoulder instead of panic and stop in the middle of the road – does that make me a hero? Meh, not really.
I think Harrison Ford should spare a thought for all the future directors/producers he`s keeping awake at night worrying and wondering. I mean he`s scheduled to play lots of different future roles like blade runner, maybe? even more star wars roles. I think the directors/producers will be worried if he will be healthy enough to do it. He could sign up to something then another unexpected accident happens throwing a spanner in the works. He could even cause cancellations if people worry too much and decide its too much of a risk. Its his life and his business but I think he should wind down now and go easy with the risky pass times, and stay safe.
“Fly? Yes. Land? Yes, actually.”
-Indy
The force is strong in this one…
That’s what this site needs, more bloody obvious quotes that aren’t funny to post anymore..
But its true Daddyo! Bet u he said ” ahh yes they do nicely” about the green he landed on
thanks for this Harrison Ford fapumentary
Planning to get lost in Yellowstone hoping to get saved by him in order to actually meet harrison ford…
My sources have reported that Harrison Ford actually intentionally crash landed his plane on top of a golfer, killing him. So no, I do not think this guy is as great of a hero as you think.
Indy: “Fly? YES! Land? NO!” – Indiana Jones.
Yeah because that’s funny.. Stop it
I’m in the aviation industry, and as we say “any landing that you can (essentially) walk away from is a good landing”. I’ve investigated air crashes/incidents and am a helicopter pilot, and he did EXACTLY as he was instructed….and it was executed as perfectly as it could’ve been. Fly casual Han!!
Star Wars is primarily aimed at children. Why then do you think it appropriate to run adult dating ads on this site?
So….you’re 10 years old?? After all, you’re on this site.
I’m not, my daughter is. And she does read this site, or did.
Please don’t tell me you let a ten year old on the internet by herself?
Of course not.
Someone on your computer has prompted google to run those ads, that’s got to be the dumbest post I’ve ever seen! Lol
The ads are purely a reflection of your search history that’s implemented by Google, whatever the problem is with the ads, it’s on your end
I’m pretty sure google adsense chooses ads based on your internet activity. Why then do you think it appropriate to run adult dating ads on this site?
Not a lot of children go on Star Wars news sites.
Mine does. I’m not being a prude, I’m really not, to each his own and all that, but dating ads on a site that will definitely have a percentage of kids looking at it is a bit weird and sleazy of the site owners.
I’m pretty sure they don’t set specific ads so i wouldn’t be calling them sleazy.
Maybe sleazy is a strong word, but kids do come here. Just giving my opinion.
Blame Google if not your search history.
Don’t you have to specify adult/non adult in your adsense campaign?
I would say by default it wouldn’t. I think it would be based off search history if it happened.
Ads on this site are random
Most of the time Google Ads (the only ones used here) are based on your searches and activities on the web. Also they are random. For example right now I see ads only about building a flight time “from private pilot to airline safety pilot time”. 🙂
looks like Jane’s a frisky buscuit, and lookin for love in all the wrong places.
I’m begging you, please don’t share what your ads are. I don’t think the general public could stomach that.
Probably loves the freedom of getting in a little plane and taking off wherever..might be time to quit while he is ahead though.
Hi my great grandfather was a Colonel in the earliest days of the US Air Force, when we had just starting to even train pilots for WW1, and he was a head instructor of military strategy and customs of the service at the nations first Advanced Fighter Pilot Air Service Officer training school at Kelly Air Field.
Crash landing away from people and buildings does not make you a fucking hero thank you very much. Please don’t insult actual aviation heroes with this drivel tyvm.
Did you read the article? It states he’s actually rescued people with his aviation skills.. more heroic than being a pawn in war like you’re pappy was..
Oh I’m sorry I didn’t realize crashing and nearly crashing a few other planed and occasionally rescuing people was on par with being an actual came over on the boat to New York Harbor kind of guy and actually lived the American Dream and became a big time WW1 and WW2 war hero, and actually trained the nations first Air Force in the first batch of fighter pilots and air service officer sense and played a significant role in creating the branch that gave the Allied Forces an edge in WW2 and played a crucial war in devising and implementing the strategy that defeated the Nazis sense.
Not to mention an aviation hero in the sense of, actually trained Ace Pilots like Charles Charles Limburg and literally was the foundation pilot and air service officer training school that gave birth to not just the US Air Force but the US aviation industry as we know it and eventually NASA.
I guess you just don’t jackshit about aviation history. Toolshed.
I mean we’re talking about a group of guys who had less clout and prestige than the fucking Coast Guard at the time breaking actual ground for the aviation and aerospace industry, and when it comes down to it being the decisive factor in two major wars (read: Largest scale in history) that we actually had to fight.
Excuse me if I take issue when people just throw out the term hero on people who make a living by pretending.
It was the US Army Air Corps, fucker. The U.S. Air Force had nothing to do with World War I or II.
Whaaa Jane! The reason that you see adult dating sites is based on your internet browsing. So it is you your self that is doing this.
If that’s the case, why aren’t you seeing lady boy porn ads?
Jane, that’s very mature.
… says the armchair judge on everything.
There’s a reason you’re on your computer so much
You don’t seem to have anything better to do than talk to me buddy.
You do criticise and comment vicariously to an unnecessary degree.
I have stated that i’m overly critical but if you’re the anonymous i think you are, you don’t have much room to talk either.
Now I have to explain to my 10 year old what a ladyboy is.
@ Jane didn’t you just say earlier that your daughter comes here and you’re making comments about lady boy porn – I hope she gets better moral lessons from Star Wars than you..
“Dangerous hobby”
No it isn’t. Such a misconception. Aviation as a hobby is incredibly safe.
Just thought I’d throw that out there.
Where was Chewie during all of this?
A Hero for crash landing a vintage plane that shouldn’t have been flown buy a guy who isn’t a real pilot. A Real Life Hero. PUKE.
Did Orville Wright build Harrison’s air plane? It looks like it was made out of tooth picks and Elmer’s glue.
No but your house is.
WTF article is this? How is he a hero for not crashing into others? Isn’t that expected by any normal human being with the logic to not harm others? Also, he didn’t crash into a school or home, because one of the vital rules when crash landing is look for a wide flat area to do so, hince the Golf course. Really, can Star War’s Fanboyism get any more retarded than this article?
I back Harrison…do you?
All these nice anon…comments. some with names too adding their 2 cents on whether Mr Ford should be flying whether he is a hero etc. Well as the article stated they spoke with actual pilots and thr sheriff of his town in Wyoming etc. Raise your hand if anyone commenting is an expert pilot. If not shut up and leave the critiques to those professionals that know.
Hero, not necessarily, level headed awesome actor who KNOWS HOW TO FLY A PLANE? YES, really really cool.
He’s MY hero, that doesn’t make him A hero though. Still, really cool dude. Not a diva, not off in his own world, just casually flying a restored WWII fighter-plane and helping out local lost hikers, no big deal…
He is your hero and that doesn’t make him a hero?
I love how everyone gets so damn technical over a Movie blog. Let it rest, Harrison is a Hero period. Even though he has made bad decisions in his life like the rest of us. He is brave because he overcame obstacles in life like this one.
The artistic license used by a reporter or praise of him being a hero by onlookers in how he handled the situation is remarkable.
Sorry – no time to read all the posts, but the pic of the WW2 plane like Ford’s, is that an actual pic of that day that someone took or is that a stock photo of some kind? Thanks!
It’s a similar plane, not Ford’s.
Such a poorly written and misleading story. He didn’t wrestle the aircraft. He had an engine failure, NOT a flight control failure.
As soon as basic flight maneuvers (straight & level, climbs, decents, turns, slow flight,and stalls) are taught, simulated engine failures are continually focused upon as well as other emergencies.
You never turn back to an airport after an engine failure on takeoff, below a certain altitude in a single piston engine or multi piston engine airplanes….. That turn creates far to much drag without thrust to compensate, and results in far too much valuable altitude loss.
All pilots avoid houses in emergency situations if possible…… It’s a matter of self preservation.
Any diligent pilot thinks and plans for the unexpected should it occur. He flies out of that airport often and had mentally chose that golf course as an emergency landing spot probably since he first flew out of that airport. It’s what diligent and good pilots do. Continually asking yourself, “where would I go right now if I had an emergency? ”
Engine failures and emergencies occur everyday. He did nothing more than plan, think and execute like every pilot is trained to do.
“He didn’t wrestle the aircraft. He had an engine failure, NOT a flight control failure.”
Have you ever done a dead-stick landing in a Ryan PT-22? Because according to those who have, it can be a very difficult craft to maneuver at low speed, with a tendency to flip over.
Not exactly a gentle, leisurely glide to the ground…
So Ford is able to pull off amazing stunts when flying old WWII planes. Good for him, but that still doesn’t make him a hero.
That reasoning is as flawed as claiming that a Jedi’s a hero only because he/she can do amazing back flips.
@DEKKA129!
Another useless comment based on opinion and hear say and not facts.
Not one airplane “handles” well at slow speeds, hence the reason for stall speed (Vs), and maneuvering speed(Va) and other detrimental speeds committed to memory. All Aircraft have a minimum controllable speed which must be adhered to.
“According to those who fly it!!?” So, you don’t fly but yet have all the intimate knowledge about the characteristics of an aircraft. Folks this is a clear example of how idiotic information gets propagated!
The Ryan is a TRAINING aircraft designed to be easier to fly because it’s a TRAINING aircraft. There isn’t a tendency to flip because there aren’t any forces (thrust) acting on the aircraft and it’s a TRAINING aircraft!! It’s a dead aircraft, hence dead stick and is controllable as long as precious airspeed is maintained!! Yes, it is just a glide to the emergency landing as long as procedures and techniques are followed and airspeed is protected.
Clearly, aviation isn’t your forte!
Wow, don’t soil yourself there, O’ Conveniently Nameless One.
How many people do you know who have actually flown a PT-22 before? How many first-hand accounts of its flight characteristics have you heard from them? Nearly one?
Just settle down, Sparky. Go outside and get some fresh air.
Ha ha ha, “O’ Conveniently Nameless One”. I need to write that down.
DEKKA129
You act with some over exaggerated feeling of entitlement because you allegedly know someone who knows someone that flew a Ryan…. a TRAINING aircraft no less. This is suppose to lead us all to believe that you know what you’re talking about….because someone said it, and you’re regurgitating it back….. for delusional self importance and show, no doubt.
Keenly observant one, your so called second hand facts are completely incorrect. You don’t have any knowledge on aeronautical science, aerodynamics, physics, or much of anything for that matter. But to save face you have your little grade school mentality digs which attests to your intellect.
All you’ve written in two paragraphs are sarcastic slurs and that you know someone that flew an airplane. When a person is insecure about something it creates an arrogance……arrogance and self awareness never does go hand in hand.
I have plenty of first hand accounts and first hand EXPERIENCE about a plethora of many different make and model aircraft, mr. perceptive.
With the way you put absolutely no thought in your factless squabbling, and using a mentality you’ll understand, you should consider changing your name to PEKKA129, that way we all know what to expect from you without actually having to waste time reading your nonsense.
Will you give it a rest and stop trying to get under his skin Anonymous?
Going to start with me?? Apparently, he’s your significant other if you feel the need to defend him. Shoot your gang mentality his way…… He’s the one with the large mouth and nothing coming out of it, but we all have been given insight as to what is going into it!!
So hostile.
Can you be any more clueless? I wasn’t replying to you nor did I solicit your two cents. You decided to judge and reply at your own free will. Don’t be hostile in protecting your boyfriend and you won’t get it back!! Apparently, living the SciFi world couped up in a dark basement has affected your common sense and interpersonal skills!
You’re tiresome at this point.
Air Medal w/ one oak leaf cluster.
In other words, it ain’t like dusting crops, boy.
I heard he made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs too…
The most impressive part of all of this is that he landed on the green. Four!
Boba Fett sabotaged the engine
I have read this article many times now, and each time I finish Im thinking: “Thank you Ford, for not leaving us” and then I get goosebumps.