Flying over the mighty George Washington Bridge earlier today - this is the same air space where Captain C.B. Sully Sullenberger made the good call to go for a landing in the Hudson River, all 155 passengers and crew saved, bravo Captain Sullenberger!! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullenberger Chesley Burnett Sully Sullenberger, III (born January 23, 1951)[1] is a retired airline captain, aviation safety expert and accident investigator, best-selling author, speaker and consultant. Sullenberger was hailed as a national hero in the United States when he successfully executed an emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, New York City, after the aircraft had been disabled by striking a flock of Canada geese during its initial climb out of LaGuardia Airport on January 15, 2009. All of the 155 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft survived. Sullenberger is an international speaker on airline safety[2] and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. Sullenberger served as the co-chairman of the EAAs Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.[3] Sullenberger retired from US Airways after 30 years as a commercial pilot on March 3, 2010.[4] In May of the following year, Sullenberger was hired by CBS News as a News Aviation and Safety Expert.[5] He is the author of the New York Times best-seller Highest Duty, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. His second book, Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from Americas Leaders, was published in May 2012. He was ranked second in Times Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009 On January 15, 2009, Sullenberger was pilot in command of an Airbus A320 from New Yorks LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. The flight was designated as US Airways Flight 1549 as well as United Airlines Flight 1919.[26] Shortly after taking off, Sullenberger reported to air traffic control that the plane had hit a large flock of birds, disabling both engines.[27] Several passengers saw the left engine on fire.[28] Sullenberger discussed with air traffic control the possibilities of either returning to LaGuardia airport or attempting to land at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. However, Sullenberger quickly decided that neither was feasible, and determined that ditching in the Hudson River was the only option for everyones survival.[29] Sullenberger told the passengers to brace for impact, then piloted the plane to a water landing in the Hudson River at about 3:31 p.m.[30] All passengers and crew members survived.[30] He later said, It was very quiet as we worked, my co-pilot and I. We were a team. But to have zero thrust coming out of those engines was shocking—the silence.[dead link][31] Sullenberger walked the unflooded part of the passenger cabin twice to make sure everyone had evacuated before retrieving the planes maintenance logbook and being the last to evacuate the aircraft.[8][32] Sullenberger, described by friends as shy and reticent,[33] has been noted for his poise and calm demeanor during the crisis. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for example, dubbed him Captain Cool.[34] However, Sullenberger acknowledged that he had suffered some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the first couple of weeks following the crash, including sleeplessness and flashbacks, though this condition had improved by the time of his late February 2009 interview with People.[35] In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, he was quoted as saying that the moments before the crash were the worst sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling that he had ever experienced.[36] Speaking with news anchor Katie Couric, Sullenberger said: One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, Ive been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15 the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal. U.S. President George W. Bush called Sullenberger to thank him for saving the lives of the passengers,[38] as did President-elect Barack Obama[39] who also invited him, as well as the entire crew, to join the presidential inauguration ceremony.[40] On January 16, 2009, the United States Senate passed a resolution to recognize and honor Sullenberger, co-pilot Jeff Skiles, the cabin crew, the passengers, and the first responders involved in Flight 1549s emergency landing.[41] The United States House of Representatives passed a similar resolution of praise on January 26, 2009.[42] Sullenberger attended the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2009, where he and his wife met President Obama.[35] On January 22, 2009, he and the rest of the crew of Flight 1549 were awarded a Masters Medal by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.[43] A ceremony for Sullenberger was held on January 24, 2009, in his hometown of Danville, California, where he was presented with awards including Danvilles Key to the Town,[33] and was named an honorary Danville police officer.[44] San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Chief Richard Price presented Captain Sullenberger with his districts highest award, the Medal of Valor,[45] which has been given only a few times in the districts history.[46] Sullenberger, Skiles, and Flight 1549s cabin crew, Doreen Welsh, Sheila Dail and Donna Dent, were honored with a standing ovation during the Super Bowl XLIII pre-game ceremony on February 1, 2009.[47] Sullenberger was awarded with honorary lifetime membership in The Seaplane Pilots Association.[48][49] Admirers of Sullenberger also started a Facebook fan site that, as of late February 2009, had half a million members.[35] A few weeks after the crash, it was revealed that Sullenberger had left a library book titled Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability in his luggage in the cockpit. Ironically, Sullenberger had been reading about establishing an effective safety culture by balancing accountability with learning. When Sullenberger telephoned the library to notify them that the water-damaged book had been recovered, it waived the usual late fees. New York City Mayor Bloomberg replaced the book when presenting Sullenberger with the Key to the City of New York.[50][51] Sullenberger threw out the first pitch of the 2009 Major League Baseball season for the San Francisco Giants. His Giants jersey was inscribed with the name Sully and the number 155 - a reference to the 155 people aboard the plane.[52] On June 6, 2009, Sullenberger returned to his childhood hometown of Denison, Texas, to participate in that towns D-Day celebration, and to give the commencement address for his alma mater, Denison High School, marking the 40th anniversary of his own graduation from the school.[53] Sullenberger also made an appearance in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 14, 2009, to participate in the Red Carpet All-Star Parade that took place before the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Wikinews has related news: US Airways jet recovered from Hudson River Miracle on the Hudson pilot retires Sullenberger testified before the U.S. House of Representativess Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure on February 24, 2009, that his salary had been cut by 40 percent, and that his pension, like most airline pensions, was terminated and replaced by a PBGC guarantee worth only pennies on the dollar.[54] Sullenberger also mentioned his pay cut in an October 13, 2009 appearance on The Daily Show. Sullenberger retired from US Airways and its predecessor airline after 30 years with them on March 3, 2010. He indicated, however, that his advocacy for aviation safety and the piloting profession would continue.[4] In 2009, Sullenberger filmed a TV commercial as a spokesman for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.[55] Sullenberger flew to the Charlotte, North Carolina, museum where the plane is located on November 18, 2011, as part of a fund-raising effort, entering the plane for the first time since the incident.[56] Chesley Sullenberger was selected as the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parades Grand Marshal, an honor which was announced on Thursday, November 5, 2009, in Pasadena, California, at the Tournament House.[57] In 2009, Sullenberger was awarded the Founders Medal by The Air League...
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 03:24:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015