Chesley Sullenberger was named for the pilot. Chesley Sullenberger Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III (born 23 January 1951) is a retired American airline captain who, on January 15, 2009, landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan after both engines were disabled by a bird strike; all 155 persons aboard survived. Sullenberger is a speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, of the EAA's Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013. Sullenberger retired from US Airways after 30 years as
US Airways Express cities. Upon the completion of US Airways' merger process with American Airlines, US Airways Express was rebranded as American Eagle on October 17, 2015. US Airways Express traced its beginnings to 1967, when Henson Airlines began operating as Allegheny Commuter for Allegheny Airlines, predecessor to US Airways. The initial route was Baltimore-Hagerstown. This is generally credited as the industry's first code-share agreement and the first major airline to use another airline as its commuter partner. Henson Airlines was the major predecessor to today's US Airways Express carrier Piedmont Airlines. Pacific Southwest Airlines and Piedmont Airlines were both major carriers that