Sep 30, 2009 2:30 pm US/Eastern
Hudson 'Miracle' Pilots To Reunite For NY Flight
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
US Airways pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III holds up an American flag that was presented to him during a celebration in his honor on Jan. 24, 2009, in Danville, Calif.
David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The pilot and co-pilot who landed a US Airways jet safely in the Hudson River will reunite in the cockpit Thursday for the first time for a flight out of New York, the airline said.
Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles will fly from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, N.C. — the destination of the plane they ditched in the Hudson on Jan. 15, saving the lives of all 155 people on board.
Thursday's flight will be Sullenberger's first as a US Airways captain since the so-called Miracle on the Hudson. US Airways announced Monday that he would return to the cockpit, making regular flights as well as supervising other pilots as part of the airline's safety management team.
Skiles has been back flying with US Airways since April.
Sullenberger landed his Airbus A320 in the Hudson after a collision with a flock of geese killed power in both engines minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia.
He wrote about the landing in "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters," with co-author Jeffrey Zaslow. The book is due out next month.
"We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform at our
best, because we never know which moment in our lives we'll be judged
on," he wrote.
Sullenberger and Skiles won praise for their textbook response to the loss of power. Their plane was at just 2,800 feet, giving them three-and-a-half minutes to try to restart the engines or find an airport for a landing.
Sullenberger told the National Transportation Safety Board in June that he glided into the Hudson near Manhattan's ferry terminals to increase the chances of a rescue.
"Something about this episode has captured people's imagination," Sully said in his 60 Minutes interview. "I think they want good news. I think they want to feel hopeful again."
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Most Useless Facts
Click to enlarge
Go! New York: Exercise And Your Brain 16 mins ago 
Newest Snow Could Make Record Books In Parts Of NJ 30 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments