An Experiment

As you've probably heard, a US AIR Airbus 320 ditched in the Hudson River en route from New York to Charlotte this afternoon.  It looks like everyone has gotten off the plane safely, a credit to the pilot and crew of that aircraft.  I've checked the area water temperatures where the plane went down and where people went in prior to rescue and the Hudson is ranging from 36-41 degrees.  What would that feel like? Here's an experiment you might wish to try.  Fill up your bathtub with onyl cold tap water.  Get in.  That's what it would have felt like for those passengers, except you would have the added benefit of 70 degree air inside, whereas the passengers in New York would be instant icicles in the 21-degree air temperatures.