Hudson 'miracle' pilot gets applause on Broadway
Escorts Montreal reports: Weeks after starring in his own story of bravery and heroism, the pilot who safely ditched his jetliner in the Hudson River received a standing ovation Saturday from the audience at a Broadway performance of "South Pacific."
At the end of the classic revival, the show's stars introduced Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger as the pilot who set down the disabled plane within reach of rescue boats last month, saving the lives of all 155 people on US Airways Flight 1549.
"It could have been tragic, but it wasn't. It became a miracle," said Kelli O'Hara, who plays the show's lead female character, Nellie Forbush. "We've never been more honored than to perform for you, Captain."
As she spoke, a spotlight was trained on Sullenberger in the audience, and the crowd stood, cheered and applauded. The pilot's wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, began wiping tears from her face.
He hugged her, then turned back to the crowd and waved as the cheers grew still louder.
Many in the audience already had recognized him. Murmurs of "look who's here" had buzzed through the crowd during intermission.
"It was quite exciting just to see this guy who saved so many lives," said David Feldman, who found himself sitting two rows behind the pilot.
"It's so nice to have a hero who's a real hero, instead of movie stars," added Feldman's wife, Ellen Schwartz.
The 58-year-old pilot, his wife and their two daughters went backstage after the show and met the cast of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which tells of the romances and heroics of a group of American aviators, nurses and sailors stationed far from home during World War II.
It was an appropriate choice for Sullenberger, who was named best aviator in his Air Force Academy class and served in the military from 1973 to 1980. He flew F-4 Phantom II fighter planes and served as a flight leader in Europe and the Pacific.
The calm and steadiness with which he handled the Jan. 15 near-disaster — witnesses said he walked the length of the waterlogged plane to make sure everyone got out — could have fit right in with the feats depicted on the Lincoln Center Theater stage. A propeller plane even forms part of the show's set.
Sullenberger and his fellow crew members are in New York as part of a media blitz, including an interview with the pilot that is set to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes." He also is expected to appear Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and CBS's "The Early Show" and to receive a key to the city from Mayor Michael Bloomberg later in the day.
US Airways airplane crashes in Hudson River - Hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger III saves all aboard
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A former fighter pilot was hailed as the Hero of the Hudson Thursday night after he landed a stricken US Airways jet in the river - and made sure everybody got out alive.
Pilot Chesley Sullenberger was still drying off when Mayor Bloomberg sang his praises.
"He did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river" and evacuating the passengers, Bloomberg said of the veteran pilot who lives near San Francisco.
With water seeping into the plane - and all his 150 passengers and four other crew members safe - Sullenberger walked up and down the center aisle twice to make sure nobody was left before he, too, fled the jet, the mayor said.
"He was the last one off the plane," Bloomberg said.
Gov. Paterson also praised the ferry boat operators and rescue workers who rushed over as the plane bobbed in the 40-degree water and plucked the frigid, frightened passengers off the wings.
"We've had a miracle on the Hudson," Paterson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said everybody was accounted for - a group that included at least one baby and a passenger who lost a relative in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Passengers described the scene moments after the plane hit the water as "organized chaos." Yet, there was little panic as they helped each other reach the exit - allowing women and children to go first.
"It's just incredible right now that everybody's still alive," passenger Alberto Panero said.
"It was intense, it was intense," added another passenger, Jeff Kolodjay. "You've got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing."
It was just 20 degrees at the time and shivering survivors were rushed to Roosevelt Hospital and other medical centers to be treated for exposure. Most were expected to be released.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were inspecting the 9-year-old Airbus A320, which was towed to Battery Park City and moored to a bulkhead just north of the World Financial Center.
Sullenberger, a 57-year-old former Air Force fighter pilot and a 29-year veteran of US Airways, told air traffic controllers he hit a flock of geese and that it knocked out both of his engines.
It appeared to be the first time in 45 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water - and every passenger on board made it out alive.
Former Airbus executive George Hamlin said the pilot deserves a big thank you from the city.
"Ditching an aircraft is a significant accomplishment on the part of the pilot, as opposed to crashing one," he said. "There's no place for an airplane of that size to land in Manhattan."
