Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Thursday, January 15, 2009

CAPTAIN CHESLEY B. SULLENBERGER, HERO



I salute Captain Sullenberger, a real hero. Well done, sir. We are all grateful.



Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III is a captain for a major U.S. airline with over 40 years of flying experience. A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, he has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member.


He has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations. His ALPA safety work led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular. Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, he coauthored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation.



Chesley Sullenberger, known as "Sully," the pilot of the US Airways plane that crashed into the Hudson River is being hailed as a hero for successfully landing the plane without any major injuries or fatalities.

A former Air Force fighter pilot, "Sully" was lauded by New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, who hailed Sullenberger's actions as "masterful," reports The Daily Telegraph:

But he heaped praise on the plane's captain, pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger - a 29-year veteran known as "Sully" to his colleagues - for landing the plane flat on the water and avoiding nearby Manhattan.

Mayor Bloomberg said he had spoken to Mr Sullenberger at length, and said he did a "masterful job".

Sullenberger searched the plane before exiting the plane, reports ABCNews.com:
The hero of Flight 1549, pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III, walked the aisle of the downed US Airways jet twice looking for passengers before exiting the plane he safely ditched in the Hudson River, saving the lives of more than 150 people onboard.

The successful landing on water was a rarity, reports the NY Daily News:
It appeared to be the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water - and every passenger on board made it out alive.

CNN spoke to Sullenberger's wife, Lori, who was stunned by her husband's ordeal:
Sullenberger's wife told CNN she spoke to her husband and is reeling from the incident.

"I was stunned. I hadn't been watching the news. I've heard Sully say to people, 'It's rare for an airline pilot to have an incident in their career,' " Lori Sullenberger said.

"When he called me he said, 'There's been an accident.' At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school."


He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used at his airline and has taught the course to hundreds of his colleagues. Sully is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.). He was a speaker on two panels at the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) 2007 International Conference in Deauville, France May 29-31, 2007. He has just been named a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.


12 comments:

Dave Miller said...

This is a hero.

Anonymous said...

AMAZING. True American hero. Definately the news we want to hear out of an unfortunate incident like this, if it ever has to occur.

This guys deserves a medal, he truly represents the standard of aviation and transportation safety. Masterful job done by a man who knows his job WELL.

God Bless him! Bush should have lauded him in his farewell.

Unknown said...

I salute you, Captain! Hey All, I nominated him to be the Secretary of Transportation. A person who KNOWS exactly what he is doing at all times.

Unknown said...

I salute you, Captain! Hey All, I nominated him to be the Secretary of Transportation. A person who KNOWS exactly what he is doing at all times.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Yes. People use the word "hero" loosely, IMHO.

This man had to make life-threatening decisions in split seconds and then use all the skills he possessed to land that plane in the Hudson.

I also commend the crew who prepared the passengers. They deserve credit too.

And the passengers all behaved withou panic and with great courage.

The whole story is the story of real heroes.

TAO said...

I was eating a late lunch we this news came on the television and I was absolutely overwhelmed by not only the pilot, the crew, and the passengers, but also by the rescuers.

When I saw passengers getting off the ferries wearing the jackets of firemen and others I realized that this was truly what life and what America is all about.

The actions of everyone in this averted tragedy were admirable and worthy of our highest respect.

Shaw, I linked to this post on my blog...

Anonymous said...

Eva-Maria from Germany
I have been flying very often from Germany-USA-Germany.
Thank you Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shortly after 9pm I have seen the first pictures on CNN. I have called a monastery in North Dakota. We all prayed for You.
God bless you a real American hero!

Anonymous said...

The previous comment is very interesting. A monastery in North Dakota?

It's also interesting that if you Google Captain Chesley Sullenberger, Shaw's blushing baby blog is the fourth result.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Gordon,

That accounts for all the foreign hits I've had over the last two days.

Eva-Maria,


Danke für das Besuchen.

Shaw Kenawe said...

And here's that monastery in North Dakota:

A Life of Prayer and Service
ON THE PRAIRIE


Sacred Heart Monastery
The Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery make their home on the prairie of western North Dakota. Our monastic life of prayer and work follows the natural rhythm of the prairie, with times for working and resting, growing and harvesting, living and dying. The "promise of the prairie" reflects God's sustaining power in our lives, even in times of uncertainty and doubt. Through the cycles of nature, the prairie often appears weakened from drought, heat, ice, and snow. But new life always emerges again, as the prairie turns a lush, verdant green, with wild flowers blooming more profusely than ever.

Since the arrival of our Sisters in North Dakota in 1910, God has always guided us in our prayer and ministries. We invite you to get acquainted with us by exploring our website with the spirit of our pioneering foremothers.

We also welcome you to visit our monastery, seek God with us, join us for prayer, assist us in our ministries, or simply relax amid the beauty that surrounds us.

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He definitely was a hero, I would like that people follow his steps, because he is n example for the humanity.

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