Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is a civil pilot that landed in the Hudson River for an engine failure saving 155 people on board. Sullenberger, before his civil career, served in the US Air Force from 1973 to 1980, he was on the F-4 phantom II jet. In the USAF he was a leader, a Top Gun, and also a training officer in the Red Flag operations. He was also a member of an aircraft accident investigation board. In 1980 he moved to Pacific Southwest Airlines (bought by the Us Airways in 1988) as a commercial pilot.
On January 15, in 2009, he took off from La Guardia airport in New York on Flight 1549, but during the climb he hit a large flock of Canadian geese, that unfortunately entered in the engine causing a failure.
Engines were seriously damaged and suddenly neither was providing any thrust. Sullenberger kept the control and talked to the ATC about the options he had: returned to La Guardia or land at Teterboro airport in New Jersey. The plans were both useless and so Sully decided to perform an emergency water landing, called ditching, on the Hudson River! He announced to passengers: “Brace for impact” and performed maybe the best landing on water ever done, the manoeuvre was a success, and all the 155 passengers on flight 1549 survived at the impact, captain Sullenberger was the last to get out from the plane.
Sullenberger is a hero, he received calls by international celebrities, he became a superstar and was also invited by Obama as a guest to his president inauguration.
The year later, in 2010, he retired to go on with investigation on plane’s accidents. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullemberger is an example for everyone and he continues to be a hero avoiding accidents and saving lives.
Nicola Tota, 5 A Scientifico
