Miracle on Hudson passenger will be Aero Club speaker

Gary Vacin

A Phoenix woman who survived the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight in 2009 will be guest speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Monday, November 20, at the Sun Lakes Country Club. The session starts with coffee and fellowship at 6:30 p.m., followed by the presentation at 7:00 p.m. The public is invited.

Tracey Wolske will relate her experiences as a back-seat passenger in the flight that successfully landed in the Hudson River after both engines failed, following a collision with a flock of birds. The flight left LaGuardia Airport in New York City en route to Charlotte, North Carolina, when it struck a flock of Canada Geese almost immediately after takeoff.

Both engines failed. The plane, an Airbus 320 piloted by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, made a successful forced landing in the Hudson River. Despite the cold weather, all 155 passengers survived.

Wolske said she had no idea the plane had landed in the river. “I thought we had headed back to LaGuardia for a landing there. I was surprised when the water started rising in the cabin.”

Now in its 22nd year, the Sun Lakes Aero Club sponsors programs the third Monday of each month, November through April, at the Sun Lakes Country Club. The programs are open to all Sun Lakes residents and others interested in aviation. More information on the club is available from Cannon Hill at 509-539-7857 or Gary Vacin at 298-7017 or at the club’s website,  www.sunlakesaeroclub.org.