Sully meets Sully: Tom Hanks comes face-to-face with the heroic pilot he plays in new movie 

  • Tom Hanks greeted hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger at film premiere
  • Plays role of the captain who dramatically landed a plane on Hudson River
  • All 155 passengers and crew survived in the 'Miracle of the Hudson' 
  • In the movie directed by Clint Eastwood, Hanks plays the pilot while 'Olympus Has Fallen' actor Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot Jeff Skiles 

By Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Published: 06:26 EST, 7 September 2016 | Updated: 10:40 EST, 7 September 2016

Actor Tom Hanks has come face-to-face with the heroic pilot he plays in a new movie documenting the successful emergency plane landing in the Hudson River.

During the dramatic event in January 2009 Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the river when both engines lost thrust after the aircraft struck a flock of geese following take-off from New York's LaGuardia airport.

All 155 passengers and crew survived and the event was dubbed the 'Miracle on the Hudson'.

Actor Tom Hanks met heroic captain Chelsey 'Sully' Sullenberger ahead of the film detailing the pilot's dramatic landing in the Hudson River in January 2009 

Actor Tom Hanks met heroic captain Chelsey 'Sully' Sullenberger ahead of the film detailing the pilot's dramatic landing in the Hudson River in January 2009 

In the movie directed by Clint Eastwood, Hanks plays the pilot while Olympus Has Fallen actor Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot Jeff Skiles.

Speaking ahead of the film's release on September 9, Hanks said: 'In the political atmosphere we're in, there are an awful lot of points being made on [the notion that] you can't count on people and institutions because they're all broken — that none of them work.

'Well, that's nonsense. They're not all broken. And you can still have faith in them. And, in that regard, I think this movie makes a really strong case.'

Aaron Eckhart, Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks at the premiere

Aaron Eckhart, Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks at the premiere

In the movie directed by Clint Eastwood, Hanks plays the pilot while 'Olympus Has Fallen' actor Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot Jeff Skiles

In the movie directed by Clint Eastwood, Hanks plays the pilot while 'Olympus Has Fallen' actor Aaron Eckhart plays his co-pilot Jeff Skiles

The hero pilot, now retired, told Variety: 'I wanted that sense of our common humanity to be a big, underlying current in the film, and it really is.  

'This happened at a time, after the 2008-2009 financial meltdown, when it seemed like everything was going wrong. 

'People were wondering if everything was about self-interest and greed. They were doubting human nature. 

'Then all these people acted together, selflessly, to get something really important done. In a way, I think it gave everyone a chance to have hope, at a time when we all needed it.'

Hanks plays the role of the hero pilot
Hanks, pictured with his wife Rita Wilson, at the premiere, plays the role of hero pilot

Hanks, pictured with his wife Rita Wilson, at the premiere, plays the role of hero pilot

'Brace for impact': Sully warns passengers to prepare for a crash landing in the dramatic trailer

'Brace for impact': Sully warns passengers to prepare for a crash landing in the dramatic trailer

In a previous interview with Newsweek, Sullenberger said: 'I knew it was going to be the hardest day of my life, the biggest problem I would ever have to solve. 

'But I was confident I could solve it. I never thought I would die that day. I was just trying to make sure that no one else did. 

'If that meant putting a $60million plane in the water, then that's what it had to be. I never worried about that.'

The captain, who suffered from post-traumatic stress after the emergency landing, added:  'I went from living my life anonymously for 58 years to being a public figure known globally in a matter of minutes. I feel like I'm a shepherd of this story.'

He was named one of Time's 'Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons' in 2009.  

No one has ever trained for an incident like that': The clip showed the plane preparing to make the famous landing

No one has ever trained for an incident like that': The clip showed the plane preparing to make the famous landing

All 155 passengers and crew survived and the event was dubbed the 'Miracle on the Hudson'

All 155 passengers and crew survived and the event was dubbed the 'Miracle on the Hudson'

Speaking at the film's premiere the 86-year-old director said: 'New York was in a bit of a depressed state...this thing was something people could hang on to as a happy-ending story.' 

Eastwood described the captain as an 'interesting guy' and the 'kind of dream pilot for every citizen out there who flies'.

He added: 'I wanted it to be just like it was an that's pretty close to what it was. I fly a little bit too so I know what a water landing looks like and feels like'. 

Sully hits cinemas worldwide from tomorrow.

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