Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, the US Airways pilot who successfully ditched an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, has retired after 30 years service with the airline. He flew his last commercial leg yesterday: US Airways Flight 1167 from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte. In the right seat was First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, who had also been Sully's co-pilot on US Airways Flight 1549. The aircraft was greeted at Charlotte Douglas International Airport by a spray-over from four water cannons.
In a statement to the press about his retirement, Captain Sullenberger said, "I have been fortunate to have followed my passion for most of my life, working in a profession I dearly love, side by side with thousands of wonderful colleagues, including the man flying my final flight with me, Jeff Skiles."
Sully says he plans to continue to serve as an advocate for aviation safety, and for the airline piloting profession. We all wish him well.
Here is a slide show of Flight 1167's arrival at CLT, from WCNC.com. Below is a news video about the event, from FoxProvidence.com.
If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.
