On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed one of the most remarkable emergency landings in aviation history when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the surface of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. To Sullenberger, a calm, steady pilot with forty years of flying experience who is also a safety consulting expert, the landing was not a miracle but rather the result of years of practice and training-wisdom he gained in the cockpit of U.S. Air Force jets and in his Texas boyhood. Born to a World War II veteran and dentist father and an elementary school teacher mother, Sully fell in love with planes early. He learned to fly as an eager 16-year-old from a crop duster, an older neighbor in north Texas, who took off and landed his fragile plane on the grass field behind his house. While Sully′s father encouraged his interest in flying, he also imparted stern advice he′d learned from his Navy service during World War II: a commander is responsible for everyone in his care-and those words have shaped Sully′s life and work and continue to guide him today. HIGHEST DUTY reveals the important lessons Sully learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. At heart, it is a story of hope and preparedness-that life′s challenges can be met if we′re ready for them-reminding us that, even in these days filled with war, tragedy, and economic uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for. A few weeks after the crash, Sully discovered that he′d lost a library book about professional ethics, Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, in the downed plane′s cargo hold. When he called the library to notify them, they waived the usual fees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg replaced the book when he gave Sully the Key to the City in a New York ceremony.

切斯利•薩倫伯格——切斯利•B•薩倫伯格機長是一名航空公司的飛行員和安全專傢，曾任飛行教員、航空公司飛行員協會安全主席及事故調查員。在美國空軍學院畢業時獲得優秀空軍士兵學員奬，擁有雙碩士學位。2009年他因成功將一架受到鳥擊而雙發失效的飛機迫降哈得孫河，且機上人員全部幸存而在世界範圍內廣受好評。薩倫伯格齣生於得剋薩斯州丹尼森，目前與妻子和傢人生活在加利福尼亞州丹維爾。

傑夫•劄斯洛——傑夫•紮斯洛為《華爾街日報》專欄作傢，與蘭迪•鮑許共同創作瞭最佳國際暢銷書《最後的演講》，該書已被譯為46種語言。紮斯洛同時還是《紐約時報》暢銷書《來自埃姆斯的女孩們》的作者。紮斯洛與妻子謝裏、女兒若爾丹、阿萊斯及埃當生活在底特律的郊區。