Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger

Captin Chesley B.

When the passengers of Flight 1549 needed clear-headed action to save them, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger held them together, literally and figuratively. He kept the plane from taking out part of New York, and saved the people in his critical path. At the mercy of events well beyond his control or choosing, he did the nearly impossible and then was the last man off the wreck. He shouldered the responsibility humbly. He did his job and made sure everyone, EVERYONE, was safe before looking to his own welfare.

The real miracle of Chesley Sullenberger is not that he pulled off a feat most of us would not believe, had there not been media coverage, it was the stark contrast between real and make believe that he illustrated for America. He did not go looking for attention. He did not orchestrate an event to show off his skill. A situation, likely to turn tragic, arose and he rose to the situation and then some. With the possibility of crashing the plane in New York, he took the only option he saw fit, and ditched Flight 1549 in the Hudson River.

Chesley Sullenberger is a real pilot. He served our nation in the military before he became a commercial airplane pilot. It seems like he paid attention, and learned well. He went to work in a profession where performance is everything, and failure to do so will cost lives in split seconds. He also took the concept of DUTY seriously. On January 15 he showed what real heroes do. It was a refreshing reminder of the kindness for the people who were in danger. To do a double check, just to make sure that nobody was on the plane, and then, and only then, did he head outside of the cabin and on to the wings of the slowly sinking plane-turned-boat, to be rescued by first responders, shows how he was a leader and a hero.

Nobody sent any of the airline crew or first responders a PDA suggesting they should be watchful of a flock of geese sending an air bus full of people falling into the Hudson River on January 15 of 2009. Nobody spelled it all out for them. Nobody held their hands and led them to the appropriate actions. They responded to a situation with the resources of their various disciplines. They applied themselves to a situation. They did not make excuses.

Chesley Sullenberger was just doing the job he obviously takes very seriously. He did it in a manner which will be studied for years.

Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger was the man that I picked for the My Hero project. When people read this essay, I hope they will no longer wonder why I would pick him. When they read of how he kept everyone in order and calm and of when he made a split second decision that saved everyone’s lives on that plane, or of how he watched out for the passengers of his plane, people that he didn’t even know. That is why he is my hero. And I hope he can inspire others to act with as much leadership as he did.