The reviews are in for Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the improbably-named pilot who landed his 169,000-pound airplane in the Hudson River on Thursday, then strolled the aisle to check for stragglers before stepping off himself.
The reviews are not bad.
“That pilot is a stud,” said one police source. “After the crash, he was sitting there in the ferry terminal, wearing his hat, sipping his coffee and acting like nothing happened.”
“He looked absolutely immaculate,” [one] rescuer said. “He looked like David Niven in an airplane uniform. He looked unruffled. His uniform was sharp. You could see him walking down the aisles making sure everybody got out — a very cool customer.”
Although flanked by worshipping cops, firefighters and city officials after the crash, Sullenberger remained detached and low-key.
“That guy is one cool customer,” said the police source. “He was a rock star. He had saved everybody and was behaving like it was just another day at the office.”