WONDER LAKE – The 2009 incident in which a flock of birds brought down US Airways Flight 1549 in the chilly waters of the Hudson River remains a constant reminder of the importance of aviation safety training.

A much more dismal picture would have been painted that fateful day had this imperative training not been followed.

Jeff Skiles, copilot of Flight 1549 that day, said he credits years of training, checklists and procedures with getting him through his stressful and time-compressed experience when the lives of 150 passengers were in his and pilot Chesley Sullenberger’s hands.