The Hijacking of Global 7749

Ken just hoped that the passion of the moment would translate into action. The press conference was over. All of the government officials came up to congratulate---and thank---Ken for saying the very things that they had been trying to communicate for many months. At that moment, Ken only had eyes for one person--- Global 7749's senior flight attendant. She was beaming. He might get the girl after all.

Both Ken and Melanie approached the impending string of press interviews with trepidation. Since they had shared the cockpit together no one objected to them doing the interviews together; it was even viewed as a PR boon since they were an attractive couple. Both Ken and Melanie wanted Bob Mattson, the Marine gunnery sergeant, the NYPD detective and the Pakistani Cardiologist to join them. All involved agreed. It would be the best way to tell the chronology, the unfolding of events on the flight.

Every talking head and news anchor wanted his or her opportunity. Both the government and the airline agreed that the two heroes had the right to discriminate. They agreed to two interviews on TV, picking two journalists who had long careers demonstrating professionalism and intelligence; the two news outlets agreed to share the interviews with other outlets after a brief delay.

Since the two esteemed TV anchors knew and trusted each other, they decided to do one interview together and broadcast simultaneously on their respective networks. The print journalists, six in all, were picked with similar care and would participate together in a single interview, the transcript of which would be released to other outlets the following day. As the key participants met together in the upscale New York hotel that had been provided for them, they decided that they would tell the story as it had happened, with each of them providing their own perspective.

The television interview went extremely well. It turned out to be the highest rated program in television history. It was Melanie who had first been made aware that a hijacking was beginning. She told the story of those first few horrific moments---watching her friend, one of the other flight attendants, die as her throat was brutally slashed. She spoke calmly and with little emotion.

The police detective's voice cracked as he told of his desperate---and unarmed---struggle to work his way to the front of the aircraft to assist the already fatally wounded but still fighting air marshal. The gunnery sergeant had the nation spell bound as he told of the carnage he saw when he entered the first class cabin and of carrying the murdered flight crew off the flight deck. The Pakistani doctor wept as he related his futile attempt to save the flight crew and the flight attendant.

The detective took over the story again at the moment when Ken pulled his call bell, even sharing his anger of the moment that some jerk in the back of the plane hadn't gotten the word. Then it was Ken's turn. He told his story, occasionally deferring to the others present to provide input. When they finished their collective story the two seasoned journalists were speechless; it was decided that a break was needed before continuing with questions.

The questions were few and thoughtful, some focusing on the inevitable, "What was going through your mind?" They all shared their recollections of their thoughts. Finally one of the anchors asked both Bob and Melanie what single event convinced them that they would land safely. Bob led off.

"The first thing I did---before I introduced myself to Ken---was have ATC play back his radio transmissions---I wanted to assess his frame of mind and his composure. The FAA has just allowed them to be released. I believe you have them cued up?"

Millions around the world heard Ken's transmissions, from the original, astoundingly composed Mayday to the final, "Global 7749 is down safely."

"Great pilots are confident---even cocky. Ken Taylor was calm, in charge and had a plan. Marines are famous for adapting, improvising and overcoming impossible odds. Had I detected bravado I would have been concerned. Had I heard fear or panic I would have been very concerned. Before I spoke to him---before I had a complete grasp of his level of experience---what I heard in his voice as he took charge of a very difficult situation made it crystal clear to me that as long as we on the ground did what Ken needed us to do things would turn out okay."

Then it was Melanie's turn; in spite of herself, she grabbed Ken's hand as she began to speak.

"I'll be the first to admit that I had serious doubts and in spite of Ken's efforts to keep me from losing it, I was scared to death. I've never really known a Marine before...I had no idea what stern stuff they're made of. Had I known then what I know now about this very special human being, I wouldn't have doubted him for a minute. Somehow, every time I started to lose it---he brought me back. He never tried to con me or give me a false sense of security."

Melanie continued. "But, in answer to your question, there we're two particularly significant things Ken said to me. One of the first things he said to me was, and I think this is an accurate quote, 'I need to get in touch with Pittsburgh center, get some clear air space below us and get this big puppy safely on the ground. Are you good to go?' I felt in my heart he could do it."

"Then, as my faith began to fade, I asked him point blank if he could land the plane safely. Well, among other things, he said, 'I plan to be buying you a drink in the first available bar in the Pittsburgh airport in less than thirty minutes. Are you with me?' Well, I just figured that any guy that has the presence of mind to flirt with a girl in the midst of an emergency landing of a damaged airplane he's never flown before is one pretty cool character." Melanie leaned in and kissed Ken on the cheek, realizing that her actions would certainly stimulate an unwanted degree of speculation.

One of the journalists turned to Ken and asked if he had had doubts at any point.

"My hair was on end and the old military pucker factor was at maximum from the moment I heard the shots and screams. I thank the USMC for the fact that, at least for me, adrenalin tends to sharpen my focus rather than dull it. As I've said before, thanks to the professionalism of the other members of the team that landed that 747, every time an obstacle presented itself, a solution---an alternative---appeared. I never lost faith that I could get the airplane on the ground---although there were a couple of times when I wasn't sure I'd do it well."

Ken continued. "I believe there is a lesson here for anyone faced with a difficult task. That lesson is, don't focus on everything that might go wrong but work with what is available to you that it going right. Take it one step at a time build on an incremental pattern of success---don't get too far ahead of yourself...but expect to succeed---visualize yourself doing so. I apologize for sounding like a pop psychologist, but the short answer is no...I never doubted that we'd get down safely---but it wasn't until the nose wheels touched the tarmac that I breathed a sigh of relief."

One of the anchors, another Marine with soft eyes and a gentle smile had to ask a final question.

"Colonel Taylor, you and Melanie have become, it would seem, very close over the past few days. What are your plans?"

Melanie spoke for both of them. "We've shared a once in a lifetime horrible episode...not the best way to begin a relationship, but we're both mature, realistic adults. We're going to take it incrementally, one day and one success at a time. In any event, a girl doesn't meet a guy this special and not give it her best shot. Are you okay with that colonel?"

"I like the way you think, young lady." Ken replied, visualizing the future success for their relationship.

As quickly as they had burst into the limelight and captured the almost obsessive interest of the world in their experiences, they disappeared from view...by their own choice. Within a few weeks they were old news and both very happy to be so. They were both gratified to see that the new news was all about fixing the broken system. Changes were made; the changes worked. Airplane hijacking, at least of US commercial flights, became a distant memory.

They took it slowly, one day and one success at a time; Melanie changed her last name to Taylor six months later. They wrote the best seller about their experience together. It made millions for the surviving families of those who died on Global 7749.

Ken and Melanie both lived a long and very satisfying life together. Their relationship as they blissfully aged together was defined, not by the horrific event which had brought them together, but by the mutual love and respect which grew with the ensuing years. In the end, Ken got the girl and kept her until the day he died in his nineties, wrapped in Melanie's arms. When his obituary was published, it included but a single line about the landing of Global 7749. It was as Ken would have wanted it to be.