Feb 9, 2009 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Their Day In The Sun: 1549 Crew Honored In NYC
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, pilot the US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed into the Hudson River in New York City, poses for a photo prior to Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Captain Chesley Sullenberger's whirlwind day began well before Monday's City Hall ceremony, where they were presented with keys to the city.
Only CBS 2's cameras were there to catch it all.
It's absolutely exhausting being America's hero.
From limousine to TV interviews to receiving the key to the city, hero pilot Sully's tour-de-force day was chock-a-block full of public appearances. It all began just after 5 a.m. in a packed green room at CBS's Early Show where CBS 2's Magee Hickey, like every other New Yorker, wanted to say "thank you" to our hero.
"Are you getting tired of all the thanks from New Yorkers?" Hickey asked.
"I am not tired of the outpouring of support, it has been phenomenal," Sullenberger replied.
And ever the modest hero, even in our behind-the-scenes glimpse, Sully tried to deflect all the attention.
"I want to tell everybody, it's about more than me. There were five of us on that airplane that had a big hand in the successful outcome, in addition of course to the first responders and passengers who behaved so admirably throughout," he said.
The pilot's wife, Lorrie, said she didn't take her husband's phone call right away after his miraculous landing because she had no idea what he had just been through.
"I was actually on the other line on a business call and kept thinking I would get back to him when I got off," she recalled. "I never know where he is."
The Sullenbergers' two daughters, 14-year-old Kelly and 16-year-old Kate, told Hickey they're so proud of their father, but they say he's not always so cool. He's a strict disciplinarian, they say, who won't allow them to do any TV interviews, just to watch them, as they did, during this special edition of The Early Show.
After reliving the passengers' stories, pilot Sullenberger headed to yet another round of TV interviews then on to City Hall where he and his crew were presented the key to the city by a mayor who called him "Captain Cool," and then an afternoon of even more TV interviews.
"Ever going to get tired of interviews?" asked Hickey.
"I am sure at some point things will more nearly resemble normal life for us, but our lives have clearly changed forever," he said.
After this tour-de-force, whirlwind day, Captain Sullenberger and his party of 10 are being treated to dinner at the Blue Fin and then the Broadway show Chicago, all courtesy of the mayor and the people of New York.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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