Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger climbed back in his beloved pilot’s chair Thursday morning, flying his first planeload of passengers since January’s miraculous Hudson splashdown.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Sullenberger,” he said, and then had to wait for a huge wave of excited applause to die down.
The Daily News was the only news organization with a reporter aboard Sully’s first flight: the 7:55 a.m. US Airways flight from Charlotte, N.C., to New York City.

“It’s a beautiful day for flying. We expect nice weather – smooth flying all the way,” the captain said, as passengers grinned at each other.

The flight had 68 passengers on board, with at least a dozen seats open – unlike the overbooked return flight from LaGuardia to Charlotte, which US Airways had billed as Sully’s first flight.

His trusty co-pilot Jeff Skiles, equally level-headed in a crisis, was by his side.

Flight 1050 landed smoothly at LaGuardia at 9:31 a.m. – four minutes early. No birds were encountered en route.

Asked how he liked landing on tarmac for a change, Sullenberger laughed. “Good. Real good,” he said.

The celeb pilots stopped to chat and shake hands with airport workers jamming the jetway.

“New York has been very good to us,” Sullenberger said. “It’s great to be back.”

Skiles said it was a terrific reunion.

“It was great flying with Sully again. He’s the professional’s professional. All in all, it was a very nice flight. Clear skies. It was beautiful,” Skiles said.

At Gate 15, passengers and employees pressed their noses to the windows to watch the routine touchdown, and applauded when Sullenberger walked into the terminal.

“There is our hero!” someone yelled.

Sexologist Dr. Ruth, who was waiting for a flight, stopped Skiles to say, “I’m glad you’re not retiring, but rewiring.”

One of the passengers on the flight had been booked on the January flight that ended up in the Hudson – but missed it.

“It’s ironic. I was happy to avoid being with him that day, and I’m happy to be with him this time,” said Craig Baldauf, 39, a lawyer for Bank of America who had an aisle seat in row 21.

“He’s a celebrity now. He could have retired. It’s neat he came back.”

At Charlotte’s Douglas Airport, Sullenberger and Skiles walked into the terminal just after 7 a.m., rolling their wheelie bags side by side.

Waiting passengers who had no idea the men who famously saved 155 lives eight months ago would be at the controls were thrilled and proclaimed themselves the safest fliers in America.

Source: New York Daily News

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