Chesley Sullenberger

Google images (www.guy-sports.com)

Vladimir Putin once said, "Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle." (izquotes.com) That, however, is exactly what US Airways Captain Chesley Sullenberger was forced to do on January 15, 2009. When faced with a dual engine failure of his Airbus A320 aircraft at approximately 3000 feet, Captain Sullenberger had no choice but to pin his hopes on a miracle. Chesley B. Sullenberger was born on January 23, 1951, in Denison, Texas. His father was a dentist and his mother was a teacher. With a strong interest in airplanes and aviation, he received his pilot's license at the age of 15 and flew crop-dusters in his home state of Texas.  In 1969, he enrolled in the USAF Academy. He always excelled in school and soon became a flight instructor. He continued his flight training with the Air Force during peacetime and earned his title of captain. He also became a flight leader, member of an accident investigation board and a flight-training officer. Sullenberger used his passion for flight, years of training, and level head to promote himself to American hero by saving 155 lives.

As well as staying focused on the big picture, Sullenberger took a big risk, sacrificed his safety and worked with his co-pilot and the flight crew for what would surely be the hardest landing of his career. Sullenberger's quick thinking and communication were key factors in bringing the passengers down safely. Sullenberger took control of the aircraft while the co-pilot began the emergency checklist procedure hoping to restart the engines."My aircraft, Sully said. Your aircraft, said the first officer." (nymag.com) The term my aircraft means that the captain is taking full control of the plane. Sullenberger had been trained to do this in an emergency situation many years before. During the short flight, Sullenberger did actually have trouble staying calm, however he later said that "he was comforted by the sounds of the flight crew repeating his instructions to the passengers" (Ebsco). Even though most pilots make errors when faced with this sort of situation, Sullenberger kept his cool and made all of his decisions with the state of the aircraft and his passengers in mind. This shows that Sullenberger thought quickly and made the correct decisions.

Chesley Sullenberger was flexible and focused in the face of danger and because of his selfless acts of courage; he successfully landed a crippled jet on the Hudson River, saving all passengers and crew members. "The plane climbed away from LaGuardia and all seemed routine; but at roughly 3,000 feet everyone aboard heard and felt a distinct thump, and passengers saw that the left wing was aflame. Both of the airliner's wing-mounted engines went dead, and the passengers went silent as the cabin filled with a smoky haze and the odor of electrical burning." (Gale Biography in Context) The jetliner had collided with a mid-sized flock of Canadian geese (Branta Canadensis), several of which were sucked into both of the plane's engines and reduced to a substance known in aviation as "snarge". In the cockpit, Captain Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles knew that they had hit birds because their windshield was instantly smeared brown. The brown they saw was the remains of several birds that had hit the windshield and the thuds were the engines surging and self-destructing. Collisions between birds and aircraft are common, but the chances of a bird strike disabling both engines are less than 2 percent. Once the engines failed, the plane climbed 60 additional feet, and then began a slow descending glide. "As the plane lost altitude, Sullenberger quickly contacted LaGuardia Air Traffic Control, weighed his options, and determined to ditch Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, between Manhattan and the New Jersey shore." (Gale Biography in Context) Thanks to Sullenberger's quick and flexible thinking, he developed a plan that incorporated all aspects of the flight and maximized the safety of his passengers. He determined that he simply didn't have enough time or altitude to reach any airport and headed for the biggest and longest runway he could see: the Hudson River.   

Flight 1549 rescue ( (blog.flightstory.net))

To me, Chesley Sullenberger is a true hero because he had a passion for flying,  used his years of experience in a dire situation, and kept a level head in his darkest hour. The culmination of these factors was what is arguably the greatest water landing in aviation history. After the landing, most of the passengers, like Sullenberger, stayed focused and flexible and evacuated onto the wings and life rafts in a calm and orderly fashion, despite the freezing water flooding into the rear of the aircraft. The rescue was also orderly and well organized. The first rescuers to arrive were ferry passengers and crews who had seen the plane come down. Within minutes, the majority of the passengers and crew were huddled on the decks of several ferry boats. "Captain Sullenberger left the plane last." (Biography.com) He stayed behind, checked the cabin twice, retrieved the plane's maintenance logbook, and finally left the aircraft, which was soon completely submerged. This act shows that he truly wanted to make sure that all of his passengers were safe and sound, in spite of the fact that they may have been a little cold and shocked. It is this that inspires me to become a pilot much like him far in the future and learn to act like he did if I was ever faced with such a situation.

US Airways flight 1549 (www.theworldorbust.com))