Everyone should look at the video Josh put up on the front page of the first moments of the rescue, and give a shout out not just to ol' Sully, but to the ferry pilots and crews.

As a Long Islander (hence the username), I've got a very limited amount of sailing experience, & I've taken my share of ferry rides.  I've felt how huge & difficult to maneuver those massive tubs are; and I've also experienced how tricky it is just to coax a 19-foot sailboat into a nice sheltered marina berth.

The video shows how the plane is turned sideways, and drifting quite quickly with the tide down towards the Battery.  For those ferry captains to so quickly sidle up to a moving target, close enough to get the people aboard, without making potentially disastrous contact, is one fuckin' awesome bit of piloting, and the work of the crews is some bitchin' seamanship.   Their job is nowhere near as glamorous, or well-paid, as an airline pilot's, but in my view their skill and coolness under pressure is every bit as impressive.  They're heroes too.