Captain Sully – What is He Up to Now?

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Do you remember Captain Chesley Sullenberger, III? The Captain Sully who displayed immense bravery that saved lives?

He was the hero of the Airbus A320, a US Airways jetliner carrying 150 passengers that crash landed into the Hudson River. Through his bravery and clear-headed decisions, he was able to help the passengers along with the jetliner’s five crew members to safety. Just when the world thought that nobody was going to survive the plane crash, the passengers inside the airplane proved them wrong as one by one they trickled out of the airplane and into the safety of the rescue ferries.

The tragedy took place on the 15th of January 2009. What started out as a routine flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina’s Charlotte/Douglas International Airport turned into a disaster as a huge flock of geese collided with the airplane, damaging both engines and leaving the left one on fire. Through media coverage, the whole world watched in horror as the airbus plunged down, erasing all hopes for any passengers surviving the impact.

Captain Sully, pilot in command of the airplane and a safety specialist, was faced with two obvious options – to go back to LaGuardia or to head directly towards Teterboro Airport for an emergency landing. He thought neither option was feasible, so with a cool head and quick decision, he decided to crash land at the Hudson River to give his passengers the chance of surviving the impact. With determination and skilled navigation of the plane, the airbus plunged into the river.

With bated breath and expecting the worst, people watched in dismay as the plane slowly sank into the river, and so it came as a pleasant shock when passengers slowly trickled out of the cabin and onto the wings of the plane. Like any true captain, it was Captain Sully who evacuated the airbus last, after ensuring the safety of all his passengers and his crew.

Captain Sully was given instant recognition for his bravery and calm authority, and a few days after the harrowing flight, the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators gave Captain Sully and his crew a Masters Medal. Captain Sully, upon returning to his hometown, was also awarded with numerous awards, one of which is the Key to the Town honor. He was instantly catapulted into a hero status for the bravery he has displayed.

On the 3rd of March 2010 and after 30 years of service, Captain Sully finally decided to retire from the US Airways, but this did not mean though that his interest in the aviation profession waned. In fact, he became all the more ardent in his aviation safety advocacies.

When the Federal Aviation Administration set new rules, especially when it comes to the maximum number of hours allowed for pilots flying domestic flights, Captain Sully insisted that 10 hours per day will only increase fatigue. He states that more hours during domestic flights even with three pilots, two operating the controls while one resting, will only lead to exhaustion. There is, he states, no ample room for a pilot to rest or sleep inside the cabin, and, clearly, five or six hours of sleep is not enough to ensure that the pilot is well rested between each flights. Furthermore, he adds that with the new rules it would be more difficult to get a complete eight hours of sleep between each domestic flight.

His concern also goes out to the passengers as well when he, together with various lawmakers, criticized the new TSA security measures. He states that the full body scans, invasive patdowns and x-rays, is a clear invasion of an individual’s privacy and a violation of his rights. Pilots, airline crews, and passengers have complained about the new rules, and Captain Sully agrees with them that these measures to catch terrorist have made citizens seem like one as they are given no choice but to go through with the demeaning and humiliating body scans or else pay a fine of $11,000.

Right now, Captain Sully has become a big voice behind the aviation profession who is speaking out to promote increased aviation safety and security not only for the pilots and their crew but also for the passengers aboard the plane. He is also one of the strong leaders of a program called Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles that helps young people interested in the aviation profession start their careers.

It is his hope that his story has ignited public interest in the aviation profession, especially since there are a dwindling number of young people interested in having an aviation career. Furthermore, it is also his hope that good changes be made for the aviation industry.

Image Credit: washingtontimes.com

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