[Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters] [By: Sullenberger III, Captain Chesley B] [May, 2010]

by Chesley B. Sullenberger III

Now a major motion picture from Clint Eastwood, starring Tom Hanks—the inspirational autobiography by one of the most captivating American heroes of our time, Capt. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger—the pilot who miraculously landed a crippled US Airways Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew.

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director / producer Clint Eastwood and stars Tom Hanks, Laura Linney and Aaron Eckhart.

Sully's story is one of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through his life, in his military service, and in his work as an airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of conflict, tragedy and uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for—that life's challenges can be met if we're ready for them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Aviation, History, Autobiography, Audiobook

Paperback

First published October 13, 2009

About the author

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American airline transport pilot (ATP), safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California,who successfully carried out the emergency ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, offshore from Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009, thus saving the lives of the 155 people on the aircraft. He is an international speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. As of September 30, 2009, Sullenberger is also the co-chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger has written (with the help of Jeffrey Zaslow) a very readable memoir that details not only the specifics of his memorable Hudson River landing of flight 1549, but a very convincing explanation of how he was able to get it done.


Captain Sullenberger - image from Time Magazine

The book’s subtitle is “My Search for What Really Matters,” and while what Sullenberger reports may be aeronautical, it ain’t rocket science. It was a combination of his own talent as a pilot and thousands of hours piloting aircraft, years and years of studying airplane systems to understand what caused problems in the past, studying all the features of every plane he flew to understand what manuals could teach and what automated systems could and could not do, and an ability to rely on his knowledge and training to remain calm and focused in this life-threatening emergency. In other words he did all the prep, all the grunt work one needs to do in order to best perform his job. He did not cut corners in his routines. He dotted his “i”s and crossed his “t”s.

His headline event might have been a disastrous one in the hands of a less experienced pilot. Yet, hiring less experienced pilots is one of the many ways that modern airlines are trying to save money. Sullenberger points out many of the changes that have taken place in the industry and seeing those changes through his eyes is one of the best reasons to read this book.

Sully is a gracious man and makes a considerable effort to let be known how much of a team effort was involved in his watery landing. He repeatedly mentions the names of the members of his flight crew, particularly his co-pilot. And he reports on the attention he received after the event with a heavy dose of humility and self-deprecation. He does not, for example, regard himself as a hero, seeing heroes as people who choose to perform dangerous acts to save others, while the danger he encountered was thrust upon him.

His life story is somewhat interesting in that it shows the steps along his career that got him to where he is today, the opportunities he was afforded, the successes he had, his passion for flying since childhood, his ongoing effort to doing the best job possible, what they call at job interviews a “commitment to excellence.” You will learn a bit about life in the Air Force Academy as well.

What really matters, what Sully represents is the benefit to us all of the millions of people who go about their unheralded jobs every day doing the right thing, taking care of the details they need to take care of, making sure their tasks, their jobs are done right. In a world notable for sloppiness, laziness, corner-cutting and corruption, whether in the highest levels of government, the centers of finance, in corporate boardrooms, or workshop floors, it is uplifting to see someone who has dedicated himself to the highest principles of honesty, integrity and safety be recognized for his values and his efforts. Sully provides an inspiring role model for all who strive to do the right thing all the time.

Review first posted 2009

Me on social

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting this very humble man, and was glad to have the opportunity to thank him for sharing his story, of what it was like to "live through" an airline incident, as the person behind the throttles.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF Page 139. The book's beginning was very good. He talks about his family and the values he learned from his parents and grandparents. But after this, there are small texts like a patchwork that tells a lot about air force's technical details and history; and his wife, kids, and coworkers.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popsugar Challenge 2021 - A book from your TBR list that you meant to read last year but didn't

This has sat on my kindle since 2017 and I barely even remember buying it. Or even why I brought it.  Am glad I finally decided to pick this one up as I really enjoyed it.

This is a non fiction memoir about the flight that landed in the Hudson. I didn't know ANYTHING about flight 1549 so this was all new information for me and I was really engrossed. This is extremely readable, informative and I felt inspired for life reading it.

Until a few back I never minded flying, but after a flight from KUL - DXB which experienced extreme turbulence that had us bouncing out of our seats, I'm not an easy flier. This book was such an insight to behind the scenes into pilot life and while I think ill always be an uneasy flier now, picturing a cool, calm and collected pilot like Sully in my mind will hopefully ease my fears.

There's some really shocking information here regarding the pilots having to take their own lunches and not being paid for delayed take offs even though its outside their control. The slice of a pilots life view that you get in this book really opened my eyes to the industry.

As a big Tom Hanks fan I will make sure that I watch the film adaptation.

While I was never really aware of the threat birds pose to flights, I was also never aware of how much control a pilot has. I have to admit that I brought into the perception that pilots came from families with money and they basically just sat in a cockpit while the flight was fully automated. I feel reassured that's not the case and ill try not to let those evil birds add to my flight anxieties! :)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable story, told in a humble, no nonsense way. It reinforced my belief, ordinary people, living a life of preparation, may do extraordinary things.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For a pilot, LaGuardia, is a more challenging environment than the average airport. The volume of traffic in the New York area makes it a complicated airspace, with so many planes vying for slots to take off and land. There are three major airports in close proximity---JFK, Newark and LaGuardia--pluse smaller facilities such as Westchester County Airport in White Plains and Teterboro in New Jersey."

All this just adds to the challenge of a normal takeoff, but Flight 1549 was not about to have a normal takeoff.

Sullenberger: "I was reminded of how we felt in that momemnt. It was if the bottom were falling out of our world. Even in the safety of that office at the NTSB,, it was disturbing for us to hear again the rundown of the engines, and to know we had been in the cockpit of that aircraft when that was occurring...Listening to the tape...I realized that everything really happened in 208 extraordiary time-compressed seconds. Frankly, it was beyond belief."

If you want to experience those seconds, go see the Clint Eastwood/Tom Hanks adaptation of this book. If you really want to get to know the man, "Sully" Sullenberger; get to understand how his life prepared him for those seconds; and, understand what it means to be a commercial pilot in our current deregulated world; read this book.

My thanks to my friend Will Byrnes for steering me in this direction. His review, as usual, is well worth reading.

Whatever Jeff Zaslow contributed to this autobiography he did not destroy the authentic voice that comes through each and every page. While chapters alternate between those directly relevant to flight 1549 and those that take us from a small place in rural Texas to the Air Force Academy, flying fighter jets in the Air Force and decades as a commercial pilot for a variety of carries as the industry consolidated. Sully says that he knew when he was a little kid that flying planes was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He had a supportive family that helped him become a licensed pilot well-before his 18th birthday.

What comes through is Sully's dedication to safety from the start. This includes his willingness to spend extra time in the mountains of written material and manuals that cover each aspect of every type of aircraft that he was expected to fly.

This kind of dedication defines a personality type. Sully isn't circumspect when he describes how his personality can be both an asset and a point of friction. Even his wife, who signed on for the long haul knowing this, would point out that when he came back from 4 days away he couldn't just ease into the family routine.

So, without giving much further away, let me say that I was very impressed with the comprehensive portrait provided by Sully and glad that I didn't miss the opportunity to get to know this man so much better than in the news reports.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the extraordinary brave feat successfully achieved by pilot Sully was so big when it happened and a great movie was successfully made to honour this brave man... I personally found this book about his life in general and the incident when his plane came down in the river Hudson in particular... rather dry and heavy going. I'm sure there will be many others though, especially pilots who will really enjoy the book.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride! Sully Sullenberger’s life and experiences that prepared him to do the right thing at the right time, landing US Air 1549 on the Hudson River and saving all 155 souls aboard, is an exercise in diligence, integrity, and introspection. Sully is a cerebral guy, and you get to hear every thought he didn’t have time to think in the 208 seconds between getting hit by birds and landing in the water. I feel as if I’ve had a peek into the life of a pilot. There is a lot to learn here.
***
I read a new edition of the book, titled Sully that was published a few weeks ago and is not yet on Goodreads.

[AMEERA · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is great & describes Captain Sully Sullenburger's life more than his heroic successful landing of US Airway flight 1549 into the cold NY Hudson River on January 15, 2009 when birds destroyed both engines after takeoff. LaGuardia or Newark airports were not alternatives with no engines. He "glided" into the Hudson & saved everyone.

It describes his life & the commercial airlines. Orville Wright's first flight was in 1903, 106 years before Flight 1549 & people expect no flight accidents. 37,000 people die in car accidents a year, 700 a week that would shut down all airports. Similar water landing flights were, September's 1944 in Virginia's James River & October's 1956 near Hawaii.

Sully was 58 years old on flight 1549 with 42 years flying experience. He started when 16 in Texas, taught by L.T.Cook in a 2-seater plane, first solo flight June 1967 using grass runways. Had dreams of flying jets in nearby Perrin Air Force base. Graduated the Air Force academy in 1973, named "Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship". In 1975, competed in Nevada's "Red Flag" air-to-air war games between Air Force, Marines, Navy & Great Britain's Royal Air Force, held 3 or 4 times per year, for "deficiencies" in Vietnam. In 1980, after Vietnam & Air Force budgets cuts, he was hired by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) $200 per week.

After Sept 11, 2001's disaster (9/11) of the 4 hijacked airplane attacks on the US, customer fear to travel, resulted in sales & salary cutbacks. Airlines cut maintenance cost & reduced sale prices to attract customers. PSA & US Airways merged & pensions stopped 2004. US Airline Pilots walk in airports with impressive suits, but the book says pay is hourly for flying time only. 9 hours scheduled to rest between flights, sometimes only 6 hours to rest & red-eyed flights, if busy. Some pilots in smaller airports paid as low as $16,000 per year, veteran level pilots not taking the jobs.

Pilots miss families flying 18+ days a month. Sully met Lorrie & married late in life, June 1989 (38 years old). He misses wife Lorrie, adopted daughters Kate & Kelly, and on all major holidays.

Rotten Tomatoes link to movie

[Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

เวลาพูดถึงไฟล์ท 1549 คนมักจะนึกถึงเหตุการณ์ที่เครื่องบินชนนกทำให้ครื่องยนตร์ดับทั้งสองข้าง และสามารถแลนด์บนแม่น้ำฮัดสันได้อย่างปลอดภัย ผู้โดยสารและลูกเรือกว่าร้อยห้าสิบคนรอดชีวิตมาได้ราวปาฏิหาริย์ แต่ในหนังสือเล่มนี้ไม่ได้มีแค่นั้น ลุงกัปตันซัลลี่บอกไว้ตั้งแต่ต้นเลยว่าถ้าอยากเข้าใจเที่ยวบินวันนั้น ต้องฟังเรื่องราวชีวิตของกัปตันทั้งหมด ไม่ว่าจะเป็นตั้งแต่สมัยวัยรุ่นที่เริ่มบิน เข้าร่วมกองทัพ ชีวิตครอบครัว และการที่กัปตันเป็นผู้เชี่ยวชาญด้าน Aviation Safety ฯลฯ ประสบการณ์ที่ผ่านมาทั้งชีวิตล้วนเป็นส่วนที่หล่อหลอม และนำไปสู่การตัดสินใจที่ถูกต้องในวันนั้น เรามักถูกคนอื่นตัดสินด้วยเวลาเพียงไม่กี่วินาทีโดยที่ไม่ได้มุมมองด้านอื่นเลย

เราเป็นแฟนคลับกัปตันแกมาตั้งแต่ดูหนังเมื่อหลายปีก่อน แต่พอได้มาอ่านหนังสือยิ่งได้แรงบันดาลใจให้อยากเป็นลูกเรือและคนที่ดีขึ้น อยากใส่ใจรายละเอียด มี Situational Awareness เพื่อให้ทุกเที่ยวบินปลอดภัย (ไม่รู้ว่าเอาเข้าจริง จะทำได้รึเปล่านะ 555) ภูมิใจที่เพื่อนร่วมอาชีพปฏิบัติหน้าที่ได้ดีตามที่ได้รับการฝึกฝนมา ลบภาพที่ว่าแอร์เป็นแค่เด็กเสิร์ฟบนเครื่องบิน เราอาจจะอินเป็นพิเศษเพราะเรื่องราวมันเชื่อมโยงขึ้นตัวเองได้ง่าย แต่เราว่าสำหรับนักอ่านทั่วไปก็มีประโยชน์มากเช่นกัน ทำให้เราอยากจะช่วยเหลือคนอื่น ไม่เป็นแค่คนคอยยืนดูที่ต่างคิดว่าเดี๋ยวก็มีคนมาช่วย แต่สุดท้ายไม่มีใครทำอะไรเลย (bystander effect) อยากสร้างสิ่งดีๆให้เกิดขึ้นบนโลกใบนี้

อีกสิ่งหนึ่งที่โดนใจคือที่กัปตันบอกว่า สายการบินจ้างพนักงานเพราะคาดหวังให้เราใช้วิจารณญาณ (judgement) แต่พอถึงเวลาประเมินกลับดูจากความสามารถในการทำตามกฎ แต่ชีวิตจริงไม่มี checklist procedure ต่างๆเนี่ยมันมีเหตุผลเบื้องหลัง ซึ่งเราก็ควรทำความเข้าใจว่ากฎนั้นๆถูกเขียนมาเพื่ออะไร ใช้ในสถานการณ์แบบไหน เพราะบางครั้งระบบมันไม่เพอร์เฟ็ค เราก็ต้องใช้ judgement เพื่อ improvise กันไป ไม่ใช่ทำตามกฎกันเป็นบ้าเป็นหลัง

[Kym Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For pilots, general awareness becomes part of the territory."

There are certain events that we can't forget. Captain Chesley Sullenberger recalls in detail the eerie moments that led to that remarkable, heartstopping emergency landing on January 15, 2009, as he glided U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. One hundred fifty-five passengers and crew members survived on that memorable day.

While it sometimes reads a little boring, this book is a recollection of something few people would probably live to tell. Sully has a rather dry sense of humor, making certain parts of it even funnier. His entire life's experiences led him to safely land that plane on the Hudson River. Yet, some alarming revelations within the airline industry can be incredibly disturbing for passengers.

According to Sully:

When things are going well, success can hide inefficiencies and deficiencies, and so it takes constant vigilance. Cutbacks (many unbeknownst to passengers) in the airline industry have created minimal requirements, such as cutbacks in hiring experienced, well-trained pilots and making them first officers. Repairs and maintenance of airplanes are being outsourced by airlines, questioning the reliability of necessary repairs. Every choice those in the airline industry make, based solely on cost, has ramifications and should be evaluated carefully. An airline accident is almost always the end result of a causal chain of events. Too much risk equals a bad outcome. Historically, Safety advances in aviation often have been purchased with blood.

A flight crew must be diligent on every front, and on every flight. Judgment can be affected by circumstances. The worst air tragedies have led to the most important changes in design, training, regulations, or airline practices.

"In so many areas of life, you need to be a long-term optimist but a short-term realist." -Sully

On a more personal note, he was emotionally candid about their infertility issues after he and Lorrie got married. They tried IVF, but that didn't work. Then they opted for adoption. Kate was the first. Kelly was the second. "Gratitude," he said. Sully talks about overcoming his handicaps when it comes down to his formal relationship with his daughters. He credits his wife Lorrie for her close bond with their children, which comes a lot as a result of his absence from his job as an airline pilot.

As he described the seconds he and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles were in the air on Flight 1549, he spotted the flock of birds about a football field away, flying in V-formation, and headed straight towards them. He barely blinked, and in an instant, they were upon them. Studies show that 4% of bird strikes resulted in substantial damage to aircraft. This bird strike was dire, entering and damaging the engines within 8 seconds of the bird strike. Sully went through each second of the details when he was communicating with Patrick, the air traffic controller, during their emergency in the air.

Aviate - Navigate - Communicate

As Sully closed out the book, he reminisced about how painful his father's death from suicide affected their whole family. They were shocked and angry. But the death of his mother from cancer not long afterward is also why Sully highly values life. He is more committed to preserving life. That is clearly evident in the final seconds that ticked when he made this emergency landing on the Hudson River.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

On January 15, 2009, I was at my house, watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I stopped it in the middle, not because I didn't like it, but because, due to being raised on sitcoms and other half-hour television programs, I often have to watch movies, especially longer ones, in more than one sitting. When I turned off my DVD player, a shocking scene was on our local CBS affiliate: an airplane that had gone down into the Hudson River. Miraculously, everyone survived...which made me very happy, especially after 9/11. Later on, Captain Sullenberger, known as Sully to his family and friends, became a national hero...and for good reason; saving all those lives is much more admirable than getting paid insane amounts of money to toss around a ball or "sing" Top Forty garbage.

While I've never seen the movie--I know! What kind of entertainment lover am I?--this book was an excellent portrait of the man behind the Miracle on the Hudson. Sully had his share of struggles, as we all do...but, that makes him all the more heroic. Not since reading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s autobiography/memoirs have I been this inspired by the story of a non-Biblical real-life figure.

That said, some profanity was present here...which may disturb discerning readers.

[Bobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have profound respect and admiration for Captain Sullenberger. Because of his lifetime of hard work and dedication, his clear thinking and his respect for life, a tragedy was averted that day on the Hudson.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people when they see this book will probably think that it is only about the now famous "Miracle on the Hudson" airplane accident that captivated the nation in Jan. 2009. But it is actually a lot more than that. Mr. Sullenberger, with the aid of Mr. Zaslow, have written a fine autobiography about his life, the love of flying he has had since he was a young boy, and the values and life experiences that prepared him for this one-in-a-billion emergency. As Mr. Sullenberger admits, he is just an average guy and the writing bears that out. It is simple and direct, with great emphasis put on the pressures put on pilots both inside and outside the cockpit. People may get emotional about the things he writes about, like his family and the other stories of passengers and other airline accidents, but that is probably due to the subject being written about rather than the writing style itself. Really, the value of this book is in reading how average people, like Mr. Sullenberger, can rise to meet extraordinary challenges. Knowing that he can do it through dedication and teamwork reminds us all that we can overcome our own "engines out" crisis in our lives.

[Consuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author makes the case that his miraculous landing of the disabled plane on the Hudson last January was a culmination of a life lived paying attention to what he was doing (especially flying) and carefully following the rules. I enjoyed reading about his passion for flying starting at age 5 and how he began lessons at age 16. It's wonderful to read about someone who is so focussed that he never had any doubt about his direction in life. His time at the Air Force Academy and his later training to fly fighter jets was very interesting. He never saw military combat, but I had no idea that training to fly fighter jets was so dangerous -- a number of his colleagues were killed in accidents. The last chapter is riveting -- the actual landing of the plane on the Hudson. I also didn't realize that the whole process -- from the engines becoming disabled due to the birds, to the actual landing was a mere 4 minutes or so. He and his First Officer were remarkable in their single-mindedness to shut out everything extraneous and make the right decisions. I vow to now pay attention to the flight attendants when they go through the safety features before the flight begins!

[Li'l Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent book! An education in history, humanity, and humility for sure. But this is not just a thrilling story about a plane crash. No. I am left with an overall sense of..... a kind of peace? A warm feeling around my heart? Yes. But the grace in which Sully lived, and lives still, and his love of flying.... It's a very unexpectedly different, but fantastic, book then I thought it would be. You simply MUST READ THIS BOOK! I will be forever changed, gratefully so, because Sully, The Crew, and the passengers who were aboard flight 1549, chose to share their experience with the world. The ripple effect is both astounding and inspirational. I'm happy I'm yet another soul who has been touched by this story.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting enough guy with an interesting enough life (eventually) caught in an extraordinary situation. It was all a bit self-professed and preachy - love my family, love my job, love my country - for me to enjoy it more. Nearly gave up halfway through when the "miracle on the Hudson" was still no more than a passing mention. I can see how this would be more appealling if I was American.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this is like sitting down and hearing some anecdotes from the author, not quite enough for a full biography. Liked the emphasis on preparation and doing the job right; the later chapters were far better than the earlier ones. Wanted to read this before seeing the upcoming film.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I imagine most people have heard about the jet that was forced to land in the Hudson River in January of 2009 { wow was it that long ago?} Chesley B. Sullengerger was the pilot of that jet. He instantly became famous after that historic landing. He wrote a memoir later that year. Not only does he devote a few chapters to the six minute flight where the jet hit a bunch of large birds and was forced to land in the Hudson river. He also shares about the rest of his life. Growing up in Texas. Joining the Air Force and flying fighter planes for years. Coming back and becoming a pilot on commercial airlines. Marrying his wife and adopting his two daughter. The months after the Jet landing that made him famous. This book was written later the same year. I was glad to read Sully Sullengberger's memoir and learn more about this amazing man.

[Elisabeth (Bets)]

Sully
By Chesley B. Sullenberger
Genre: Memoir/nonfiction

Rating: I don’t like to rate memoirs so there’s no rating here.

Do I recommend it? Yes!

This was a wonderful book telling the story of Captain Sully’s life and all the moments that led up to him being able to make that incredible crash landing in the Hudson River. I highly recommend this book but if you have a shorter attention span then you might be better off watching the movie.

This book read a lot like listening to a grandpa tell you his story. And it was wonderful.

It did start getting a little long and boring but then my dad watched the movie with us and it gave me motivation to finish the book and see what happened directly from Captain Sully’s perspective.

I listened to a tiny bit of the audiobook and it was a decent audiobook as well.

And the movie was great!

Content:

Language- 1/5 *
Violence- 0/5
Sexual- 0/5

*A few uses of the word sh*t. I think just around the cockpit recording because First Officer Skiles said when they were about to crash. Nothing vile tho and I would say the book was clean.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the story of a hero. Sullenberger does not call himself a hero. Nor does his wife. His actions were not voluntary. He did not run into a burning building to save someone.

He reacted to circumstances for which he was over-trained and over-experienced. A pilot with regular training, who had not had Air Force training on jets, 40 years of experience flying, years of study of what went wrong in airplane disasters as well as how to prevent them, and military training and discipline, would not have been able to land this plane safely. Nor would he have been expected to.

There is no time to train for a disaster when it is happening. Sullenberger spent a lifetime that prepared him for an event that he never imagined would ever occur. But when this disaster was upon him, he reacted without thinking.

Some of the success, though, was not a result of training or experience. If the Hudson River had been choppy and a wing had caught under the water, there would probably have been no survivors.

Beyond this, though, his lifetime value of people and understanding of personal relationships were revealed. He did not have time to think when people gave credit to him for landing the plane with no loss of life. He lives his life as a part of a team... he knew that the actions of his First Officer and the 3 flight attendants were all necessary to this story... and he refused for anyone to give him the glory alone.

How many of us, if invited personally to the Presidential Inaugural Ball by the President Elect would have said "only on the condition that all 5 team members attend with their families... all or none." In a world where the actor gets the Academy Award or the CEO gets the credit, there are few people who would be so loyal to their team. They would accept the social protocol of one representative for the entire team.

Some people may think this book is too long, but his personal background is necessary to understand how his life experiences produced the character and ability required to land this plane.

It is an inspiring story... but Sullenberger summarizes his life correctly... he was a success in his life before this incident, and he is no more a success now. He has always lived giving priority to what is important in life... honor, service, relationships, honesty, appreciation, determination, optimism, etc.

That is a message to all of us. We do not finish reading this book thinking that we cannot do anything important with our lives because we have not had those circumstances. Instead, we read this book realizing that everything we do, every day, is an opportunity to live our lives so that they count... each one of us has his own "Highest Duty".

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chesley Sullenberger, pilot of the U.S. Airways plane that was forced to ditch in the Hudson River, writes movingly about his passion for flying and the life experiences that contributed to his skill in "landing" that plane. His small town upbringing, the values and moral principles that his family instilled in him, skills taught by his first flight instructor, his education at the Air Force Academy, and work as a fighter pilot all gave him the ability to confidently make that fateful decision. This humble and self effacing man gives the reader an appreciation for the airline industry and the dedication shown by employees and their commitment to passenger safety. Interweaving personal stories about his family enables Sullenberger to relate an account that is more than just what happened in the skies over New York. It provides lessons we can all learn from.

I read the recorded version of this book, and was surprised when the last few chapters were read by Sullenberger himself. This was an added bonus!

I would recommend this book to high school students as well as adults. A very good read!

[April Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having not seen the film adaptation, I wanted to read Sully's account of landing his plane on the Hudson, along with finding out more about him as an individual. The writing in the book does tend to skip around and circle back to different topics. I was a bit disappointed that after describing the events leading up to and during the landing of his plane, he did not go into any great detail about the investigation that was done following; instead mainly addressing the cockpit conversation. Overall the book was an interesting read and shows a pilot who is humble and with good values, that made a tough decision in taking the best course of action in order to save lives.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this autobiography is as heavy handed as its subtitle, and I'd normally rate it three stars, but it gets an extra star because its Sully, dammit, and even though he's a bit of a dork, he landed that plane like a steely-eyed motherfucker just doing some shit that needed to get done. I cried gallons, even more than when I watched the Tom Hanks movie last fall.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book having loved the movie and wanted to find out more.
Like most autobiographies the events that the person your intreated in doesn't occur until the second half of the novel, so it was fascinating to learn more about Sully's career which also included many aviation statics.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! How he's explaining what he does, his thoughts, his life up to this incident. People may not think to much of pilots and that but they do an amazing job day in day out without them we couldn't get anywhere

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

While I was always fascinated by the story of the Hudson river plane landing, it was a pleasure to read this biography and to get a better understanding of all the happening! Very catchy, couldn't stop reading!

[menna hafez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved both the book and the movie specially that Tom Hanks is the Actor

[Kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. 5.5 stars. Man, I ate this book up. It was put together so well with tons of details. It's just a story about the crash into the Hudson, but when you dig deep it was so much more than that one event. Many lives were prepared and foreordained for January 15, 2009 and for so many reasons. It's amazing how this story gave hope to thousands at a time when there was nothing but despair and uncertainty for our country. This was like a fairy-tale disaster. Sully was the perfect person to have this had happen and I think it was for a reason. I don't know how he had such a level head during it all. The flight attendants and crew did so well under pressure with the chaos that was happening. I have new respect for the whole flight crew. I didn't realize how well they get trained. Their performance is commendable. I love it. It kinda reminded me of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

But it surprises me that pilots don't make much of money and need side jobs. Plus being away from family a ton really takes a toll on marriages, similarly to being in the military. I hate the airline industry. They seem to treat their employees like crap as well as restrict them more each day. All the while, jack up prices for us Commoners so the board and CEOs can sit on their Thrones on High. (I'm particularly furious with the industry right now because I've been looking for a flight to AZ for the past several weeks and prices have done nothing but go up. They know they got us right where they want us.)


Parts that I loved/enjoyed.

-He flew a plane as a teenager and had so much exposure to flying. I wonder what things today would be equivalent to flying an airplane in the 60's with so much freedom and less regulations. Would it be internet or phones? Will those get restricted like flight is today?

-How he had great parents, especially a handyman dad. What a solid guy. Your classic Greatest Generation era man among men. Although that ending about him was shocking.

-How people flew in their Sunday's best in the olden days.

-How him and his wife dress up before dates. Although the way he talks about their "differences" makes it seem like he's venting or using it for relationship counseling. His wife wants him to change certain things but does she ever want to change stuff for him or should he be the one that always bends? That's what irritates me about couples. It's typically the wife wants the husband to change and that's that. Why can't it be both?

-I drive once a week by that Como Motel that he would stay at with his family as a kid. I love going by and visiting story places, whether fiction or non-fiction.

-How much thought process and brain power that happens all in the space of a minute, especially during crisis.

-How emotional Patrick the hanger controller guy got. He was so perfect at his job. Probably underpaid too.

-How this event touched so many lives. I didn't realize he was so famous afterwards with all the press attention and everything it's wild. Being announced at the Superbowl? That was when the Cardinals were in it and I was actually watching it. The only thing I remember from this event was a plane crashed into the Hudson and it was on the news for a few days. Other than that I didn't give anymore attention to it.

-How the last chapter was done in Sully's voice. Nice touch at the end.


Quotes and other notable gems.

"An acorn just needs a little bit of bullbeep to grow into an oak."

"Either you manage the situation or the situation manages you."

"Confidence is knowing you've done all the preparation."

His daughter, Kate, is all confident. Some lucky guy will get to have her one day. Which got me thinking: We ought to think about our actions that we're doing on a day to day basis. How will they lead us in the future? How could today's activities and what we do with our time prepare us for a life changing event such as this one in the Hudson River? What events could we ensure that we come off conqueror? Which ones would make us fall to our knees? Which ones would steam roll right over us? And not just traumatic ones like this plane crash, either. I know we can't predict the future but we can certainly prepare for it. If we can have the foresight of "seeing beyond," how can we better prepare ourselves for impending doom, consciously or subconsciously? For example: wrecking your car tomorrow, losing a child to Death, not getting that job promotion, passing that liter on the ground without picking it up. What is something that could happen in your life that would cause your faith in whatever you believe in to be shaken to the very core because you weren't doing necessary steps to take care of yourself? How would you prepare for that now? Perhaps there was a traumatic event that occurred in your life already that left you devastated and had you prepared beforehand like Sully did with his flight training, you would have not lost a single soul so to speak during the process. I think it's an important lesson to be honest and responsible with ourselves. If you're a Nietzsche lover I think this goes against his teachings so forget about that and look at this fresh point of view. It may cause you to avoid and overcome needless suffering in life.


Other interesting stuff.

I didn't know that you can adopt and meet with the babies parents before it's born? So there are parents that know in advance they are going to put their kid up for adoption and can talk to the adopted parents? And these aren't druggy or teenage pregnancies?

I want to read a memoir of an astronaut.

These flight horror stories that he shares are wild. 1989 seems like a bad time for flights. How can the experts tell what happened in the wreck if the plane is destroyed? That just baffles me.

Carol, the girl he first took on a plane ride, reminds me of Ashley. I was hoping that she would end up as his future wife.

Haha Obama called 90 minutes after cool George Bush called Sully. Nice try Obama, you almost had that one.

I'm so glad I read this before watching the film. Time to go find it now.

I still want to fly airplanes after reading this.