The Costco Connection - December 2016

DAV E ALL OC C A/ S TARPI X

Sullenberger told his story in the book Highest Duty (HarperCollins, 2010; no longer available at Costco), which covers everything from his lifelong love of flying to life after Flight 1549, and many character-shaping incidents in between. The book served as the basis for the movie Sully, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Clint Eastwood, which was released in September 2016 and is coming out on DVD on December 20.

Sullenberger retired as a commercial pilot in 2010 and has since had a career as a public speaker while continuing his work as an aviation safety advocate. The Costco Connection recently caught up with the Costco member near his Danville, California, home to discuss seeing himself portrayed on the big screen, his passion for aviation safety, his love of flying and more.

Flight 1549

The Costco Connection: You were initially uncomfortable with the term “hero.” I’ve read that you have finally accepted that title, if not willingly wearing that mantle.

Chesley Sullenberger: Very early on I had to make an intellectual compromise with myself to graciously accept people’s gifts of their gratitude and their putting that label on it. What I thought, and what my wife, Lorrie, thought, was that this situation was thrust upon us. We didn’t choose to rush into a burning building and rescue someone to put ourselves at risk. But I know that people appreciate heroic acts, and I think that there were a lot of people that day who rose to that level— passengers, crew, rescuers, first responders—and I think it’s just natural to celebrate that.

I think the other reason that I initially resisted that label is I think that so many times in our culture

that we overuse that word. And by overusing it, I think, we diminish it. And we shouldn’t cheapen it, because when it’s used appropriately it’s a word that describes the best of what it means to be human.

CC: How have you come to terms with fame?

CS: Initially, with some difficulty. It wasn’t my natural temperament, but it’s amazing what you can learn to do. So I developed the skills to be able to be an effective public speaker, something I really hadn’t done much of before. I will say that I approached this new profession of speaking with the same discipline and diligence I did my flying career. I just worked very hard at it, and I solicited, listened to and acted on brutally honest feedback.

CC: Did January 15, 2009, change the way you feel about fate or reinforce how you feel about preparation?

CS: The way this event happened, in such a public way and during the ’08–’09 financial meltdown, when it seemed as if everything was going wrong and no one could do anything right … I think some people had begun to doubt human nature, wondering if it was mostly about self-interest and greed.

When this group of people who didn’t
even know each other rose to the occasion
and made it their mission in life to see that
every life was saved, I think it was an event
that gave people hope. And that’s how I think
about it. That’s one of the things I really hope
that the film would convey, and I think it
does: the importance of our common human-
ity. And I think that’s what was on display that
day, during that event.

It’s a reminder that when we work together there’s little we cannot accomplish. And that we have an obligation not only to our families but to each other in our society to demonstrate civic duty, to have civic virtues that quite frankly make civilization possible. And so, that’s my worldview. And I think we need more of that, not less.

The movie

CC: How surreal was it to see yourself portrayed by Tom Hanks?

CS: We’ve used the word surreal a lot, and we used it early on to describe the flight itself and the additional worldwide acclaim … the aftermath. Having a film directed by Clint Eastwood, who is trying to tell [the story of your life], is surreal.

And then watching the film for the first time was almost an out-of-body experience. I think they got a lot of it right. They worked very hard to get it right.