Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog - The Air Traffic Management Weblog

In his autobiography, Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger writes about US Air Flight 1549 landing in the Hudson River and what prepared him for that moment. According to Sully, his journey to the Hudson River on January 15th 2009 began on Mr. Cook’s airfield in North Texas where he first learned to fly at the age of sixteen.

Personally, I do not believe in luck. People succeed when preparation and opportunity coincide. In this case, Sully’s preparation began decades ago, but the opportunity came on that cold winter afternoon in New York in 2009. He succeeded in ditching the Airbus A320, keeping it intact, and saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew.

Early, at the age of six, Sully built his first model aircraft. It was a replica of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. Sully read about “Lucky Lindy” and understood that his flight across the Atlantic wasn’t really about luck. He planned, prepared and endured and that made him heroic in Sully’s eyes.

Sully discovered his passion for flying at a young age and indulged it. After leaving high school, he joined the US Air Force and became a fighter pilot. The intense training and focus required to fly fighter jets at high speeds and low altitudes were all part of his preparation. Thirty years as an airline pilot followed the military career.

“A pilot’s pilot” is how Sully is described by his wife. He’s a man of routine and precision, operating in a controlled and regimented way. These are the characteristics of a professional pilot, and his exacting approach would be required in the three minutes he had following the bird strikes.

“Measure twice, cut once” is a principle that Sully learnt from his father. This advice came during his childhood when his father embarked upon his home extension projects with the family members as the construction crew. How is this principle applicable in aviation? It has everything to do with the preservation of safety in this field. It serves as a defense against our natural human tendency to take things for granted. In air traffic control, we characterize it as “never assume, always determine”.

As they have been doing for millions of years before man first stepped on this planet, a flock of birds were flying on a course that would eventually bring them into conflict with US Air Flight 1594. With only two minutes into flight, and one second before the birds were observed, the aircraft struck the Canadian Geese, crippling both engines. The three minutes which ensued would put Sully to the test with limited options over a densely populated metropolis.

“Aviate, navigate, communicate”. Sully stated in his book that those are the three basic rules a pilot should do in an emergency situation. Sully immediately took control of the aircraft from first officer Jeff Skiles, leaving him to handle the emergency checklist. Together they focused on the higher-priority tasks while still accomplishing other lower-priority tasks. Without thrust, Sully had to make the 150,000 pound aircraft an efficient glider. Attempts were made to restart the engine, communication was maintained with ATC and finally when the ditching was inevitable, the passengers were given a carefully worded instruction – “brace for impact”.

In his book, Sully wrote “When I arrived in the cockpit of Flight 1549, I would be aided by the courageous efforts of pilots who had come before me.” Indeed he was. Sully studied and investigated many accidents throughout his career, learning “survival factors” in the process. He tried to understand the full stories behind each of the pilot’s actions, and asked himself if he was there, would he succeed.

So what can be learnt from Sully’s story? Remaining calm, paying attention to details, and analyzing the pitfalls of those who came before us are the ones that stand out in my mind. Sully’s extraordinary story continues to captivate me and is one of those must-read books for all aviation professionals.