"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

I finally got ahold of SkyDork, and he's laid to rest the question of the Boston landing. It seems that they simply would not have had enough gas to get all the way to Milwaukee.

They put enough fuel to get where they're going ( with a little extra, just incase ), and that fuel allotment is based off of normal flight conditions. They also calculate for weather, which includes tempature, and wind speeds. They also calculate passenger weight, and the center of gravity on the plane. Sounds like good times trying to figure that all out.

Anyway, SkyDork said that the usual flight travels at 400-500 knots ( he wouldn't give me a MPH equivalent ), and in this flight's case, the landing gear would have caused substantial drag, and only allowed the plane to fly around 200 knots.

He also said that the situation was the worst possible scenario for a landing gear mishap, and that the pilots should be commended on a job well done. The optimal situation for what they went through would be for the gear to recycle itself, and go back in, but not come back out. In this case however, there was a strong chance the gear would have snapped off, and not allowed the pilots to steer the plane once it's on the ground. If they make a belly landing, or 2 wheel landing, the pilots have MUCH more steering control.

So there you have it. I know most of you hadn't slept the past few days, wondering why the broken plane just didn't fly home, but now you know.

And knowing is half the battle.