Captain “Sully” Retires at Age 59
Members of the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways, noted that Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III, retired today at age 59.
Sullenberger, the pilot in command during the world-renowned ditching of US Airways Flight 1549, will officially retire at a private ceremony at Charlotte Douglas International Airport accompanied by fellow USAPA pilots and other US Airways employees this afternoon. He will fly his last flight today with First Officer Jeff Skiles, his copilot during the ditching of that plane in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.
Sullenberger has worked for US Airways and its predecessor airlines for 30 years; he has served as a check airman, helped create the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used throughout the industry, and has testified before Congress regarding pilot safety.
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