Chesley Sullenberger

my search for what really matters

Highest duty

Jeffrey Zaslow

A pilot's story about landing a malfunctioning commercial aircraft, revealing lessons learned from childhood, military service, and flight experiences.

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On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed one of the most remarkable emergency landings in aviation history when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the surface of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. To Sullenberger, a calm, steady pilot with forty years of flying experience who is also a safety consulting expert, the landing was not a miracle but rather the result of years of practice and training-wisdom he gained in the cockpit of U.S. Air Force jets and in his Texas boyhood. Born to a World War II veteran and dentist father and an elementary school teacher mother, Sully fell in love with planes early. He learned to fly as an eager 16-year-old from a crop duster, an older neighbor in north Texas, who took off and landed his fragile plane on the grass field behind his house. While Sully's father encouraged his interest in flying, he also imparted stern advice he'd learned from his Navy service during World War II: a commander is responsible for everyone in his care-and those words have shaped Sully's life and work and continue to guide him today. HIGHEST DUTY reveals the important lessons Sully learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. At heart, it is a story of hope and preparedness-that life's challenges can be met if we're ready for them-reminding us that, even in these days filled with war, tragedy, and economic uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for. A few weeks after the crash, Sully discovered that he'd lost a library book about professional ethics, Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, in the downed plane's cargo hold. When he called the library to notify them, they waived the usual fees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg replaced the book when he gave Sully the Key to the City in a New York ceremony.

My Search for what Really Matters

Highest Duty

První problémy se na každodenní trase New York – Seattle objevily už minutu po startu, když se do motoru Airbusu dostalo hejno ptáků. Kapitán Sully zareagoval rychle a bezchybně a riskantní manévr zvládl bez přípravy. Z letadla se totiž stal šedesátitunový kluzák a na manévrování mu zbývaly necelé tři minuty. Sullymu se podařilo neuvěřitelné – přistát na řece Hudson nedaleko New Yorku a zachránit tak život nejenom těm 155 lidem na palubě.Dvacet pět minut po tomto riskantním přistání už bylo celé letadlo téměř pod vodou. Kapitán vystoupil na palubu lodi až jako poslední. Zeptal jsem se ho, jestli se ven dostali všichni. Řekl, že uličku prošel dvakrát, zkontroloval všechna sedadla a nikoho neviděl. Až potom i on sám vstoupil do záchranného člunu.Za hrdinské zvládnutí této výjimečné situace odměnili Chesleyho Sullenbergera dva američtí prezidenti, kteří se zrovna v Bílém domě střídali – George Bush mu osobně poděkoval a Barack Obama ho pozval na svou inauguraci. V knize Jeffreye Zaslowa a Chesleyho Sullenbergera se dozvíte podrobnosti o této mimořádné události i to, proč Sully už rok po nehodě ukončil profesionální kariéru pilota.

Chesley Sullenberger

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