'Miracle' pilots return to the skies

NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The two heroic pilots who safely brought down a disabled passenger jet in the Hudson River in New York in January teamed up again Thursday for another flight.

Chesley Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeff Skiles flew a US Airways flight from Charlotte, N.C., to New York's LaGuardia Airport in the morning and returned in the afternoon, this time without incident, the New York Post reported.

The two pilots were at the helm of a Charlotte-bound flight Jan. 15 when a flock of geese hit the engines and shut them down just after takeoff from LaGuardia. They opted to make a water landing on the Hudson River, and all 155 people aboard escaped safely.

Gov. David Paterson dubbed the incident "the Miracle on the Hudson," and Sullenberger attained hero status with the nickname "Sully," Newsday said.

US Airways said Sullenberger was back in regular rotation to fly and would also supervise other pilots as part of its safety management team, the Post said.