http://66.225.205.104/JR20110610.mp3
US Airways Flight 1549 - also known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" has arrived in Charlotte by road, not air. The plane that hit a flock of birds and was forced into an emergency landing on the Hudson River back in January of 2009 traveled through North Carolina on the back of a truck today, its wings and tail removed. The spectacle of Flight 1549's fuselage barreling down I-77 on the back of a semi-trailer caused quite a stir with its police escort and hovering news helicopters. Trucks and cars lined the side of the road at each freeway exit. People gathered on overpasses hoping to capture a glimpse of the plane with their camera phones. Patricia Upchurch-Sharpe stood on the overpass at WT Harris Boulevard around 11:30 a.m. with her sunhat in hand. She arrived with three minutes to spare and says she witnessed "a part of history." Joe Crawford knew people on Flight 1549 and remembers calling around to other friends. "We were following it in the news and the miracle is it made it through just fine," says Crawford. "So I always felt a little connected to it because I was following it and praying for it." Jim Mussen is still amazed that the plane came down in one piece in the river and thinks it's fitting that Flight 1549 has come to stay in Charlotte. "I wonder if the on-time rating goes into effect, you know?" Mussen chuckles. "The plane finally landed, a few days late it got to Charlotte." By our count, that's a delayed arrival of about 875 days and 20 hours for US Airways Flight 1549. The Carolinas Aviation Museum will hold a reception and fundraiser tomorrow for the exhibit, featuring the plane's now-famous Captain "Sully" Sullenberger.