You saved scores of lives by being a compentent and skilled airman when you landed your plane on the Hudson last year. That was impressive, but I am sure most pilots at your paygrade could have pulled it off.
Now you have a good bit of notoriety. What will you do with it?
Well, I just saw a commercial of you with children fighting cancer at St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. When you called them real heroes, it made me well up a bit.
There are many things you could have done with your fame. You are helping others. Just made a $19.99 monthly gift to St. Jude’s because of you!
Only nitpick I have with the OP is that to do it successfully without loss of life took both luck and spectacular skill – I suspect he’s not the only experienced airline pilot who could have done it, but I’d take issue with the “most” of the OP.
Otherwise – everything newcrasher said. The man defines ‘class’ in a world where ‘crass’ has become commonplace. Thanks for posting it!
As for the first point, I’m inclined to agree, and so does the only pilot I know. And really, it effectively boils down to his airplane crashing in Manhattan without a single death, so…that’s pretty damn impressive.
I just recently read his autobiography, and he seems like the most upstanding, admirable guy - this just helps confirm that. Also, his family apparently raises puppies who will go off and be trained as guide dogs, which is something I find equally admirable.
I believe the phrase “hell of a guy” is applicable here.
Hero pilot, spokesperson for a children’s hospital, raises puppies that will become guide dogs… what’s next? Visits nursing homes to read to the elderly? Runs a soup kitchen in his backyard? Is personally taking in 50 Haitian orphans? He’s Captain Awesome.
He lives in the Cal 10th Congressional District. The Republicans asked him to run, he politely declined. He lives in Danville. In 1996 local Congressman Bill Baker (R-Danville) was overheard on an airplane saying that his neighbor was an airline pilot and an airline pilot shouldn’t be living in his neighborhood and it got quoted in Herb Caen’s column and contributed in a small way to Ellen Tauscher’s razor thin initial thin victory. Since Sully became famous, I’ve always wondered if Sully was the pilot neighbor to Baker.
I saw him as a Grand Marshal for some parade and he just came across as the most humble and sweet man. I’d definitely say he’s a textbook example of both a hero and a role model.
