An amazing feat of piloting

A captain and co-pilot are beginning their approach for a landing at an airport neither of them has ever been to before. Everything is routine until they dip below the clouds and the pilot takes a look out of the window. In that level, measured voice that commercial aviators around the world seem to acquire along with their wings, the captain says quietly, "This little strip they gave us, maybe it isn't long enough."

"Can we make it?"

"We have to. We are almost out of fuel."

So the captain gets on the intercom and notifies the passengers to put their heads between their knees and prepare for an emergency landing. Then he sets the flaps to full down, drops altitude, cuts the engine down to almost nothing. Just above stall speed the big jumbo jet comes screaming in, on the ragged edge of control. Twenty feet from the tarmac he lowers the landing wheels. Rubber touches road almost at once, and instantly he applies full brakes and kills the engine, fighting to keep the ailerons and tail steady as the jet wobbles and jumps. His hands are sweating. The co-pilot is quietly praying.

The jet comes screeching to a halt just as the front wheel falls off the edge of the runway. The tires are smoking. The entire jet slowly ticks as the engines slowly wind down. The co-pilot begins checking the control panel. The captain expels a sigh of relief as the adrenaline slowly leaves his body: "Was that ever a short runway!"

"Yes," agrees the co-pilot, "and wide, too."

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