Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger

Sully (www.wikipedia.com)

Have you ever heard of the breath-taking event that happened on January 15th, 2009? If you haven’t, it was when my hero, Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III, “Sully”, successfully landed American Airlines Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. He is my hero because he performed a major heroic action while under heavy pressure. Like many others, he has a life story but I believe his is absolutely amazing. Next, he taught me many life lessons, like being prepared for the worst. He executed everything perfectly while hundreds of lives were in danger and he risked his own life to save the lives of others. Only two people, out of a whopping one hundred fifty-five passengers, were injured at all. That is amazing that he saved all those people from injury or death. “Sully” Sullenberger has changed the lives of many people. One of those lives affected is mine. He is the ultimate definition of a hero. I hope you get to know him better and see why I look up to him.

Fifty-nine year old Chesley Sullenberger has an amazing life story. It is unlike any other. The start of this great life story began on January 23rd, 1951 in Denison, Texas. He was born to be a pilot and was such a natural at flying, he received his pilot license at only age 14, before he could even drive. Most people never pilot an airplane in their entire lifetime but Sully learned how to fly only 14 years into his life. That is unbelievable! After high school, Sully attended the United States Air Force Academy. Four years later, he graduated as a fighter pilot. He held this job for seven years, from 1973 to 1980. In fact, only ten percent of soldiers in the Air Force aspire to this elite job of flying. After leaving the Air Force, Sully began flying passenger planes for American Airlines. This led to the fateful day that gave America the reason to call him “The Hero On the Hudson.” His years of hard work and experience helped him to save every life on the plane. Chesley Sullenberger has an amazing life story.

Has anyone ever told you to always be prepared for the worst? Well Chesley Sullenberger showed why you should be ready for anything. Just after taking off, the 737 aircraft’s engines were hit by birds, causing the engines to not function properly. This happens to pilots sometimes never in their career. But with 17 years of experience, Captain Sullenberger was prepared. Even though this never happened to him before, Sully successfully landed the plane. This is why you should always be ready for every possible situation. Chesley Sullenberger woke up in the morning not thinking that the day would be any different than a regular day. When he heard a silencing engine on Flight 1549, he knew it would be anything but ordinary. He had the courage to land the plane in the river, and prayed that no lives would be lost, including his. I don’t believe he ever thought that he would have to crash land a plane in the Hudson River, but he knew what to do instinctively in that situation. He taught me to always be ready for anything. If you are prepared, you can always steer things in the right direction, even when they look disastrous. I learned many life lessons from the day Chesley Sullenberger landed a large aircraft full of passengers into the Hudson River, right in the middle of one of the most crowded cities in the world, New York City.

Sully Sullenberger risked many lives, including his own. He took Flight 1549 off the ground, only to be landed into the Hudson River. The engines gave out, so Sully had to make a fast decision. Either only risk the lives on this plane, or put the lives of people on the ground in danger, too. He wanted everyone on and off the ground to be saved, so he chose to land the plane full of one hundred fifty-five passengers in the water. He did not expect to hear that all passengers were alive, with only two injured. The people injured were a flight attendant and a passenger. The flight attendant was injured because of the spot on the plane where she was. The back of the aircraft hit the water first, taking a great impact. The woman was in a small room with many glass objects, right in the rear of the plane. She was cut in the leg, but it was nothing serious. The other injury was also nothing serious, also because they were in the back of the plane. All the lives on the plane could have been lost, but there were seldom any injuries, and no fatalities. That is part of the reason why Chesley Sullenberger is my hero.

As you can see, Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III is my hero. He has a long life story including many extraordinary events, which all led up to the event that took America by surprise. He taught me many life lessons, such as being prepared to do anything in the worst circumstances. Lastly, he risked his own life to save the lives of others. He landed a plane in a river packed inside in a heavily crowded area to make sure there were no deaths. Chesley Sullenberger is a great man and also my hero. I hope you understand why I look up to him.