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 Group Ohio River valley in 1939. In 1949 the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from airmail to passenger service; it changed its name again to Allegheny Airlines on January 1,1953. In 1979, Allegheny changed its name to USAir, and in February 1997, to US Airways. In August 2002, US Airways Group Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection in an effort to correct its financial problems brought on by rising costs and the post-Sept. 11 drop-off in air travel. On September 12, 2004, US Airways Group and most of its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time