Photo: Pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger III.Posted on 01/16/2009 1:22:53 PM PST by GVnana
To friends and family, he's just "Sully." To the rest of the world, Chesley Sullenberger is now a miracle worker with a pilot's license.
Photo: Pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger III.
The former Air Force fighter pilot remained cool, calm and collected both before and after successfully ditching his US Airways flight into the Hudson River.
"That pilot is a stud," said one police source. "After the crash, he was sitting there in the ferry terminal, wearing his hat, sipping his coffee and acting like nothing happened."
Sullenberger, 57, looks more like Clark Kent than Superman: He's balding, slightly built, with a thin mustache. But he emerged from the slowly sinking fuselage of Flight 1549 as one of Gotham's brightest heroes, able to land engineless airplanes in a single try.
"Brace for impact," he warned the passengers before ditching the plane, a voice of lone calm in the seconds before they crashed.
Sullenberger wasn't done once his plane was down. He undid his safety belt and walked the length of the plane to make sure all the passengers were safely outside, Mayor Bloomberg said.
A citizen journalist captures the scene just after the crash occurred... (Credits: Gregory Lam via flickr)
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
He’s a great guy!
Too bad he’s not the one being inaugurated next week!
The guy was a F4 Phantom pilot in the USAF. “Nuff said...
Passengers leaved the downed plane, along the wing of the plane toward ferry. Credits: Bourachdene for News
He must be a Conservative. No liberal could do what he did.
That's what I've been telling everyone. Any man who's flown "Piiigs Iiiiin Spaaaace" is used to making life and death decisions moment-by-moment.
No doubt, he's a hero!!
The entire crew deserves accolades for following orders to the "T".
The plane bobbed in the 40-degree water as the passengers were rescued on life rafts. Credits: AP/WNBC-TV
Good thing he was USAF. A Navy fighter jock would have probably landed on a boat just out of habit.
(To all my Navy friends: Just kidding.)
looks like both engines are still intact there, eh?
LOL!
Passengers, along with rescue personnel, head to one of the piers along the west side of Manhattan after being rescued. Credits: Roca/News
Here's a link to an amazing satellite view. The plane belly landed on the Hudson at 48th St, a mere block or two from where the Intrepid aircraft carrier is docked (at 46th St).
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=s&lat=40.790664&lon=-73.963821&zoom=14
Score one for the good guys... A wonderful example for everyone especially the youth of America who sorely need a worthy hero.
Cajones of steel and a class act. He would have my vote!
Looks like it would have to be another aircraft or tall building.
Well said.
Yeah, the cowlings are still intact. The compressors are little pieces ejected out the back of the engines.
The engines will look like old corn cobs.
eh...no.
You'd have to be looking down the throat of one to know if the engine was still intact.
Engines are rated to take a much smaller bird than a goose.
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