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 the evening of October 16, as a red-eye flight from San Francisco International Airport back to Philadelphia International Airport. It landed ahead of schedule at 5:52AM EDT, and at that point, the US Airways brand and all operations under its name were officially terminated. Prior to the merger with American Airlines, US Airways had its headquarters in Tempe, Arizona in Greater Phoenix. The nine-story, building was originally occupied by America West Airlines. Jahna Berry of the "Arizona Business Gazette" said in 2005 that the building "is one of the dominant buildings in downtown Tempe". It is located in proximity to