2.09.2009

Sully


"I put my hand on the side stick and I said, the protocol for the transfer of control, 'My aircraft,' and the first officer Jeff (Skiles) immediately answered, 'Your aircraft.’ "

- Interview with Katie Couric, “60 Minutes,” 8 February 2009.

Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, 58, is a no B.S., straight-shooter. A man of velvet, a man of steel. A man’s man and a woman’s heartbeat. His wife Lorrie calls him “a pilot’s pilot.” He is, in short, a hero.

Not until he heard the magic number, 155 survivors, did he feel “the weight of the universe was lifted off my heart.”

Start your week by refreshing your soul with the words of this incredible man: watch the “60 Minutes” interview. Scroll down this page until you see “Here is the Chesley B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger Interview video and the full episode of 60 Minutes.” LINK

THE REST OF THE STORY:

So, who is this man and what in his background equipped him to perform the miraculous water landing on the Hudson River?

Here is the profile from his company’s Web site (LINK):

Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. Founder 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 co-authored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation.

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.

5 comments:

airth10 said...

I missed the interview last night on 60 minutes.

I am reluctant to say this but I think the story has gotten to much coverage. I know it was a miraculous event. But perhaps the story's intensity and appeal has more to do with the sour economic times we live in. That's understandable. It is a positive story and a lot of people would rather dwell on such things instead of negative stuff.

Anonymous said...

Thank you B.J.,

Everything you ever wanted to know about "Sully" & The Hudson River Landing in one place, without having to go hunt the information. I LIKE THAT!

That was very interesting and informative. Sully is a hero. One amazing Pilot and Man. Thank you for your tribute to him. You should send him your blog page. I know his wife would love to see it. You spent some time on it.

I love you,
Deb

Anonymous said...

Following in the footsteps of icon Chuck Yeager, Sully has "the right stuff".

Anonymous said...

I hope he lives a much longer life and I hope he is able and willing to continue working for a long long time. What an inspiration he is. What a great example of success.

Anonymous said...

A very humble and graceful man with an incredible experience that saved the lives of his grateful passangers. He doesn't consider himself a hero, just a man "doing his job."

Without a doubt there are 155 very happy families around the world tonight. None will ever know how high that number goes.

BJ, another excellent, informative post. You go gal...