The saintly hero-pilot of Flight 1549 has at last looked to cash in on his heroism! Thank goodness. Waiting for Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to drop this shoe was killing us.

Sully, who glided a US Airways jet into the Hudson and saved the lives of all 155 people on board, told a Congressional panel today that airline pay cuts were driving the best pilots out of the industry, Bloomberg reports.

US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and exited court protection in 2003. It filed for bankruptcy a second time in September 2004, and emerged in September 2005 through its merger with America West Holdings Corp....

"My pay has been cut 40 percent," Sullenberger said. "My pension, like most airline pensions, has been terminated and replaced by a PBGC guarantee worth only pennies on the dollar."

The solution, obviously, is a bailout for airline pilots like Sullenberger. We knew he'd never be satisfied with Broadway tickets and softball interviews with student journalists. He's having a photo op with deliciously corrupt House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and then he's attending President Barack Obama's big speech tonight.

(Photo by Getty Images)