Photo Compliments of Jake Worrell
The U.S. Airways airplane earned its nickname as pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger made a splash landing in New York’s Hudson River after the aircraft lost power when a flock of geese flew into both its engines minutes after take-off from LaGuardia Airport in January 2009. All 155 passengers and crew survived Flight 1549’s emergency landing, which made its pilot a national hero.
The plane has been stored in the J. Supor and Sons’ New Jersey warehouse since being hauled out of the icy river and is destined for the Carolinas Aviation Museum, www.carolinasaviation.org.
Its trek from the warehouse began Saturday, escorted by police with a film crew, attracting crowds of spectators as it makes its way into history.
The aviation museum in Charlotte, N.C., where the plane is to be reassembled over coming months, has scheduled a special event at the site Saturday, with Sullenberger as its guest speaker and other crew expected to attend. The plane’s interior reportedly has been kept intact since its salvage and its wings — where survivors stood awaiting rescue as the aircraft sank slowly — were hauled separately to the North Carolina museum.
Since the emergency landing, the silver-haired Sully has retired from flying and has become a media aviation expert and consultant.
The flight that ended in the Hudson River had been scheduled to take passengers to Charlotte. Its final, over-land route to that city is expected to take most of this week.