Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951), better known as Sully, is an American retired Air Force fighter pilot, airline captain, and is U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization. He is best known for his role as pilot in command in the 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan after both engines were disabled by a bird strike; all 155 people aboard survived. Sullenberger has since become an outspoken advocate for aviation safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with first officer Jeffrey Skiles (his co-pilot during Flight 1549), of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.Sullenberger retired from US Airways after 30 years as a commercial pilot on March 3, 2010. In May of the following year, he was hired by CBS News as an aviation and safety expert.Sullenberger is the co-author, with Jeffrey Zaslow, of the New York Times bestseller Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. His second book, Making a Difference: Stories of …
Chesley Sullenberger
Author details
- Born:
- April 14, 1951
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Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951), better known as Sully, is an American retired Air Force fighter pilot, airline captain, and is U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization. He is best known for his role as pilot in command in the 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan after both engines were disabled by a bird strike; all 155 people aboard survived. Sullenberger has since become an outspoken advocate for aviation safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with first officer Jeffrey Skiles (his co-pilot during Flight 1549), of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.Sullenberger retired from US Airways after 30 years as a commercial pilot on March 3, 2010. In May of the following year, he was hired by CBS News as an aviation and safety expert.Sullenberger is the co-author, with Jeffrey Zaslow, of the New York Times bestseller Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. His second book, Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America's Leaders, was published in May 2012. He was ranked second in Time's Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009, after Michelle Obama.On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced he would nominate Sullenberger to the post of U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, with the rank of ambassador. On December 2, 2021, Sullenberger was confirmed by unanimous consent in the Senate to serve as the next United States Ambassador to ICAO.
