All I Wanted Was to Talk to My Family, and Get Some Dry Socks

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Even though we had a successful outcome, it's human nature to wonder about the what-ifs. The second-guessing was much more frequent, and intense, in the first few days at night, when I couldn't sleep. It was hard to shut my brain off and get back to sleep. Sometimes I didn't, I couldn't. It was part of the posttraumatic stress that we have all felt, that each of the crew members has reported to each other.

It's funny—for the first two weeks after the accident, Jeff kept telling me, "I just want my old life back." But the other day he finally said for the first time, "You know, this is OK. I'm learning to like this. This is good." I think he's coming to terms with what's happened. He realizes that he's entitled to the attention. That he can still be true to himself. That accepting it isn't selling out.

Besides the outpouring of support from the passengers, the most touching sentiments I have received have been from other pilots. They tell me that because of the years of economic difficulties faced by the airline industry and its employees and the decreased respect for the profession, they have not felt proud to go to work—some of them for decades. Now, they tell me, they do. And they thank me for that. They thank us, the crew, because we've reminded people what all of us do every day, what's really at stake. They feel like they've regained some of the respect they'd lost.

What's next? I will return to flying for my airline—when I'm ready. I'm not sure when that will be. Probably a few months. I still haven't had many nights at home. My family and I are trying hard to remain true to ourselves and not let this change us, but there's a steep learning curve. The trajectory of our lives has changed forever. And we're determined to make good come out of this in every way that we can.

Capt. Sullenberger and his crew saved all 155 lives aboard US Airways Flight 1549.

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Posted By: St. Paul @ 11/27/2009 5:02:19 AM

Scully, you write well and the world enjoys seeing the world from your perspective and organized mind.
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Posted By: NWyliejones @ 02/23/2009 2:54:40 AM

Dear Scully, "Fame and tranquility are two things that can't live under the same roof." Michel de Montaigne This quote doesn't apply to you because of how you became famous. Not for acting. dancing, hitting homeruns, winning the lottery, etc. You helped save 155 people's lives and showed humility about it. We don't see a lot of bravery and even less humility on TV. Professor Barry Schwartz spoke this month at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference at Long Beach about morality and doing the right thing in 2009. He suggested that people look for, and point to, what he called , Moral Exemplars; he said we should celebrate them. You are certainly one for teachers to use in class for what a real man should be; they would see your bravery , but need a teacher to point out your humility.
Thank you captain for helping make the world a better place. "We can never have too many heroes." N. Wylie Jones
p.s. Write a book about Flight1549 for middle and high school students to inspire them to love and respect life; kids want to be heroes (I was a teacher for as long as you've been flying; I would have liked to have had such a book to use. I just wrote a series of books I would have liked to have had in my class. www.knowords.com.
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Posted By: NWyliejones @ 02/23/2009 2:07:09 AM

Dear Captain "Sully": I once read that ,"fame and tranquility are two things that can't live under the same roof." I hope in your case, thiis isn't true. You deserve to be happy and relaxed. I can't imagine what it would feel like to make millions of people on this planet happy. I haven't heard one negative thing about you or what you did. That's incredible in 2009. This month professor Barry Schwartz spoke at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference at Long Beach about morality and doing the right thing. One of his suggestions was to look for Moral Exemplers, moral heroes, to inspire us. When you're interviewed on TV, your skills as a pilot can't be seen when you interact with the reporters, crew, and passengers; what jumps out of the TV screen is your kindness, empathy, humility, and a sense of humor. You've made all pilots proud to be pilots; you've shown macho men how to be a real man. Loving your wife, being nice to your kids, and treating people with respect is being a Moral Exemplar. I hope you'll write a book about Flight 1549 that will inspire people to be better people. N. Wylie Jones Richmond, Virginia p.s. We need all the heroes we can get.