Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
July 4th 2010 01:59
Original Creative Writing:
Capt. Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow
Link: www.harpercollins.com.au
HIGHEST DUTY
My Search for What Really Matters
Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger
with Jeffrey Zaslow
On January 15 2009, Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger had less than three minutes to plan and execute the stunning water landing hailed around the world as 'the miracle on the Hudson'. But in Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters Sully reveals how he'd spent his entire life preparing for those fateful minutes in the cockpit of US Airways Flight 1549, when his actions would mean life or death for 155 people.
While Flight 1549 has made Capt. Sullenberger one of the most famous pilots since Charles Lindbergh, this quiet, intensely private man has remained largely a mystery until now. In Highest Duty, Sullenberger looks at his life, from growing up in rural Denison, Texas, to flying fighter jets in the US Air Force to ascending the ranks as a commercial pilot exploring the people and experiences that have shaped him personally and professionally.
Though he insists he's not a hero, Sully is undeniably an inspiration who has lived according to a code based on integrity, courage, discipline, passion and humanity that transcends occupation.
Sully, who knew from the age of five that he wanted to be a pilot, writes about the exhilaration of his first solo flight at age 16, fondly remembering the taciturn crop-dusting pilot who taught him to fly. He candidly describes his father, a complicated and sometimes troubled man, who nevertheless taught his son by example about devotion to family and pride in hard work.
Capt. Sullenberger explains how he forged an unwavering commitment to excellence in the Air Force. Though he was never in combat, the flying was risky and demanding. He saw fellow pilots die during training missions and had close calls himself; vivid lessons on the dire consequences of making a mistake in flight.
On the personal side, he opens up about the challenges of his 20-year marriage, including infertility. While he writes lovingly about his wife and their two adopted daughters, he admits his career choice has taken a toll on family life. To pursue his passion for flying, he's sacrificed many precious days at home.
Highest Duty also puts readers in the cockpit of Flight 1549, and details for the first time exactly what he was doing, thinking and feeling in the harrowing minutes between the thud of birds striking the plane to the jolt of the aircraft hitting water. He takes us through the evacuation of the plane, the dramatic rescue of passengers shivering on the wings of the sinking plane, and his agonising wait for word that all 155 people on board were accounted for and safe.
Written with humility and insight, Highest Duty offers an intimate understanding of the man behind one of the most amazing events in the history of aviation. Sully's example reminds us that cultivating seemingly ordinary virtues can prepare us to commit extraordinary acts.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Capt. Chesley Sullenberger has been flying for more than 42 years, having taken his first solo flight on a rural Texas airstrip at age 16. After graduating from the US Air Force Academy and Purdue University, he trained as a fighter jet pilot and flew the F-4 for seven years. He left the Air Force and began working at Pacific Southwest Airlines (which later became US Airways) in 1980 as a check airman, training and evaluating pilots. He also was an accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Association. He was promoted to captain in 1988. He is the founder of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. (SRM), an aviation safety and performance consulting firm. Sullenberger lives in Danville, California, with his wife, Lorrie, and their two daughters.
Jeffrey Zaslow is a Wall Street Journal columnist and, with Randy Pausch, co-author of the international bestseller The Last Lecture, now translated into 46 languages. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship. Jeff lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex and Eden.
Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
by Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow
ARP: $32.99; trade paperback
ISBN: 9780061960772
Published: November 2009
Imprint: William Morrow
My Search for What Really Matters
Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger
with Jeffrey Zaslow
On January 15 2009, Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger had less than three minutes to plan and execute the stunning water landing hailed around the world as 'the miracle on the Hudson'. But in Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters Sully reveals how he'd spent his entire life preparing for those fateful minutes in the cockpit of US Airways Flight 1549, when his actions would mean life or death for 155 people.
Though he insists he's not a hero, Sully is undeniably an inspiration who has lived according to a code based on integrity, courage, discipline, passion and humanity that transcends occupation.
Sully, who knew from the age of five that he wanted to be a pilot, writes about the exhilaration of his first solo flight at age 16, fondly remembering the taciturn crop-dusting pilot who taught him to fly. He candidly describes his father, a complicated and sometimes troubled man, who nevertheless taught his son by example about devotion to family and pride in hard work.
Capt. Sullenberger explains how he forged an unwavering commitment to excellence in the Air Force. Though he was never in combat, the flying was risky and demanding. He saw fellow pilots die during training missions and had close calls himself; vivid lessons on the dire consequences of making a mistake in flight.
On the personal side, he opens up about the challenges of his 20-year marriage, including infertility. While he writes lovingly about his wife and their two adopted daughters, he admits his career choice has taken a toll on family life. To pursue his passion for flying, he's sacrificed many precious days at home.
Highest Duty also puts readers in the cockpit of Flight 1549, and details for the first time exactly what he was doing, thinking and feeling in the harrowing minutes between the thud of birds striking the plane to the jolt of the aircraft hitting water. He takes us through the evacuation of the plane, the dramatic rescue of passengers shivering on the wings of the sinking plane, and his agonising wait for word that all 155 people on board were accounted for and safe.
Written with humility and insight, Highest Duty offers an intimate understanding of the man behind one of the most amazing events in the history of aviation. Sully's example reminds us that cultivating seemingly ordinary virtues can prepare us to commit extraordinary acts.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Capt. Chesley Sullenberger has been flying for more than 42 years, having taken his first solo flight on a rural Texas airstrip at age 16. After graduating from the US Air Force Academy and Purdue University, he trained as a fighter jet pilot and flew the F-4 for seven years. He left the Air Force and began working at Pacific Southwest Airlines (which later became US Airways) in 1980 as a check airman, training and evaluating pilots. He also was an accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Association. He was promoted to captain in 1988. He is the founder of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. (SRM), an aviation safety and performance consulting firm. Sullenberger lives in Danville, California, with his wife, Lorrie, and their two daughters.
Jeffrey Zaslow is a Wall Street Journal columnist and, with Randy Pausch, co-author of the international bestseller The Last Lecture, now translated into 46 languages. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship. Jeff lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex and Eden.
Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
by Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow
ARP: $32.99; trade paperback
ISBN: 9780061960772
Published: November 2009
Imprint: William Morrow
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David Jobling
