SEATTLE, Feb. 22, 2010--The Museum of Flight will welcome Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III to speak at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 8. $10 general admission, $5 Museum members.
As pilot in command of the US Airways Flight 1549 that was dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson," Captain Sullenberger has been hailed as a national hero for his quick thinking and outstanding aviation skills that saved the lives of 155 passengers and crew on January 15, 2009.
On that day, shortly after taking off, Sullenberger reported to air traffic control that the plane had hit a large flock of birds, disabling both engines. After discussing his options with air traffic control and determining that he could neither return to LaGuardia Airport nor attempt to land at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, Sullenberger determined that ditching in the Hudson River was his only option. Telling the passengers to "brace for impact," he piloted the plane to a smooth ditching in the river, where all passengers and crew members were rescued. The last to leave the aircraft, Sullenberger checked the passenger cabin twice to make sure everyone had evacuated before retrieving the plane's maintenance logbook.
A pilot for US Airways and its predecessor, Pacific Southwest Airlines, since 1980, Sullenberger has more than 40 years and 27,000 hours of flying experience, and has run his own safety consulting business since 2007. He has served as an instructor, Air Line Pilots Association safety chairman, accident investigator, and national technical committee member. A 1969 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Sullenberger served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, flying F-4 Phantom IIs. Attaining the rank of captain, he was a member of the official aircraft accident investigation board. Sullenberger was named as one of the 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons by Time magazine, and received the Master's Medal from the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, the Jabara Award for Airmanship from the USAF Academy, and the Key to the City from the City of New York. Image: Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III. Courtesy Sullenberger. |
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### The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn® -- the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing displays 28 World War I and World War II aircraft from the United States and other countries including Germany, Russia, and Japan. Over 30 aircraft representing the first century of aviation are displayed in the all-glass T.A. Wilson Great Gallery. The evolution of space flight and a look into the future are presented in the exhibit, Space: Exploring the New Frontier. The Airpark includes outdoor displays including the first jet Air Force One, a supersonic Concorde airliner and the prototype Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Interactive displays in The Flight Zone provide educational and entertaining activities for young children. The Museum's aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. More than 140,000 students are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs--the most extensive museum-based youth aviation and space education program in the country. The Museum is the only air and space museum in Washington State that is both nationally accredited with the American Association of Museums and a Smithsonian affiliate. The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for active military, $8 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org |
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