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3
Achieving Excellence
U.S. Airways Flight 1549 took o from La Guardia Airport in New York
City on January 15, 2009. e plane hit a ock of geese and lost both
engines. Quick thinking and his toolkit of knowledge, skills, and experi-
ence acquired during his 35-year aviation career allowed Captain Chesley
“Sully” Sullenberger to land his aircra safely on the Hudson River with no
loss of life among the 150 passengers and 6 crew members. Sully’s perfor-
mance on that day was a personication of excellence.
Stephen Covey, author of e 7 Habits of Highly Eective People,* advises
us to “begin with the end in mind.” With VA/VE, we are engaged in t ...