Chesley Sullenberger

Captain Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger is my hero. I chose him because of his bravery, courage, and heroism, which saved 155 lives, including his own. Captain Sullenberger graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1973, flew F-4 Phantoms from 1975-1980, then joined US Airways in 1980. On January 15, 2009, Captain Sullenberger flew into the history books with his ‘Miracle on the Hudson.’

Captain Sullenberger, who lives in Danville, CA, was the captain of U.S. Airways flight 1549, an Airbus A-320 flying from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina. Six minutes into the flight, the aircraft suffered a bird strike: a flock of geese flew into both engines, causing the aircraft to completely lose power. He had to quickly figure out what options he had for where to land the plane. One major factor was that he was over New York City- he had to attempt to not cause harm to the people on the ground. He calmly tells air traffic control ‘unable’, when they radioed various runway and airport options. He decided that landing the plane into the Hudson River was the only option. The radio transmissions between the tower and the plane show how shocking this decision was. The controller couldn’t believe what he heard and asked Sully to repeat it. The answer came in a calm, controlled voice, “We’re gonna be in the Hudson.” The water landing was successful and everyone onboard survived. ‘Sully’ stayed on the airplane until every passenger had been rescued. He was the last to leave the fuselage and waited on the airplane wings to be rescued by the New York City ferries.

This was no small feat; to land safely onto a river or any body of water requires perfect timing, expert flying, and exactly straight and level wings. Landing at the wrong angle could have caused the aircraft to break up on impact. Captain Sullenberger is truly an exceptional pilot and a hero that deserves the highest respect and honor.

A photo of the aircraft Captain sullenberger land

Another reason Captain Sullenberger is a hero to me, is because my family has a history of careers in aviation. Both of my great grandfathers were involved in aviation. One was an aeronautical engineer, and the other was the Navy’s Chief Developmental Test Pilot during WW II. He was on the USS Nevada when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor; he escaped by swimming underneath the burning oily water. My grandpa is a pilot and formerly owned an air charter service. My father is a private pilot, and my brother is currently training to be a pilot as well. I admire Captain Sullenberger for staying calm, dealing with the emergency, and saving the lives of all onboard his airplane as well as preventing any injuries or deaths on the ground. If I become a pilot, I hope that I can handle emergency situations with the skill and calm manner that he did. His actions definitely demonstrate courage, perseverance, hope, leadership and selflessness- all qualities of a great hero.

A photo of Captain Chesley

The ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ truly was a miracle. The calm and heroic actions of the flight crew meant that 155 people survived what could have been a terrible tragedy. The flight ‘landed’ and there were no fatalities. This was quite an achievement and launched Chesley Sullenberger into the ranks of hero.