Hero pilot to speak at airport festivities

Sullenberger is known for “Miracle on the Hudson”

An aeronautical hero will help Centennial Airport celebrate its 50th birthday this spring.

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is the pilot who saved the lives of 155 people in 2009 when he safely ditched an US Airways jet in the Hudson River after its engines failed, an event now remembered as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” He will speak at an airport anniversary event on May 25 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center hotel, 4900 S. Syracuse St.

Individual tickets to the event, scheduled from 11

“Sully” a.m. to 2 p.m., are going for $250. Table sponsorships begin at $3,000.

Sullenberger will discuss his credo, “leadership by personal example,” and the life lessons that prepared him for his fateful flight, the airport said in a news release.

The event is part of a year-long celebration for Centennial Airport. Founded in 1968, the facility on the Arapahoe-Douglas County border is now the second busiest general aviation airport in the U.S., reporting more than 340,000 takeoffs and landings each year.

Proceeds from the Sullenberger event will go to the Centennial Airport Foundation, a nonprofit that since 2005 has raised more than $140,000 for aviation and aerospace scholarships in Colorado.

“While we certainly want this event to be a fitting tribute to our 50th year, it is not so much about us, but more about the Centennial Airport Foundation, and expanding its ability to financially support more local STEM education programs, particularly those focused on aviation and aerospace,” Centennial Airport CEO Robert Olislagers said in the news release.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting bit.ly/SULLYmedia. For more information, email events@centenniairport.com.