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112//lZ auny-staKe on ianami expanson: rortne oirasI Kecoronet.com 0 41 Newq SULLY'S TAKE ON LANDFILL EXPANSION: FOR THE BIRDS 111 Print this Article i' :I Email this Article Text Size: A I A I A Photo 1 of 1 I Zoom Photo + Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger condemned the proposed expansion of a large landfill near the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.mu i By A lex Breitler November 27, 2012 Record Staff Writer November 27, 2012 12:00 AM STOCKTON - A pilot who knows a thing or two about bird strikes is condemning the proposed expansion of a large landfill near Stockton Metropolitan Airport, saying it would be "stupid" to increase the risk of a collision. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was sitting in the captain's chair on Jan. 15, 2009, when his U.S. Airways jet plowed through a flock of migrating geese, lost both engines and landed on the Hudson River in New York. All 155 passengers and crew survived in what was christened the "Miracle on the Hudson." Sullenberger did a lot of things right in the 208 seconds between collision and splashdown. But he admits he was lucky too - skies were clear and the strike happened during the daytime, making a Over landing much easier. "We can't rely on miracles," he said in an interview Monday. "Having a landfill near an airport is just an incredibly bad idea. You're creating a risk where one did not exist before." Opponents to Forward Landfill's expansion contacted Sullenberger's publicist earlier this month, asking if he would weigh in on the debate. He wrote a letter to San Joaquin County supervisors urging them to deny the project "given the life and death matters at stake." Those opponents hope a letter from a high-profile personality will bolster their case. Sullenberger's name and face have become the very definition of heroism in aviation. Sullenberger, who lives in Danville and now works as a consultant, author and public speaker, said he has flown out of the Stockton airport a number of times and was aware of the proximity of the existing landfill about a mile to the southeast. He had not been aware, however, of plans to expand the landfill beneath a portion of the outer approach used by airplanes. Sullenberger said he wrote his letter of opposition only as a concerned citizen. He has also spoken out against trash facilities near La Guardia Airport in NQw York and the smaller Shiloh Airport near Eden, N.C. www. recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dII/article?AID=%2F20121127%2FA_NEWS%2F211270310%2F-1 %2... 1/3