What are you doing now:
Born: 23 January 1951 Birthplace: Denison, Texas Best Known As: The pilot who landed flight 1549 in the Hudson River Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III is the U.S. Airways pilot who was hailed as the "Hero of the Hudson" after he successfully landed an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River on 15 January 2009, saving the lives of all 155 people on board. Flight 1549 had taken off from New York's La Guardia Airport and reached an altitude of 3000 feet when both engines failed, reportedly after the plane hit a flock of geese. Sullenberger skimmed the plane to a hard landing on the Hudson, where all passengers and crew evacuated and were rescued by nearby boats before the plane sank. Sullenberger had been a U.S. Airways pilot since 1980, and flew for the U.S. Air Force from 1973-1980. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, and also has an M.S. in Industrial Psychology from Purdue and an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. Sullenberger is also the founder of Safety Reliability Methods, a consulting firm specializing in "complex, high-risk, technical systems." His co-pilot on flight 1549 was Jeffrey Skiles, 49, of Oregon, Wisconsin... Sullenberger's nickname is "Sully"... His wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, is a fitness expert who runs the website "Fit and Fabulous... Outdoors." ------- From Harper Collins books: "... To Sullenberger, a calm, steady pilot with forty years of flying experience who is also a safety consulting expert, the landing was not a miracle but rather the result of years of practice and training-wisdom he gained in the cockpit of U.S. Air Force jets and in his Texas boyhood. Born to a World War II veteran and dentist father and an elementary school teacher mother, Sully fell in love with planes early. He learned to fly as an eager 16-year-old from a crop duster, an older neighbor in north Texas, who took off and landed his fragile plane on the grass field behind his house. While Sully�?�s father encouraged his interest in flying, he also imparted stern advice he�?�d learned from his Navy service during World War II: a commander is responsible for everyone in his care-and those words have shaped Sully�?�s life and work and continue to guide him today. HIGHEST DUTY reveals the important lessons Sully learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. At heart, it is a story of hope and preparedness-that life�?�s challenges can be met if we�?�re ready for them-reminding us that, even in these days filled with war, tragedy, and economic uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for. A few weeks after the crash, Sully discovered that he�?�d lost a library book about professional ethics, Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, in the downed plane�?�s cargo hold. When he called the library to notify them, they waived the usual fees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg replaced the book when he gave Sully the Key to the City in a New York ceremony." -------
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