Century Gretta
NEW YORK — Hero pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and the crew of Flight 1549 were given keys to the city from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The City Hall ceremony Monday caped off a weekend of adulation and interviews. Sullenberger ditched his jetliner in the Hudson River when a flock of birds disabled his engines.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers we thank you for saving so many lives and sparing our city and so many families from tragedy," said Bloomberg, calling them real American heros. "You reminded us we can do anything if we put our minds to it."
Click here for photos.
Click here for all the tapes and transcripts released by the FAA.
Bloomberg told the crew, that day "could have been one of our most tragic, but became one of our most triumphant."
Sullenberger told reporters the rescue wouldn't have been possible without the rest of his crew.
"Much of this in the least three weeks has been about one person and I want to correct the record — this was a crew effort," said Sullenberger. "Our crew of five and the first responders as well as the cooperation of the passengers made this possible."
Bloomberg said the incident reminded passengers that flight crews "are true professionals and not just there to serve drinks and snacks — they are there to keep us safe."
The crew was also given dinner and tickets to the Broadway show Chicago.
Earlier, Sullenberger made the rounds of morning television news shows.
He told the "Early Show" on CBS that he felt there was too much attention on him, and "not enough on the team."
On ABC's "Good Morning America," some passengers thanked him for saving their lives. Others said there was no panic because of Sullenberger's calming voice.
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Video * 'We're Gonna Be in the Hudson' * Dramatic US Airways Rescue Caught on Tape * New Video Surfaces * Jet Downed in Hudson River * Passenger Describes Escape * Passengers Prepped for Crash Landing * US Airways Talks About Crash * Eyewitness Describes Crash * NYC Mayor Praises Pilot * Freezing Conditions * River Rescue * Rescuing Passengers From the River * Passenger Describes Crash Landing
Photo Essays * US Airways Crashes Into Hudson River
Links * Flight 1549 Tapes and Transcripts
On CBS' "60 Minutes," he described lying awake at nights second-guessing his performance — even though his skillful flying saved the lives of everyone on board.
Click here to watch a video of US Airways Flight 1549 making emergency landing.
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Captain Chesley Sullenberger throws out first pitchby QueensCrapper9,225 views
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