How did Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger go from the Air Force to the Miracle on the Hudson?

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot who spent 30 years as an airline pilot, saved all 155 people aboard US Airways Flight 1549 by landing on the Hudson River, and then became an author, safety advocate and U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

In the military

U.S. Air Force Academy, class of 1973 (graduated with a B.S.; recognized as outstanding cadet in airmanship). After a master’s degree at Purdue and Air Force pilot training, flew the F-4 Phantom II as a fighter pilot with the 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, and the 428th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; served as a Blue Force mission commander in Red Flag exercises. Left active duty in 1980 as a captain.

The transition

• Left the Air Force in 1980 and joined Pacific Southwest Airlines the same year; PSA was absorbed into what became US Airways in 1988.
• Built a second specialty in safety inside the airline: instructor, Air Line Pilots Association safety chairman and accident investigator.
• Founded his consulting firm Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. in 2007.
• Nearly 29 years into his airline career, on Jan 15, 2009, landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike took out both engines; all 155 people aboard survived.
• Testified to Congress in February 2009 that his pay had been cut 40% and his pension terminated, and that he had taken a second job as a consultant.
• Retired from US Airways in March 2010 after 30 years, and in 2016 said he had ‘just traded that one profession for several others’.
• Hired by CBS News as aviation and safety expert in May 2011.

What came next

• Landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson on Jan 15, 2009 with all 155 people aboard surviving.
• Memoir Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters (2009, with Jeffrey Zaslow) was a New York Times bestseller; also wrote Making a Difference (2012).
• Story became the 2016 Clint Eastwood film Sully, starring Tom Hanks.
• U.S. Representative (ambassador) to the International Civil Aviation Organization: nominated June 2021, confirmed by the Senate Dec 2, 2021, served Feb 3 to July 1, 2022.
• Over 20,000 flight hours; honors include Time 100 (2009), France’s Legion of Honour (Officer) and the key to New York City.

In Sullenberger’s own words

“It’s the most demanding and the most meaningful and the most satisfying, best flying I’ve ever done.” (On flying fighters in the Air Force)

“The kind of discipline and diligence, that professional attitude people learn when they’re in the military service and do those kinds of things, is what was really important.” (On what military service gave him)

“I think it’s critically important to always keep in mind why we should do what we do and for whom.” (Talk to Airmen at Travis Air Force Base)

“Having your life under a microscope to that extent, for that period of time and having to live with that uncertainty for that long is difficult. But I understood it was necessary and valuable.” (On the long investigation after Flight 1549)

“I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. On January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a sudden, large withdrawal.” (Interview with Katie Couric)

“I think anyone who has been a military aviator brings to the table a certain discipline, a certain diligence.” (Interview with Carl von Wodtke)

Lessons for your own transition

• Experience compounds: Sully describes his whole Air Force and airline career as ‘small, regular deposits’ that paid off in 208 seconds. 30 years of service is a bank balance, not a sunk cost.
• Bring the military’s habits with you: he credits the discipline, diligence and honest debriefing culture of military flying for how he performed as a civilian.
• Retirement can be a pivot, not a stop: after leaving the airline he became an author, safety consultant, TV analyst and ambassador, ‘trading one profession for several others’.

More veterans who made the leap

See them all, and practical steps for leaving after a long career: How do I transition from the military to civilian work after 30 years?.