The Saga of Chesley Sullenberger
Category
Local Heroes & Everyday Saviors
Era / Tenure
Active Era
Leaderboard Rank
#7 in Local Heroes & Everyday Saviors
Verified Hearts
47,500 Hearts
ORIGINS & FORMATIVE YEARS
Roots, Upbringing & Early Influences
Born in Denison, Texas in 1951, Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III learned to fly at age sixteen and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, serving as a fighter pilot before embarking on a twenty-nine-year commercial aviation career with US Airways, specializing in accident investigation and safety systems.
THE STRUGGLE & HARDSHIPS
Facing Adversity, Rejections & The Grind
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. At 2,800 feet, the Airbus A320 struck a dense flock of Canada geese, instantly destroying both jet engines and causing complete loss of thrust over the most heavily populated urban center in North America.
Key Milestone & Career Defining Moment
Sullenberger received the Master's Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and was later appointed United States Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
