After executing a letter-perfect dead stick landing in the Hudson River, preventing the disintegration of the stricken Airbus and saving the lives of every soul on that aircraft, Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III walked through the entire length of the partially submerged wreck twice before being the last person out of the downed airliner.
That, my friends, is one damn fine pilot.
It was the first time in half a century of commercial jet flights that an airliner had been successfully landed on water without any fatalities.
Only by executing a perfect textbook ‘bellyflop’ did the pilot prevent the 100-ton fuselage from disintegrating on impact.
The captain, who has been flying for nearly 40 years and also runs a safety consulting firm, walked through the aisle of the partially-submerged plane twice to make sure it was empty before being the last to leave on Thursday night.
Whatever US Airways is paying Captain Sullenberger, it isn’t nearly enough. The veteran of the US Air Force landed that plane so perfectly that I have heard some eyewitness accounts where people actually wondered if the plane was intentionally landing on the river, like a seaplane.
I’d book a flight with Captain Sullenberger any time. Kudos to him.
The pilot and crew are real heroes. Sometimes we all need a reminder of just what that is.
Veteran of the US Air Force, another reason why America’s military tops my list as America’s best and brightest.
Sometimes there are a few bad eggs (like Murtha and Kerry) however those few are not representative of the many who, like Sully, define heroism.
I suspect the co-pilot had to help land that plane. Beloved Teacher(?) is right. The entire crew are heroes.
Simply an amazing job. Probably a fair amount of luck, too. Had the winds been gusty it could have been a completely different story.
Also wanted to comment on an earlier posting where the comments are now closed. I saw this “Lincoln was geographically predisposed to see both sides. He was 17 years of age when his most admired Thomas Jefferson died”
And I noted how few generations we have actually gone through since the founding of this nation. Jefferson and Adams died in 1826 when Lincoln was 17. Lincoln died in 1865 when Teddy Roosevelt was 7. Teddy Roosevelt died in 1919 when Ronald Reagan was 8.
So Lincoln was a very real person to Teddy, not some figure read about in books. He interacted with people who had experienced his administration first hand. And Reagan the same with Roosevelt. While he might have been young, his life would have been greatly influenced by Teddy Roosevelt’s administration.
Just thought it amazing how young our country still is.
A superb job of flying AND landing. The man deserves a massive bonus at the very least. As a USAF veteran myself, I’m proud to call Sully a comrade in arms.
Absolutely incredible!
It’s nice to know that we still produce men like this. Well done!