He’s the face behind the Hudson Miracle. On January 15, 2009, the flight of a US Airways plane could have turned tragic. That day, pilot Chesley Sullenberger achieved the technical feat of landing on the Hudson River without an engine, after his two turbojet engines were damaged. A cold blood that allowed him to save the lives of the 155 people on board the plane.
A few years later, his story was adapted to the cinema in the film Sully directed by Clint Eastwood. Released in 2016, the film stars Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart as the plane’s pilot and co-pilot. “We asked Sully whenever he was available. He was kind enough to give us access to the simulators and to ask pilots to show Tom and Aaron how they worked precisely” had also entrusted the director to the release of the feature film.
Chesley Sullenberger is no longer a pilot
A few months after successfully landing his plane on the Hudson, Chesley Sullengerger decided to leave US Airways and stop working as an airline pilot. “I just changed professions, not just as a speaker, author and safety expert. But also as an advocate for safety rules in public transport and industries. When I realized that the sudden notoriety made me more audible, I felt an intense obligation to use this pulpit to do good” he confided a few years later.
Now 72, Chesley Sullengerger is an aviation consultant for the American television channel CBS. Married with two children, he has also written several books to tell his story, including Sully, the great story of the “Hero of the Hudson” published in 2016. The same year, he helped write the script for the film by Clint Eastwood. In January 2023, he inaugurated the first aviation museum in his name, located in North Carolina. A real recognition for the former airline pilot.
Chesley Sullenberger © STARMAX
