2 JUN: America’s so-called ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ airline pilot is taking a job as an aviation safety expert for the CBS TV network.
Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Sullenberger, who became a national hero two years ago when he landed a crippled US Airways jet on New York’s Hudson River without any loss of life, told the New York Post that he wants to keep an eye on the industry where he worked for decades.
"We can’t assume that because aviation has continued to get safer — accidents are relatively rare now — that we’re doing everything right," he told the Post.
"We have to keep actively looking for continuous improvements, looking for systemic deficiencies and fixing them, and not just blaming individuals when there are systemic issues out there."
Recent stories about sleeping air traffic controllers should be a warning for the industry, he said.
If schedules continue to be built for controllers, pilots, mechanics and flight attendants that ignore the body’s need for sleep and recovery time, "then ultimately we’re going to create situations where the system will fail."
Since retiring as an active pilot last year, Mr Sullenberger has kept busy with public speaking, consulting and writing.
