60 Minutes

60 Minutes – In Sully Sullenberger’s Own Words!

Tonight on CBS 60 Minutes, Captain Sullenberger (Sully) personally told his story to Katie Courac.  Here are some of his unforgettable comments from the interview:

“When the birds hit the plane and the engines shut down it was the most sick and disbelieving feeling I have ever had.”

“I never imagined that a plane crash, with me as the pilot, would be the way my career would end.”

“We were descending rapidly to the water.  It was coming up at us FAST.  I knew I had to immediately solve this problem.  I have been asked if I was praying.  My focus was so intent on the landing that someone else would have to do the praying.”

“Once the birds hit the plane, we were in the water within 3 ½ minutes.  We went from trying to go back to La Guardia, then to New Jersey, and then the only alternative was the Hudson River.  The training took over for the water landing.  Touchdown level, with the nose up, decent rate that was survivable,  touch down with enough speed to not have a crash landing.”

“We are constantly trained to land in water.  If possible, land near boats so you have a chance of being rescued.  ‘Brace for impact’, was the announcement I immediately made when it was evident we were going in the Hudson River.  Then the flight attendants were also instructing all the passengers to BRACE…BRACE, HEADS DOWN.  It was very comforting to know that he had a competent crew.”  He was asked if, during those 3 ½ minutes, if he knew he could actually land the plane.  He immediately said, “YES! I was sure I could!”

“My entire flying career has unfolded in a manner that prepared me for that one moment.”  As I said on Fox News  the day after the landing…Sully was the right guy, with the right experience, at the right time in history.

After the landing, Sully turned to his co-pilot and said, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”  Sully was asked if he felt a sense of relief now that they were in the Hudson River?  Sully said,  “NOT AT ALL!  I still had 155 passengers to get off the plane safely.”

And that is exactly what he did!  When it was confirmed to him that all 155 people were safe and accounted for, he said,  “It was as if the weight of the universe was lifted off of my shoulders knowing everyone was safe.”

There was a reunion with some of the passengers and their families this past weekend in North Carolina with Sully and the crew.  Here are some of their thoughts about the event that changed all of their lives.

More than one woman said,  “Thank you for not making me a widow.”   And, “I have a three year old child that will now have a father.”   And, “Thank you for saving my life.”  A passenger in First Class froze for a moment after the landing.  Then he remembered that he had a young niece – the daughter of his brother who was killed in the World Trade Center.  He said, “My family would not survive another loss of a child, so I knew I had to get out of the plane and survive.”

Sully has been asked how he is embracing the name HERO.  He said, “I don’t feel comfortable embracing that name.  But, I don’t want to deny it either.  Something has captured the imagination of the country.  People want good news, and this is one of those moments of non-stop good news.”  He also told the passengers at their reunion, “We will be joined together for the rest of our lives because of this event.”

His favorite card out of the thousands that have been sent to him the past three weeks read, “To save a life is to save a world.  Bless you Captain Sully.”

60 Minutes

Sully Sullenberger – The World Is Embracing Him As Their Hero!

It was amazing to see how Europe wants a hero, too.  Sully Sullenberger has been adopted as the one they need right now.

We just returned from a trip to Europe attending the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference in Paris.  Sully Sullenberger was the talk of the town wherever we went.

Many of you know that Sully is a dear friend and a neighbor of ours in the San Francisco Bay Area – Danville. You also have been following the whirlwind attention that has come to him because of the “Miracle On The Hudson”.  Sully was the right person, at the right time in history, with the right skills. His 35+ years as a jet pilot and as a glider training pilot was the perfect stuff for the first forced landing in water that had NO fatalities.

And, Sully is a very reluctant hero. While we were at the Paris Conference the town of Danville had a welcome home parade  for Sully and his family. Thousands of people were there to thank him. His entire speech was two sentences long thanking his community members for the honor they were giving him. So, this Sunday you will see him on 60 Minutes.  On Monday, he will be receiving the key to New York City from Mayor Bloomberg.  And he will be on the David Lettermen Show in the next few days. He is so humble and understated that the hero mantle does not fit well with his style. However, we need a hero today, given all of the bad stuff that is going on in our world.

Sully is carefully allowing the hero title to be added to his name. He and the US Air crew were honored at the start of the Super Bowl. In speaking with Sully and his family, the book and movie deals presented to them are overwhelming. His job opportunities with international news corporations, and the interest in his corporate safety company are beyond overwhelming.

The day we were leaving for London was the day after the crash.  I had been at the Sullenberger’s home the night of the crash and eventually spoke with the world news organizations waiting outside their home.  Because of that moment I was called the next day by Fox News  for three different interviews that day, with my last interview  being just an hour before we left for the airport to London. 

During our two+ weeks in Europe, everyone wanted to know about Sully. They were so excited about the opportunity to have a world hero, not just for the USA. We gathered newspapers and magazines from five European countries to add to their scrapbook that is already gigantic. We are so glad that Sully’s wonderful story continues to have the attention of the nation so we can honor a reluctant hero who was just doing his job. What an inspiration for all of us emulate.  Thank you, Sully, from Jim Walberg  and your East Bay fan club!