The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 is clearly worthy of being Tony’s Hero.  After a bird strike took out both engines on the Airbus 320 plane Chesley B. Sullenburger III was flying, Captain Sullenburger knew the flight was in trouble and radioed for permission to return to LaGuardia Airport but was instead told to go to New Jersey.  With the condition of his aircraft deteriorating, Sullenburger had to make some tough choices.  In an absolute miracle, he and his crew managed to land the plane safely in the middle of the Hudson River and all 155 passengers and crew survived with few significant injuries.

According to Fox News:

Sullenberger, who has flown for US Airways since 1980, flew F-4 fighter jets with the Air Force in the 1970s. He then served on a board that investigated aircraft accidents and participated later in several National Transportation Safety Board investigations.  He is president of Safety Reliability Methods, a California firm that uses “the ultra-safe world of commercial aviation” as a base for safety consulting in other fields, according to the firm’s Web site.

UPDATE, 1/16/08, 5:30pm - It is now being reported that Mr. Sullenburger has a very large Colorado connection.  He attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from 1969 to 1973 before going on to fly F-4 Phantoms in the Air Force.  Further, he received his masters degree in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado in 1979. 

This former fighter pilot – Chesley B. Sullenburger III – appears to have been responsible for saving the lives of 155 people and for that, he is Tony’s Hero.  He is another extraordinary example of our nation’s veterans contributing in big ways!