Hero pilot Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger took to the skies today to pilot his first flight since January's miraculous emergency landing on the Hudson River.
Sullenberger and his co-pilot from US Airways Flight 1549, First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, flew this morning to LaGuardia Airport from Charlotte, N.C., the reverse route they were flying Jan. 15 when the plane hit a flock of geese just after takeoff. All 155 people on board survived the emergency landing on the Hudson.
US Airways Flight 1050 left Charlotte holding 68 passengers at 7:55 a.m. today and landed smoothly at LaGuardia at 9:31 a.m. The plane did not cross paths with any geese this time.
Passengers cheered and burst into applause when Sullenberger was introduced over the intercom, according to the Daily News, which had a reporter on board the NYC-bound leg of this morning's flight.
"I was overwhelmed when I found out it was him," Don Lambert, 61, of Fort Mill, S.C., told the Associated Press. "You feel like you have the best pilot in the world fixing to fly you to New York."
Sullenberger's return to the cockpit happened earlier than US Airways originally announced. The airline told reporters his first flight was to be the return trip from New York to Charlotte this afternoon.
US Airways spokesman Jonathan Freed said they gave out the misinformation about LaGuardia being Sully's point of departure in order to focus the attention onto same N.C.-bound route Sullenberger and Skiles were flying when they made their historic landing, the AP reported.
"It's the one that they're emotionally attached to," Freed said.
