His name may not be immediately recognisable to South Africans, but Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger must be one of the most famous aviators since the Red Baron. However, instead of shooting down Snoopy in his doghouse, he was piloting a civilian Airbus 320 in mid-winter in 2009 when, fewer than three minutes out of New York, the airliner struck a flight of Canada geese and was disabled.In an unprecedented feat of flying, Sully landed the plane successfully on the Hudson River and all 155 passengers and crew were rescued.This was heroism and acumen on a colossal scale — the aircraft could well have shattered as it struck the water had the captain not relied on his intense knowledge of piloting and what Hemingway called grace under pressure. He became — and remains — a true American hero. Books and advertisements followed; his fame will grow farther now that Eastwood has taken on a crisp biopic that the 86-year-old director was born to make.Eastwood’s great films (for me, Unforgi...
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