'Miracle on the Hudson' Pilot Retires

The heroic pilot who made world headlines when he crash landed safely on the Hudson River last year has flown his final commercial flight.

US Airways Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, 59, took early retirement on Wednesday after flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Charlotte, North Carolina.

His final flight was met at Charlotte by fire engines shooting arches of water over the taxiway — a tradition for retiring captains.

On January 15 last year, on US Airways Flight 1549, Captain Sullenberger hit a flock of geese and made an emergency landing in the Hudson soon after take-off from LaGuardia airport, saving all 155 people aboard.

The so-called "Miracle on the Hudson" buoyed American spirits at a time of economic recession.
Captain Sullenberger, a former US fighter pilot and aviation safety instructor, has written a book entitled Highest Duty, and he plans to write a second book and to continue speaking about flight safety.

Mike Cleary, president of USAPA said, "Sully has always been a pilot's pilot and a fine example of a professional aviator. 
"He has also done a remarkable job of focusing the American public's attention on the need for well-trained and experienced pilots at the controls of commercial aircraft.

"Sully's final flight reminds us all that another veteran pilot is leaving the skies - and an experienced, well-trained pilot is the single most important component of safety on any aircraft.

"Congress, airline companies and the flying public should demand that the next generation of expert aviators have incentives to do the hard work to take the place of Sully and the many others nearing retirement age - and not to further tarnish this once-proud profession."

"It was the investments made in years past that helped attract the Captain Sullenbergers to the airline pilot profession," said Cleary.