Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Sullenberger
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_(film) 2016 by Tom Hanks

Meet Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, the US Airways pilot who today amazingly crash-landed a US Airways jet in New York's Hudson River without any apparent fatalities. The heroic Sullenberger, 57, has worked for US Airways since 1980, and before that spent more than six years as a U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot. Sullenberger, who now must be considered the front runner to replace Hillary Clinton as New York's junior United States Senator, is also the founder of Safety Reliability Methods. The firm describes itself as providing "technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries." Business should soon be booming. Click here to revel in Sullenberger's brilliance and professionalism, as detailed in the veteran pilot's resume.

http://www.safetyreliability.com/about_us

Who We Are

SRM Founder Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III is a captain for a major U.S. airline with over 40 years of flying experience. A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, he has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member. He has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations. His ALPA safety work led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular. Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, he coauthored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used at his airline and has taught the course to hundreds of his colleagues. Sully is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.). He was a speaker on two panels at the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) 2007 International Conference in Deauville, France May 29-31, 2007. He has just been named a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

from: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Hudson-River-Plane-Land...

As he was splash-landing a US Air jetliner on the Hudson River last month, America's hero pilot Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger probably was not thinking about his library book in the cargo hold.

But he did not forget about it.

The book is now on the river bed with the rest of the plane, which Mr Sullenberger miraculously brought down on the river without any casualties.

So the conscientious pilot contacted library officials in California to ask them to extend his loan and waive his overdue fees.

Fresno State librarians said they were so struck by the pilot's sense of responsibility they did him one better.

They waived all fees - even lost book fees - and placed a template in the replacement book dedicating it to him.

What was the book about? Professional ethics.

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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jan/22/venable-hudson-hero-pilots...

Just call it a family tradition.

By now, you've surely heard of Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III, 57, pilot of US Airways Flight 1549.

One week ago today, he became an instant folk hero after successfully landing his ailing aircraft in the Hudson River. Miraculously, all 155 people on board were rescued safely.

But there's another Sullenberger who survived a harrowing plane crash. If you're a longtime East Tennessean, you may recall his story.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, 1955, Dr. Sam Sullenberger finally trekked to Big Creek ranger station in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ending a massive search for the downed pilot from Dandridge.

Not only did Sullenberger survive the crash, he had to endure three nights in freezing weather - as well as fend off an attacking black bear - before his ordeal concluded.

But that's not all.

Turns out Chesley B. Sullenberger III is a distant cousin of Sam Sullenberger, who died in 1960. In fact, the "original" Chesley Burnett Sullenberger grew up in Morristown.

There's more.

Sam Sullenberger's son recalls a boyhood encounter with the now-famous US Airways pilot.

"In 1954, Dad and I flew in an air race to California," said Blake Sullenberger, 62, who lives in Sequoyah Hills. "We spent one night in Denison, Texas, at the home of his cousin, Chesley. He was a dentist.

"I was 8 at the time. They had a son who was about 3. That would have been Chesley III.

"I don't remember much about him, though," Blake said with a chuckle, "except that he was running all around the house."

Blake's sisters, Mary Sullenberger Grainger of Huntsville, Ala., and Priscilla Sullenberger Millard of Maryville, added to the story after consulting the family tree.

One of their ancestors was Samuel Jacob Sullenberger, who lived in Morristown in the late 1800s. He had four sons: Dan, Charles, John and Chesley.

"John was our grandfather," said Grainger. "Chesley was Chesley III's grandfather."

Grainger said she doesn't know when Chesley Sullenberger moved to Texas. She has tried to contact Chesley III but hasn't heard a reply. Which isn't surprising, given the whirlwind of activities enveloping his life in recent days.

Blake Sullenberger says he's going to wait awhile before trying to reach his long-lost relative.

"He's got more e-mails now than he could ever read," he said. "I'll try to contact him in a few months."

According to media accounts, Chesley III went to high school in Denison, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a military fighter pilot.

He has flown commercially since 1980, has his own safety consulting company in Danville, Calif., and has assisted in a number of investigations for the National Transportation Safety Board. Both Presidents Bush and Obama have praised his skillful demeanor for preventing a catastrophe when Flight 1549 became disabled shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia.

Sam Sullenberger's crash in 1955 was a solo affair. But the circumstances around it are the stuff of legend.

A seasoned aviator who was known as the "flying country doctor," he went aloft Nov. 2 for an afternoon of viewing fall foliage in the Smokies. Thirty minutes into the journey, the engine of his Piper Cub abruptly lost power. To make matters worse, he caught a sudden downdraft.

As Sullenberger described in a News Sentinel interview, he put the plane down in the safest place he could immediately find - a grove of saplings near the base of Mount Guyot, elevation 6,621 feet.

The tactic worked.

The cushioning effect of the small trees softened the impact, although the plane was demolished and Sullenberger was knocked out. He regained consciousness some time later and managed to clamor 30 feet down the nearest tree to the ground.

He waited at the crash site for two days.

During that time, he was mauled by a black bear that had been attracted by sardines he was eating. The bear swiped at him, opening a gash in his abdomen. He didn't get treatment until after he was rescued and taken to his own hospital, the Sullenberger Clinic in Dandridge.

Sullenberger was unable to attract the attention of Civil Air Patrol pilots crisscrossing the area. So he decided to hike out. He followed Big Creek downstream to the ranger station, a distance of about 15 miles.

Despite his travails, Sullenberger maintained his sense of humor. According to a News Sentinel story from Nov. 6, 1955, he knocked at the door of the station and was greeted by the ranger's wife. She didn't recognize him at first.

"My goodness, you have a terrible cut!" she exclaimed.

"Oh," he replied with a shrug, "I've had a plane crash."

Much like his cousin's calm order to "brace for impact" in a New York river more than half a century later.