NEW YORK — “This is your captain, Chesley Sullenberger.” Passengers on two US Airways flights erupted in cheers when they heard those words from the cockpit Thursday.
“I was overwhelmed when I found out it was him,” said Don Lambert, 61, of Fort Mill, S.C., who flew from Charlotte, N.C., to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. “You feel like you have the best pilot in the world fixing to fly you to New York.”
Sullenberger, who landed a disabled jetliner safely in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, was reunited with co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles for the flights — his official return to flying for US Airways.
“It’s good to be back in New York,” he said at LaGuardia. “And it’s good to be back at work.”
Sullenberger said the gratitude of passengers has been “an extraordinary gift,” and he bestowed the same gift on his colleague.
“You have my eternal gratitude for your skill and your courage,” he said, turning to Skiles.
