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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Air Force veteran, pilot and American hero Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger shared his world-famous story in a personal way as he paid a visit Nov. 5 to Travis Air Force Base, California.
Hundreds of Airmen and their families lined up at the entrance to the Travis Base Exchange on Saturday morning, eager for the chance to see the “Sully” who has become, for many, an inspiration and role model. And the famed pilot did not disappoint: greeting each person with a smile, he shook hands, took photos and signed 500 copies of his biography, “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters.”
“It’s great to be back on an Air Force base again,” said Sullenberger. “It’s been awhile.”
After the book signing, Sullenberger was welcomed with a standing ovation to the Base Theater, where he spoke with the crowd and thanked Airmen for their service before a free screening of his movie, “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.
Sullenberger gained worldwide attention as a US Airways pilot on Jan. 15, 2009, when he and his crew performed an emergency water landing in New York City’s Hudson River after their Airbus A320 lost both engines due to a bird strike. All 155 passengers and crew aboard US Airways Flight 1549 survived.
Since referred to as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” the event landed Sullenberger and his crew in the spotlight – bringing both international acclaim and a lengthy investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
“It was a time of concern for us until that process was complete,” said Sullenberger. “We had to have confidence that ultimately we would be vindicated and we had to have perseverance to endure this lengthy analysis where, quite frankly, their job was to scrutinize every thought I had, every choice I made, everything I said and every action I took or didn’t take.”
The NTSB investigation lasted about 15 months.
“Having your life under a microscope to that extent, for that period of time and having to live with that uncertainty for that long is difficult,” said Sullenberger. “But I understood it was necessary and valuable.”
Sullenberger’s commitment to discipline and diligence – both in the cockpit during the crisis and afterward during the investigation – allowed him to keep his positive attitude.
“I think it’s critically important to always keep in mind why we should do what we do and for whom,” he said. “I think having that kind of perspective, having that clarity of the reasons behind what we do, gives us meaning (and) gives us purpose in our lives. And it helps to keep us focused in doing the right things at the right time for the right reasons, which ultimately is what I think integrity is all about.”
He also has a lifelong love of learning and constantly strives for excellence.
“Simply landing the flight and simply making sure everyone survived was not sufficient. … Had even one person perished, I couldn’t have celebrated any of this,” said Sullenberger. “We weren’t done, even though we had landed.”
Where does he attribute these qualities that made him a hero? He traces them back, at least in part, to his time as an Air Force fighter pilot.
“It’s the most demanding and the most meaningful and the most satisfying, best flying I’ve ever done,” he said.
Sullenberger, a 1973 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, earned his pilot slot and went on to fly Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom II jets.
“The kind of discipline and diligence, that professional attitude people learn when they’re in the military service and do those kinds of things, is what was really important,” said Sullenberger. “I think all that together was with me that day in the cockpit.”
He attributes the other part to his parents and grandparents, who developed his values and gave him a worldview as a young boy growing up in Texas. He hopes to inspire Airmen today to develop similar qualities in themselves.
Although the challenges are different, the strength of character required to face them is the same – and Sullenberger is more than familiar with facing challenges.
“During my time of service, we had an advantage compared to the challenges that are being faced currently … our adversaries were more well-defined,” he said. “Now we’re engaged in conflicts that are more fluid, that are not involving necessarily nation-states, but terror groups and other adversaries. … I think whatever challenges we face, we have to have first done the hard work (and) developed the skills, the knowledge (and) the judgment.”
Sullenberger has the utmost confidence in our Airmen today to conquer such challenges, however. His visit to Travis only reinforced that.
“It’s wonderful to see the next generation of people who have chosen to serve our country,” he said. “We’re in good hands.”
When the retired fighter pilot was asked to share any final thoughts, he could not resist a resounding, “Fly, fight and win” for the Airmen of Travis Air Force Base.
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