Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger: Brace for Impact
The Captain that used 10,000 hours, desirable disadvantages and right place right time to become a success.
by Austin Anderson | Business Major
Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger, III, known as “Sully”, lived and breathed flying. Sullenberger was captain of flight US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus 320, accumulating 4,765 hours of flight time. Sullenberger and first officers, Jeffrey B. Skiles, along with 150 passengers and 3 flight attendants, took off from LaGuardia airport in New York for Seattle on January 15, 2009. Visibility was 10 miles and clouds broken. With full thrust, Sullenberger, lifted off from runway 4 at 3:24 pm exiting the traffic to the north. Sully, a flight enthusiastic, remarked to Skiles, “What a view of the Hudson today!” (Eustachewich, Lia “NYPost”)
Sullenberger has had a life full of success. Sully joined the Air Force in 1969 and was selected with a dozen other freshmen for the Cadet Glider program and by the end of the year was a flight instructor. A graduate from the Air Force in 1973, he received the “Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship” award, for being the class top flyer. Sullenberger commanded the Red Flag Exercised. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology, he attended Purdue University and received a master’s in Industrial Psychology, and after finishing that he attended University of Northern Colorado, where he received an additional master’s degree in Public Administration. Sullenberger accumulated 40 years of flying and over 20,000 hours in the skies (Sully Sullenberger, “About”).
Sullenberger is a world known name because of his heroic actions for the landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson and saving all passengers on board. Sullenberger exhibits traits from Outliers by author Malcom Gladwell, such as his love for aviation and reaching over 10,000 hours of flying, desirable disadvantages, and being in the right place at the right time.
Sullenberger created model airplanes and aircraft carriers as a child after seeing fighter planes fly over his hometown, which started his itch into aviation (“About”). Sullenberger, at the age of 16 learned how to fly. Sullenberger joined the United States Airforce in 1969 and was one of the dozen pilots picked into the gliding program and by the end of that year was a certified flight instructor. He graduated the Air Force in 1973. He received the Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship Award, which is awarded to the top flyer in the class. Sullenberger served as a fighter pilot for the Air force from 1973 to 1980, flying F-4 phantom II jets that could reach speeds of 1,473 mph(“Chesley Sullenberger”). As a top pilot he was commander for Red Flag Exercises, in which pilots receive advanced aviation combat training (“Chesley Sullenberger”). In 1980, Sullenberger retired from the Air Force and began his career as a commercial pilot for Pacific Southwest Airlines, which later became US Airways (“About”). During Sullenberger’s years as a professional pilot, he was an instructor, as well an Air Line Pilot Association Safety Chairman and Accident Investigator. He also served in multiple Air Force and National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations.
By the end of his career in aviation Sullenberger had reached 20,000 hours of logged flight time. He was a testament to Gladwell’s concept of “achievement is talent plus preparation” (Gladwell 38).
Outliers idea of the 10,000-Hour Rule, was a study by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, who found that, “‘the emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert’” (Gladwell 40). Sullenberger worked his way to 10,000 hours through years of flying. By the end of his career in aviation Sullenberger had reached 20,000 hours of logged flight time. He was a testament to Gladwell’s concept of “achievement is talent plus preparation” (Gladwell 38). Gladwell explains that to reach greatness requires an enormous amount of time. Another example of this kind of greatness can be seen in the Outliers story about the Beatles. The Beatles performed live in Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964 (Hightower, “10,000 Hours”). Gladwell explains that these hours accumulated and shaped their talent. To reach the 10,000 hours you must have passion, sacrifice and hard work. The Beatles didn’t rise to the top overnight; it took years, playing in strip clubs grinding from the bottom to make their name known throughout the world (Gladwell 38). Though flying time is technically just a number, it shows experience, Sullenberger’s life success attributed far more than just his flight time. Sullenberger’s added experience also comes from being involved as a chairman in the Air Line Pilot Association Safety, which provides safety measures for Airline pilots, as well as training and safety in flight. Sullenberger also served on NTSB, which is the National Transportation Safety Board, and is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation (“About”). Sullenberger was a professional in aviation, as well as aviation safety which all influenced his decisions during the accident of Flight 1549.
Sullenberger was faced with desirable disadvantages worse than anyone could imagine when the flight lost both engines at a lower altitude than any jet in history.On Flight 1549, departing from LaGuardia Airport in New York, just moments after takeoff the plane struck a flock of Canadian geese, and began to descend into the frigid waters of the Hudson River. Instantly, Sullenberger’s training kicked in and he quickly notified the ATC broadcasting and emergency of the situation. Sullenberger managed to land the plane perfectly saving all souls on board with only some receiving minor injuries. On January 15, 2009, all households around the world knew his name and heroics.
While most bird strikes leave a few dents in the airplane, it’s rare for bird strikes to completely disable an engine and even more rare for a bird strike to disable both engines (Locker, “Why Birds”)
A bird strike in aviation can be very dangerous, but even more dangerous is attempting to land a plane like that in the water with two disabled engines and most pilots are not trained for that type of situation. Sully being an expert in aviation safety and knowing the plane listened to his instinct and training. While most bird strikes leave a few dents in the airplane, it’s rare for bird strikes to completely disable an engine and even more rare for a bird strike to disable both engines (Locker, “Why Birds”). After the accident the National Transportation Safety Board investigation went on for 15 months, with multiple simulations recreating the incident, to see if there could have been a different way to handle the accident. As a result many speculations occurred during the investigation, including that the plane could have returned to LaGuardia and landed safely. “Schiff, a retired airline pilot who has flown more than 300 different kinds of aircraft, says it’s one thing to recreate flight conditions in a sim. It’s quite another to recreate the timing and stress involved in making real decisions with real consequences” (Paur, “Sullenberger Made”). “Once the birds and the airplane collided and the accident became inevitable, so many things went right,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a statement (Paur, “Sullenberger Made”). After the investigation and accident, Captain Sullenberger was a hero, ranked second in TIME’s Top 100 Most Influential Heroes, and known for the “Miracle on the Hudson” (“About”). He received congratulatory calls from President George W. Bush and President Obama. Sullenberger was honored as a guest for President Barack Obama’s Inauguration and an Academy Award nominated film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Sully, was made (“About”). After retiring he concentrated his time on running a safety consulting business called, Safety Reliability Methods, INC, as well as becoming a speaker and author (“About”).
In Outliers, Gladwell strives to debunk the myth that people are successful because they have made themselves successful, all through time and effort (Tamara, “What are some arguments”). Gladwell argues that we “don’t rise from nothing,” instead, those who rise in power do so because they have benefited from “hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies” that permit them to work and understand the world in ways that others wouldn’t (Tamara, “What are some arguments”).
No one ever wants to be in an airplane accident, but in such a scenario Sullenberger is the best candidate. Sullenberger was in the right place at the right time for all those that were aboard Flight 1549. The Outliers book examines the theory of right place, right time. Gladwell’s first chapter talks about hockey players being born in January or February are more likely to play professional hockey (23). Gladwell also talks about industrial titans who made billions of dollars during the years 1835 and 1839, the list includes Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gold, J.P. Morgan and John Rockefeller, and all of these men came to riches during an economic expansion in our nations history (Gladwell 64). If they were born 50 years later, they would have been prime to the Great Depression. These names show that they were born in the right place at the right time. If they were born earlier they would have missed their deadline, if they were born to late they would have missed the great boom (Gladwell 64). Similar to this situation, Sullenberger was the most qualified to land the plane and handle a situation like that based off his extensive flying experience and being in the right place at the right time. Sullenberger’s whole life led up to this heroic event. Although he didn’t realize it, he was training for this day since joining the Air Force Academy in 1969, and when he was selected to be in the cadets gliding program. On Flight 1549 after the bird strike the first thing pilots are trained in the cadets gliding program is to follow an acronym, ABC, which stand for Airspeed, Best landing site, and Checklist to obtain the best airspeed every plane has a glide scope which is the best speed to cover the most distance (Paur, “Sullenberger Made”). Having been selected in the Gliding program this was his first action in his aviation career and his first step during the emergency. Sullenberger knew what steps to take. Being a member of Air Line Safety committee, he knew how to react in an emergency. Sullenberger’s educational background in psychology also prepped him with the proper skills to stay calm during the disaster, as well as keeping the crew and passengers calm throughout the process. Sullenberger was at the right place at the right time on that day. He could have chosen a different career, but at a young age he chose aviation, he could’ve taken the day off, but instead he was there, all of it for a purpose, to safely land the plane.
Three minutes after the bird strike, at 3:27:33pm, Sullenberger radioed, “Mayday” to air traffic control. Air traffic instructed that all flights stop at LaGuardia and instructed Sullenberger to return to the airport and land back on runway 13. Sullenberger responded, “Negative.” Sullenberger’s quick thinking asked to land at Teterboro Airport which was 7 miles away, was granted permission to land on runway 1, there was a moment of silence. Sullenberger responded with, “We can’t do that… We’re going in the Hudson.” When the aircraft passed 900 feet, Sullenberger announced over the airplane intercom, “Brace for impact” (“Accident Report Detail”). Sullenberger successfully landed the Airbus into the Hudson River saving everyone aboard the plane. A moment in aviation history that would change Sullenberger’s life and the 150 lives on board.
Sullenberger rose to the top of aviation success following Gladwell’s traits of 10,000 hours, desirable disadvantage, and right place, right time. The 7 minutes from departure to ditching the plane in the Hudson changed Sullenberger’s life forever.
WORKS CITED
Hightower, Raymond. “10,000 Hours of Practice.” WisdomGroup, WisdomGroup.2016. https://wisdomgroup.com/blog/10000-hours-of-practice/. Access 9 May 2019.
“About.” Sully Sullenberger, 19 Feb. 2019, www.sullysullenberger.com/about/. Accessed 8 May 2019.
“Accident Report Detail.” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB),www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAR1003.aspx. Accessed 8 May 2019.
Captain Sullenberger’s Moment. CBS. YouTube, YouTube, 9 Feb. 2009,www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pn5alsFbL8. Accessed 9 May 2019.
“Chesley Sullenberger.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 18 Apr. 2019,www.biography.com/personality/chesley-sullenberger. Accessed 9 May 2019.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers.Little, Brown and Company, 2008.
Gladwell, Malcolm, and Malcolm Gladwell. “Complexity and the Ten-Thousand-Hour Rule.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/complexity-and-the-ten-thousand-hour-rule. Accessed 8 May 2019.
John, Allen St. “What Went Right: Revisiting Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger’s Miracle on the Hudson.” Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 23 Jan. 2019, www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a4137/sully-sullenberger-us-air-flight-1549-miracle-hudson/. Accessed 10 May 2019.
Locker, Melissa. “Why Birds Won’t Cause Your Airplane to Crash.” Travel Leisure, www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/what-happens-when-planes-hit-birds. Accessed 11 May 2019.
Paur, Jason. “Sullenberger Made the Right Move, Landing in the Hudson.” Wired, Conde Nast, 4 June 2017, www.wired.com/2010/05/ntsb-makes-recommendations-after-miracle-on-the-hudson-investigation/. Accessed 9 May 2019.
Tamara, K. H. “What are some arguments Malcolm Gladwell makes in Outliers: The Story of Success.” eNotes, 13 Aug. 2015, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-some-arguments-gladwell-makes-outliers-488783. Accessed 10 May 2019.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Austin Anderson, a senior at Bethel University pursuing a Major in business Marketing and seeking a career in aviation to pursue his dream of becoming a jet pilot. Anderson likes to surf the clouds at 30,000 feet, take sunset flights around the twin cities, and fly to remote lakes to go fishing for a fresh walleye dinner to bring home.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
Research, Research and more research. Inquiring taught me that if you think you have enough research, you don’t. Having more research than not enough will make your life 100 times easier and less stressful for writing your paper
Speaking during inquiring class was always an intimidating factor. When coming to class you always knew you would have to say something out loud. Even though it was hard, you had to suck it up and do it because everyone else has to do it and everyone else is feeling the same way you are.
First impressions on Malcolm Gladwell were, “We have to read another book on some guy that knows success?” but that changed after reading Outliers. My perspective changed on success. Seeing all the small and large details that define someones success was very interesting. Plus we had to reference it in our papers so it was a good that I read it.
Book Club taught me that its ok if you were busy and didn’t read, someone in your group did and you could get the information from them. Now this doesn’t mean you could miss a reading every time and rely on your group, no. It means that you better come over prepared for the next book club meeting and take control of the group.
Meeting with a Professor can be intimidating. Meeting with a published writer that can destroy your paper is intimidating because you have only written papers here and there for classes over the years. Professor Winter was there to help out and make me a better writer. He showed me ways to write sentences that I have never heard of. He was a Professional friend that wants me to be successful and take my writing to the next level.
Group Selfies and Team Work showed me that I must come prepared for class having read the assigned reading for “Nebrasketball” by Scott Winter.
Success doesn’t come over night, it comes with hard work, passion and sacrifice.
Naming dogs showed me a whole new perspective on writing by diving in deeper to sentences, making it more descriptive, and creating less boring sentences.
The Success Paper showed me that I was able to conquer a 6 page paper in less than 5 days because I switched my hero.
Captain Sullenberger has an amazing success story. Sully’s moments leading up to flight 1549 were astonishing. He was a glider pilot in the Air Force and during the birdstrike he had to glide the plane into the Hudson River. Sully had a Masters in Psychology which would help him remain calm and keep everyone aboard calm after striking a flock of Canadian geese at 2,800 feet.
(Editor’s note: This paper was written as part of a GES160 Inquiry Seminar class at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn.)
