Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger sits in the cockpit of a US Airways flight moments before take-off from LaGuardia Airport on his first official day back in the cockpit on October 1, 2009 (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, the famed pilot who successfully landed a US Airways plane in the Hudson River last January is retiring today.

The emergency landing that made Sully's one of America's most famous pilots was necessary after a flock of south-bound Canadian Geese collided with and disabled the plane's engines. At 2,500 feet, Sully made a snap decision. And as we know, all 150 passengers survived the icy landing on one of the year's coldest days.

Below is a recording from the cockpit just before the plane went down:

Sully has already published a book about his adventures, and according to a spokesman, he will be spending some time with his family.

One of the flight attendants aboard the fated trip, Doreen Welsh, 59, is also retiring.