PILOT
Chesley Sullenberger
1951 - Today

Chesley Sullenberger
Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951) is an American retired aircraft pilot, diplomat and aviation safety expert. He is best known for his actions as captain of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, when he ditched the plane, landing on the Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a bird strike. All 155 people aboard survived. After the Hudson landing, Sullenberger became an outspoken advocate for aviation safety and helped develop new protocols for flight safety. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Chesley Sullenberger is the 5th most popular pilot (up from 13th in 2019), the 388th most popular biography from United States (up from 1,549th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular American Pilot.
Chesley Sullenberger is most famous for being the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 that was forced to land in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of Chesley Sullenberger by language
Among PILOTS
Among pilots, Chesley Sullenberger ranks 5 out of 71. Before him are Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Roland Garros, and Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen. After him are Sabiha Gökçen, Hanna Reitsch, Adolf Galland, Ernst Udet, Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, Francis Gary Powers, and Ivan Kozhedub.
Most Popular Pilots in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsCharles Lindbergh
1902 - 1974
HPI: 81.92
Rank: 1
Amelia Earhart
1897 - 1937
HPI: 77.69
Rank: 2
Roland Garros
1888 - 1918
HPI: 75.88
Rank: 3
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
1895 - 1945
HPI: 75.46
Rank: 4
Chesley Sullenberger
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.99
Rank: 5
Sabiha Gökçen
1913 - 2001
HPI: 72.98
Rank: 6
Hanna Reitsch
1912 - 1979
HPI: 71.75
Rank: 7
Adolf Galland
1912 - 1996
HPI: 71.11
Rank: 8
Ernst Udet
1896 - 1941
HPI: 70.41
Rank: 9
Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet
1892 - 1984
HPI: 68.73
Rank: 10
Francis Gary Powers
1929 - 1977
HPI: 67.72
Rank: 11
Ivan Kozhedub
1920 - 1991
HPI: 66.25
Rank: 12
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1951, Chesley Sullenberger ranks 9. Before him are Mohamed Morsi, Sting, Phil Collins, Claudio Ranieri, Ilona Staller, and Louis van Gaal. After him are Anatoly Karpov, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Santiago Calatrava, Chris Cooper, Romina Power, and Geoffrey Rush.
Others Born in 1951
Go to all RankingsMohamed Morsi
POLITICIAN
1951 - 2019
HPI: 78.48
Rank: 3
Sting
MUSICIAN
1951 - Present
HPI: 76.75
Rank: 4
Phil Collins
SINGER
1951 - Present
HPI: 76.12
Rank: 5
Claudio Ranieri
COACH
1951 - Present
HPI: 76.00
Rank: 6
Ilona Staller
PORNOGRAPHIC ACTOR
1951 - Present
HPI: 75.95
Rank: 7
Louis van Gaal
COACH
1951 - Present
HPI: 75.85
Rank: 8
Chesley Sullenberger
PILOT
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.99
Rank: 9
Anatoly Karpov
CHESS PLAYER
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.74
Rank: 10
Ayman al-Zawahiri
EXTREMIST
1951 - 2022
HPI: 74.60
Rank: 11
Santiago Calatrava
ARCHITECT
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.12
Rank: 12
Chris Cooper
ACTOR
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.10
Rank: 13
Romina Power
ACTOR
1951 - Present
HPI: 73.66
Rank: 14
Geoffrey Rush
ACTOR
1951 - Present
HPI: 73.35
Rank: 15
In United States
Among people born in United States, Chesley Sullenberger ranks 388 out of 20,380. Before him are William Howard Taft (1857), Linda McMahon (1948), Warren G. Harding (1865), Yonatan Netanyahu (1946), Franklin Pierce (1804), and Lee Miller (1907). After him are Gloria Stuart (1910), Colonel Sanders (1890), Dianne Wiest (1946), J. D. Vance (1984), Robert Wadlow (1918), and Marilyn Manson (1969).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsWilliam Howard Taft
POLITICIAN
1857 - 1930
HPI: 75.07
Rank: 382
Linda McMahon
BUSINESSPERSON
1948 - Present
HPI: 75.06
Rank: 383
Warren G. Harding
POLITICIAN
1865 - 1923
HPI: 75.03
Rank: 384
Yonatan Netanyahu
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1946 - 1976
HPI: 75.02
Rank: 385
Franklin Pierce
POLITICIAN
1804 - 1869
HPI: 75.02
Rank: 386
Lee Miller
JOURNALIST
1907 - 1977
HPI: 75.01
Rank: 387
Chesley Sullenberger
PILOT
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.99
Rank: 388
Gloria Stuart
ACTOR
1910 - 2010
HPI: 74.98
Rank: 389
Colonel Sanders
BUSINESSPERSON
1890 - 1980
HPI: 74.97
Rank: 390
Dianne Wiest
ACTOR
1946 - Present
HPI: 74.96
Rank: 391
J. D. Vance
WRITER
1984 - Present
HPI: 74.96
Rank: 392
Robert Wadlow
CELEBRITY
1918 - 1940
HPI: 74.95
Rank: 393
Marilyn Manson
MUSICIAN
1969 - Present
HPI: 74.95
Rank: 394
Among PILOTS In United States
Among pilots born in United States, Chesley Sullenberger ranks 3. Before him are Charles Lindbergh (1902), and Amelia Earhart (1897). After him are Francis Gary Powers (1929), Chuck Yeager (1923), Joseph Kittinger (1928), Claire Lee Chennault (1890), Jacqueline Cochran (1906), Blanche Stuart Scott (1884), Bessie Coleman (1892), Wally Funk (1939), and Jerrie Cobb (1931).
Charles Lindbergh
1902 - 1974
HPI: 81.92
Rank: 1
Amelia Earhart
1897 - 1937
HPI: 77.69
Rank: 2
Chesley Sullenberger
1951 - Present
HPI: 74.99
Rank: 3
Francis Gary Powers
1929 - 1977
HPI: 67.72
Rank: 4
Chuck Yeager
1923 - 2020
HPI: 65.85
Rank: 5
Joseph Kittinger
1928 - 2022
HPI: 62.79
Rank: 6
Claire Lee Chennault
1890 - 1958
HPI: 61.70
Rank: 7
Jacqueline Cochran
1906 - 1980
HPI: 59.50
Rank: 8
Blanche Stuart Scott
1884 - 1970
HPI: 58.85
Rank: 9
Bessie Coleman
1892 - 1926
HPI: 57.43
Rank: 10
Wally Funk
1939 - Present
HPI: 55.32
Rank: 11
Jerrie Cobb
1931 - 2019
HPI: 54.00
Rank: 12