Chesley B. Sullenberger III Books
Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III is an American retired airline captain, safety expert, and author, best known for safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River.
Known for: Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
Books by Chesley B. Sullenberger III
Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
Sully: My Search for What Really Matters is far more than the story of a famous emergency landing. In this memoir, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger reflects on the habits, values, and life experiences that prepared him to guide US Airways Flight 1549 safely onto the Hudson River after a catastrophic bird strike in January 2009. What emerges is not a tale of sudden heroism, but a powerful argument that excellence under pressure is built slowly through discipline, humility, training, and character. The book matters because it reframes a headline-making event as the product of a lifetime of preparation. Sullenberger shows how family values, military rigor, aviation professionalism, and a deep respect for safety all shaped his choices in the cockpit. He also explores the emotional and moral dimensions of leadership: responsibility for others, calm in uncertainty, and integrity after public praise. Sullenberger writes with unusual authority. As a veteran pilot, Air Force-trained aviator, airline captain, and safety advocate, he brings technical credibility and lived wisdom to every page. Co-written with journalist Jeffrey Zaslow, the memoir is both inspiring and deeply practical for anyone interested in leadership, resilience, and what really matters when everything is on the line.
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From Denison to the Sky
Character is formed long before it is tested in public. One of the book’s most important insights is that Sully’s composure on Flight 1549 did not begin in the cockpit; it began in childhood. Growing up in Denison, Texas, he was shaped by a culture that prized honesty, responsibility, modesty, and d...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
Becoming a Pilot Through Military Discipline
Confidence without discipline is dangerous, especially when lives depend on your judgment. In recounting his years at the U.S. Air Force Academy and in military flight training, Sullenberger shows that becoming a pilot meant far more than learning to operate an aircraft. It meant entering a culture ...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
A Civilian Career Built on Safety
Professionalism is most visible in the details people rarely notice. In his airline career, Sullenberger emphasizes that safe outcomes are not created by dramatic acts but by thousands of careful decisions made long before trouble arises. Commercial aviation, at its best, is a culture of vigilance. ...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
Flight 1549 and the Crucial Decision
In moments of crisis, reality moves faster than fear. The most famous section of the memoir recounts the seconds after US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Both engines lost thrust, and the aircraft immediately became something no airline crew ...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
After the Impact, Duty Continued
A crisis does not end when the immediate danger passes. After the aircraft landed on the Hudson, another phase of leadership began: evacuation, accountability, and care for others. Sullenberger describes how, even after the successful ditching, he remained responsible for every person on board. He a...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
Investigation, Scrutiny, and Professional Integrity
True confidence welcomes examination. After Flight 1549, Sullenberger faced not only praise but also formal investigation. In aviation, every major incident is studied in detail, and rightly so. The goal is not to assign simplistic blame but to understand what happened and improve future safety. Sul...
From Sully: My Search for What Really Matters
About Chesley B. Sullenberger III
Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III is an American retired airline captain, safety expert, and author, best known for safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River.
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Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III is an American retired airline captain, safety expert, and author, best known for safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River.
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