Hudson crash co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles laughs it up with Letterman

You've probably heard more than you need to know about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger -- the U.S. Airways pilot who safely landed Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. Just the kind of guy you want crash-landing your plane -- well, or just landing it. But bantering with David Letterman is quite another story. It takes a different set of skills to do that.

Appearing on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last night, it was Sullenberger's co-pilot -- Wisconsinite Jeffrey Skiles -- who stole the show with his witty repartee with Dave that got the crowd laughing. Here's a little sample of the dry, sarcasm that the Oregon, Wis. resident brought to Letterman's interview with the crew of Flight 1549.

Letterman: So you take over the aircraft, then it's your (pointing at Skiles) job to try and restart those engines
Skiles: That's true. I failed.



Editor's Note: I didn't watch the actual interview, but discovered this clip thanks to Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com