Jeffrey Skiles

Jeffrey Bruce Skiles (born November 18, 1959) is a retired airline pilot who most recently flew for American Airlines.

US Airways Flight 1549

Skiles was flying as a First Officer on Flight 1549 due to a staff reduction at US Airways;

PBS interviewer Charlie Rose interviewed Skiles on February 10, 2009.

Skiles, a Wisconsin resident, spoke in support of trade unions in the 2011 Wisconsin protests.

Skiles went on to become the Vice President of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), which represents the interests of 28,000 airline pilots in safety and security issues. In this role he was instrumental in the creation of the First Officer Qualification rule, which significantly increased the requirements for training and experience of First Officers on the flight deck of US registered airliners. Skiles joined with the Families of Continental Flight 3407 and the National Air Disaster Alliance to mold the creation of and ensure passage of the Airline Safety Act of 2010, which significantly improved safety in the US airline industry. Since its passage, the only fatalities in US airline accidents occurred on April 17, 2018, when a passenger died onboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 and January 25, 2025, when 67 people died in the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision.

In September 2009, Skiles and Sullenberger became the honorary Co-Chairmen of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles program, which utilizes EAA's nationwide network of local chapters to offer free airplane rides to young people and expose them to general aviation and careers in aviation. EAA volunteers have performed over 2.2 million flights since its inception, making it the most successful program of its kind in history.

, Skiles was working for American Airlines, piloting Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Honors

On January 16, 2009, the United States Senate passed a resolution recognizing and honoring Sullenberger, Skiles, the cabin crew, the passengers, and the first responders involved in Flight 1549's emergency landing; and during the Super Bowl XLIII pre-game ceremony on February 1, 2009, Sullenberger, Skiles, and Flight 1549's cabin crew—Doreen Welsh, Sheila Dail, and Donna Dent—were honored with a standing ovation. Skiles and the entire crew of Flight 1549 also received a Masters Medal by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators and a Key to the City of New York in 2009, as well as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement in 2010. Through their involvement with the Young Eagles and various aviation safety advocacy efforts, Skiles and Sullenberger received the 2015 EAA Freedom of Flight Award.

Publications and media Skiles is a writer and, since 2011, has published over 100 articles on safety and general interest aviation topics in nationally distributed magazines such as Sport Aviation, Flying, Air & Space, PilotMag, Midwest Flyer, Vintage Airplane, and the Physicians Executive Journal.

In the 2016 drama film Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, Skiles is portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, with Sullenberger portrayed by Tom Hanks.