Tired of being grounded, ‘Hero of the Hudson’ Captain Sullenberger to return to the skies

‘Hero of the Hudson’ Captain Chesley Sullenberger who, along with co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, succeeded in landing his crippled US Airways plane safely in the icy Hudson River in New York on January 15, 2009, is set to take to the skies again.

Chesley B Sullenberger US Airways flight Hudson river landing hero

US Airways, based in Tempe, Arizona, the United States, has announced that Sullenberger, 58, will return to work as a management pilot and also will join the carrier’s flight operations safety management team.

The airline, however, did not say when Captain Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamed Sully, will start flying again.

Jeffrey Skiles, the first officer of US Airways Flight 1549, had returned to work in April 2009.

Captain Sullenberger, the 29-year veteran with US Airways, saved the lives of all 150 passengers and 5 crew members on board the Airbus A320 jetliner when the aircraft’s both engines failed after it flew into a flock of geese after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York on January 15, 2009.

Following the miraculous escape, Captain Sullenberger became a household name and an instant hero.

After both engines of the Flight 1549 failed, Captain Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles managed to glide the aircraft to a safe landing in the Hudson River. Rescue boats and ferries later picked up the passengers and the crew who were holding on to lifeboats and standing on the aircraft’s wings as the plane floated in the river. The plane then sank in the icy waters.

Sullenberger had recently declared that he “missed working” and was looking forward to “returning to he skies.”

In a statement, Captain Sullenberger said that the months since January 15, 2009, have been “very full” and that he and his family have had some “unforgettable experiences.” At the same time, Sullenberger added, he missed working with his colleagues at US Airways and is “eager to get back in the cockpit” with fellow pilots.

Captain Sullenberger also declared: “In my new role as a pilot, I will continue to be the same kind of advocate for aviation safety that I have been for several decades.”

On his part, Doug Parker, CEO of US Airways, said the airline is proud to have the ‘Hero of the Hudson’ flying with it once again as a member of its safety management organisation.

Captain Sullenberger, a former pilot of the United States Air Force, heads his own aviation-safety company.

Sullenberger and the other crew members involved in the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ had attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Sullenberger’s memoirs will be in the bookstores in October 2009.