Since the accident, Captain Sullenberger, 58, a gray-haired man with nearly 30 years of experience at the airline, has become a symbol of stoic calm and courage in the face of an emergency. The transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, also released on Tuesday, showed that Captain Sullenberger had a human side.

This guy is just as cool as a cucumber. He landed a bird-struck plane in the Hudson just 6 months before another plane was downed in the Atlantic.

-janelane