He once masterfully landed an Airbus A320 passenger plane on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 people aboard the aircraft.

In March, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, an airline transport pilot, safety expert and accident investigator, will be the principal speaker at the eighth-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit Gala Dinner. Captain Sullenberger is a foremost authority in the field as he is an internationally recognized safety expert, CBS News Safety and Aviation Expert, safety consultant for industry as well as a New York Times bestselling author.

The CHC Safety & Quality Summit is an internationally recognized aviation-safety conference aimed at improving safety through excellence in human factors. This year’s summit will be held at the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina in Vancouver during March 26 – 28.

The Summit will explore the theme, “Improving Safety Culture Through Talent, Training and Trust.”  Capt. Sullenberger will share his experiences and discuss how talent, training and trust together make the difference when confronting a challenge.

Capt. Sullenberger gained fame after he successfully ditched US Airways Flight 1549 in the river on the west side of Manhattan in New York City on Jan. 15, 2009.  The emergency landing followed an encounter with a large flock of birds that disabled both of the aircraft’s engines.

Following the incident, Capt. Sullenberger seemed to strike a chord with the public not only because of the accomplishment of him and his crew, but his calm, confident and selfless manner.

Capt. Sullenberger will speak during the CHC Safety & Quality Summit’s Gala Dinner on Tuesday evening, March 27.

“We have always considered it a great privilege to host the Summit. However, this year is especially exciting for us considering our generous sponsors have allowed delegates an opportunity to listen and learn from Captain Sullenberger,” said Greg Wyght, vice president Safety & Quality, CHC Helicopter. “Thanks to those sponsors, not only are delegates able to hear from speakers like Covey, Kern, Casey and many more, but the gala dinner is complimentary for all conference registrants.”

Additional tickets for the dinner are available to delegates for $125 per person for the first ticket, and thereafter, as well as to the general public, for $250.

Featured speakers at the summit include Stephen M.R. Covey, world-renowned lecturer and author of the bestselling book “Speed of Trust”; Tom Casey, author of “Talent Readiness - The Future is Now: Leading a Multi-Generational Workforce”; and Tony Kern, who has written many best-selling books, including “Going Pro: The Deliberate Practice of Professionalism.”.

The 2012 summit program also includes:

• “LOSA in Maintenance,” Bill Rankin, Boeing
• “The ‘A’ Method for Identifying & Retaining Talent,” – ghSMART – ghSMART
• “Norwegian Approach to Helicopter Safety,” Geir Hamre, Norwegian CAA
• “Findings From Flight Safety Foundation’s Basic Aviation Risk Standard Program,” Greg Marshall, Flight Safety Foundation
• “OGP Accident Lessons Learned,” Mark Stevens, Shell Aircraft
• “PC2e – The Latest Performance Requirements,” Nigel Talbot, AgustaWestland
• “The Latest in Creating a Just Culture,” Patrick Hudson, Leiden University
• “Panel of Experts Discussing the Latest Developments in Training,” Terry Palmer, Flight Safety International, and
• “The Need to Notice,” Thomas Anthony, University of Southern California

Complete summit details, including speakers and topics, and registration information for the event and gala dinner are atwww.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com.

The CHC Safety & Quality Summit attracts top aviation safety experts from around the globe to share best practices and explore the latest in safety management systems, human factors of safety, and creating a safety culture across 40 separate sessions.

CHC hosts this annual, nonprofit summit with the support of its Platinum (Agusta Westland, Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Willis, Heli-One, Chartis, Swiss Re) and gold sponsors (Allianz, MSF Pritchard, Panalpina, Atriam, CAE and Chaucer).