Danville's Hero pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and the crew of Flight 1549 are getting keys to the city from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The City Hall ceremony Monday caps off a weekend of adulation and interviews. Sullenberger ditched his jetliner in the Hudson River when a flock of birds disabled his engines.
In the morning, he made the rounds of morning television news shows.
Sullenberger told the "Early Show" on CBS that he felt there was too much attention on him, and "not enough on the team."
On ABC's "Good Morning America," some passengers thanked him for saving their lives. Others said there was no panic because of Sullenberger's calming voice.
On Sunday night's "60 Minutes," he described lying awake at nights second-guessing his performance -- even though his skillful flying saved the lives of everyone on board.
The Sullenberger family took in Broadway show over the weekend and received a standing ovation from the audience following a performance of "South Pacific."
At the end of the classic revival on Saturday, the show's stars introduced Sullenberger as the pilot who set down the disabled plane within reach of rescue boats last month, saving the lives of all 155 people on board.
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"It could have been tragic, but it wasn't. It became a miracle," said Kelli O'Hara, who plays the show's lead female character, Nellie Forbush. "We've never been more honored than to perform for you, Captain."
As she spoke, a spotlight was trained on Sullenberger in the audience, and the crowd stood, cheered and applauded. The pilot's wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, began wiping tears from her face.
He hugged her, then turned back to the crowd and waved as the cheers grew still louder.
Many in the audience already had recognized him. Murmurs of "look who's here" had buzzed through the crowd during intermission.
"It was quite exciting just to see this guy who saved so many lives," said David Feldman, who found himself sitting two rows behind the pilot.
"It's so nice to have a hero who's a real hero, instead of movie stars," added Feldman's wife, Ellen Schwartz.
The 58-year-old pilot, his wife and their two daughters went backstage after the show and met the cast of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which tells of the romances and heroics of a group of American aviators, nurses and sailors stationed far from home during World War II.
It was an appropriate choice for Sullenberger, who was named best aviator in his Air Force Academy class and served in the military from 1973 to 1980. He flew F-4 Phantom II fighter planes and served as a flight leader in Europe and the Pacific.
The calm and steadiness with which he handled the Jan. 15 near-disaster — witnesses said he walked the length of the waterlogged plane to make sure everyone got out — could have fit right in with the feats depicted on the Lincoln Center Theater stage. A propeller plane even forms part of the show's set.
