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'Miracle On The Hudson' Pair Return To The Skies

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Oct 1, 2009 2:01 pm US/Eastern

'Miracle On The Hudson' Pair Return To The Skies

Hero Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger, Co-Pilot Jeff Skiles Reunite For First Time Since Landing On Frigid NYC River

Reporting
Magee Hickey
NEW YORK (CBS) ― It's a reunion of heroes.

"It feels good to be back in New York. It feels good to be back at work."

There was applause even at a news conference for America's most celebrated and trusted pilot who said it feels great to return to the cockpit and take a planeload of passengers up in the sky again after last January's "Miracle on the Hudson."

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is being reunited with his trusty first officer Jeff Skiles on a U.S. Airways flight between Charlotte and LaGuardia on Thursday. It's the same route the pair was flying January 15 when they lost both engines because of a double bird strike caused by a flock of geese.

Sullenberger coolly glided the Airbus A320 down onto the surface of the freezing Hudson, saving all 155 passengers.

"Something about the event captured the imagination of people around the world," added Sullenberger at a LaGuardia press conference on Thursday morning.

Sullenberger said the Miracle on the Hudson "happened at a time when people needed to know that good could still be done in the world."

He said the gratitude of passengers has been "an extraordinary gift." And he bestowed the same gift on his colleague.

"You have my eternal gratitude for your skill and your courage," he said, turning to Skiles.

Skiles returned the compliments.

"Sully is the best professional out there…I consider myself lucky," said Skiles.

Thursday afternoon's flight to Charlotte won't be the first for this team.

"Sully" and his co-pilot actually flew in from Charlotte earlier in the morning, to the delight of passengers who had no idea at first who was at the controls.

Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways had told reporters that Sullenberger's first flight would be later Thursday out of LaGuardia, but that wasn't true.

Airline spokesman Jonathan Freed acknowledged that the flight out of LaGuardia would actually be Sullenberger's fourth flight since landing in the Hudson. He flew two passenger flights Sept. 11 as part of his re-training process.

"I was overwhelmed when I found out it was him," said Don Lambert, 61, of Fort Mill, S.C., who was on the early morning flight to LaGuardia Airport. "You feel like you have the best pilot in the world fixing to fly you to New York."

"Our prayers were answered. The angels were flying the plane," said Linda Culberston, also on the flight from Charlotte.

"I could only imagine what he was thinking looking out at the water," said passenger Jane Medlin-Smith. "We had a very smooth landing. It was wonderful."


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