I went from living my life anonymously for 58 years to being a public figure known globally in a matter of minutes. Chesley Sullenberger More Quotes by Chesley Sullenberger More Quotes From Chesley Sullenberger Every day we wake up, we have an opportunity to do some good, but there's so much bad that you have to navigate to get to the good. Chesley Sullenberger navigate wake-up opportunity There's simply no substitute for experience in terms of aviation safety. Chesley Sullenberger substitutes aviation safety I think it's become an economic necessity for people to be able to learn and grow throughout their lives, because most people can't get through their entire career with one skill set. We have to keep reinventing ourselves. Chesley Sullenberger careers skills thinking People really are our most important resource, and people who don't realize that and choose not to live that way, choose not to lead that way, are paying a price for that in many of our companies, many of our organizations. Chesley Sullenberger important organization people You know, I think when people are in important positions in big organizations, they often get tied up with the minutia of managing money, managing things. They often forget that people deserve to be led. Chesley Sullenberger organization people thinking One of the things I teach my children is that I have always invested in myself, and I have never stopped learning, never stopped growing. Chesley Sullenberger my-children growing children We have made flying so cheap, I'm afraid we are going to make it cheap at any cost. Chesley Sullenberger cost flying made That's what we're trained to do. Chesley Sullenberger aviation I've missed half or two-thirds of my children's lives. Chesley Sullenberger half two children My message going forward is that I want to remind everyone in the aviation industry - especially those who manage aviation companies and those who regulate aviation - that we owe it to our passengers to keep learning how to do it better. Chesley Sullenberger aviation messages want It's amazing what you can learn to get used to. Chesley Sullenberger used My mother was a first-grade teacher, so I credit her with this lifelong intellectual curiosity I have, and love of reading and learning. Chesley Sullenberger reading mother teacher With the 2001 terror attacks, airline bankruptcies, pension terminations, loss of pay, changes in work rules — we're all working harder and longer than we used to. Chesley Sullenberger terror-attacks loss pay Each generation of pilots hopes that they will leave their profession better off than they found it. Chesley Sullenberger pilots generations found When I testified before Congress after the Hudson River landing, Congressman James Oberstar of Minnesota said, 'Safety begins in the boardroom.' That's as true in medicine as it is in aviation. It always boils down to leadership. Chesley Sullenberger river down medicine leadership After high school in 1969, I was appointed to the Air Force Academy. In '73, I studied for my postgraduate degree and became a USAF pilot in 1974. After my discharge in 1980, I became a commercial pilot and flew my first airline flight at Pacific Southwest Airlines in 1980. Chesley Sullenberger pilot high high-school school Pilots learn to use human skills to communicate information and make decisions collectively, which creates a shared sense of responsibility among the team for better outcomes. Chesley Sullenberger decisions better team responsibility In the bad old days, captains were not good leaders. They didn't build teams; they were arrogant and autocratic. Chesley Sullenberger old bad good old-days Bigger airplanes, with two aisles instead of one, provide a better experience overall, and I think it's more comfortable. Chesley Sullenberger more better think experience Medical professionals are as skilled and as dedicated as any, but they operate within a fragmented system that has not progressed as far as we have in aviation. Chesley Sullenberger far system medical aviation
