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Danville Hero of the Hudson pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III announced this morning that he is retiring today from US Airways.
Sullenberger became a household name around the world – and put Danville on the map – when he landed Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, after a flock of geese disabled the plane’s engines. All 155 people on board survived.
A Welcome Home ceremony at the Town Green on Front Street on Jan. 24 drew huge crowds and TV van from international media outlets.
When Sullenberger stepped to the microphone, the crowd broke into thunderous applause, chanting, “Sully! Sully! Sully!” He had been asked by the US Airline Pilots Association to limit his remarks to the public but he stated: “We were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do.”
He returned to his duties at US Airlines on Oct. 2 as a pilot and a member of its flight operations safety management team.
Sullenberger said in a statement released this morning that he began his airline career 30 years ago last Thursday.
“I have been fortunate to have followed my passion for most of my life, working in a profession I dearly love, side by side with thousands of wonderful colleagues, including the man flying my final flight with me, Jeff Skiles,” Sullenberger said.
Sullenberger, however, also criticized the airline industry, without going into specifics.
“Each generation of pilots hopes that they will leave their profession better off than they found it,” he said. “In spite of the best efforts of thousands of my colleagues, that is not the case today.”
Sullenberger, 59, joined US Airways in 1980 and became a member of the airline’s flight operations safety management team last September.
A flight attendant on board Flight 1549 the day of the river landing, Doreen Welsh, is also retiring today, according to US Airways. Welsh and Sullenberger are based out of the airline’s hub in Charlotte, N.C.
US Airways CEO Doug Parker released a statement in response to the pair’s departure.
“I am extremely proud of Capt. Sullenberger and Doreen for their quick thinking and courageous actions on Jan. 15, 2009 … we will miss them and thank them for all they have given to our customers during their years of service with our airline,” Parker said.
Sullenberger said that in retirement, he will continue to advocate for aviation safety and the airline piloting profession.
“I will work to remind the entire industry – and those who manage and regulate it – that we have a sacred duty to our passengers to do the very best that we know how to do,” he said.
Since the water landing in January 2009, Sullenberger has written a book, “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters,” and has accepted numerous speaking engagements. He was grand marshal of the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena and tossed the coin at the Super Bowl.
–Bay City News Service contributed to this story.
–Bay City News Service contributed to this story.
Dear Dolores,
Excellent tribute!
Best wishes to the Sullenbergers.
Hal