North Carolina ? Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger has flown his final flight.

The pilot who landed a US Airways plane safely on the Hudson River last January said Wednesday he is retiring after 30 years and plans to spend some of his time pressing for more flight safety.

“My message going forward is that I want to remind everyone in the aviation industry — especially those who manage aviation companies and those who regulate aviation — that we owe it to our passengers to keep learning how to do it better,” he said at a news conference shortly after his last flight landed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Sullenberger officially retired at a private ceremony in Charlotte with fellow pilots and other US Airways employees.