The pilot who successfully landed a US Airways plane in the Hudson River in New York on Thursday is America’s newest celebrity. His renown has just begun, but Chesley Sullenberger will have lasting fame online.
Each second that passes brings hundreds of new fans on his freshly minted Facebook page. In mid-afternoon, the online shrine to the airplane captain had more than 33,000 fans.
At his current collection rate, Sullenberger soon might unseat Facebook’s most popular celebrities, fictional or real: Homer Simpson holds the lead with more than 2.2 million fans; Michael Phelps is second with 1.8 million.
The pilot’s Facebook page displays a simulation of the flight path Sullenberger took before his extraordinary water landing, links to the latest news stories about the incident and, of course, the widely circulated photo of the white-haired pilot in his captain’s uniform.
Fans of the 57-year-old pilot are nothing short of fanatical: “just a hero??? NO … you are an Angel!!!” reads one of the more than 2,000 messages on the page. Others proclaim him a “stud,” a “true hero” and ask how they can request him as their pilot the next time they fly.
Sullenberger’s stardom has spread to the US Airways Facebook page as well. What was once a quiet message board for travelers’ questions and comments has been transformed into a Sullenberger tribute.
By Friday morning, fans extended their admiration: A Facebook page was created for Jeffrey Skiles, the “Hudson Miracle Co-Pilot.”
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