Sully Speaks Up For The Young Eagles Program

You never know who you're going to run into at Oshkosh... and no matter who, its often interesting to spend a few minutes chatting with the folks who make the yearly pilgrimage to Wittman Field. In this case, the person we ran into was more interesting that most... that person being none other than Airbus Seaplane Captain Chesley Sullenberger.

Last year, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, known for their expert handling of their airliner's emergency landing in the Hudson River in January of 2009 took the helm as co-chairmen of the EAA Young Eagles Program.

In an official event last fall, Harrison Ford officially passed the baton after having served for five years as the chairman of this program that uses aviation to inspire and educate youth.

The EAA Young Eagles Program, now in its 18th year, has provided inspirational and educational first-flight experiences to some 1.5 million youths, thanks to the volunteer efforts of 42,000 EAA member pilots and countless supporters.

In addition to Ford, previous EAA Young Eagles Program chairs were: Oscar-winning actor and avid pilot Cliff Robertson (1992-1993); and aviation legend Chuck Yeager (1994-2003).

FMI: www.youngeagles.org, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews