'Miracle on the Hudson' pilot at EAA

OSHKOSH - The walk across the tarmac may feel routine for Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, but for the young people at his side, it was an uplifting opportunity.

"I am so psyched I woke up to a text message from my dad and he's like oh by the way I booked you a flight and I'm just freaking out," aspiring pilot Hannah Hightower said.

Sullenberger gained fame when he guided a US Airways Jet onto the Hudson River. His decisions saved 150 passengers that day and changed his life forever.

"Oh just a bit," Sullenberger said with a chuckle. "I mean instantly and completely in almost everyway, but we've learned a new way of living our lives and it's been the source of many wonderful opportunities."

Including, serving as co-chair of the EAA Young Eagles. The program spreads the word about opportunities in aviation, by getting kids age 8-17 up in the air.

"To have real adventures in real life, not just electronic adventure," Sullenberger explained.

From an early age, he says wings were all he ever wanted.

"By age five I knew I wanted to spend my life flying airplanes and people saw that potential in me and helped me achieve it," Sullenberger said.

Something he's trying to do for others with the Young Eagles, even it they don't know his story.

"When we were walking over he said dad is this guy an expert pilot would you say?" Jason Vaske said of his son Kyle. "I chuckled because I really didn't know how to explain that."

While Sullnberger is more famous than most pilots, he is one of many volunteers who help the Young Eagles run. It's taken more than 1.5 million young people flying since 1992.

"If you've ever read his book he said before I've been planning and preparing for this my entire life," new EAA President Rodney Hightower said.

Sullenberger says his work with the Young Eagles is about the future of aviation.

"It's about inspiring young people to choose this when there are a lot of things they could be doing," he said.

After all, someone needs to fill his shoes.

In his retirement, Sullenberger says he's working on his second book, speaking to groups and doing safety work.