In addition to Captain Sullenberger.....

[Aviation Pro]

...lets hear it for the first officer; the flight attendants who got the passengers out of the plane in 60 seconds (training mandates 90); the boatmen, who, with not a second's hesitation, guided their ferries to the downed aircraft; and the firefighters, police and transit authority who hustled to get on the scene as quickly as possible.

This was a rescue that every New Yorker, air crew and boatman should be proud of.

Snarky comment: if Homeland Security ran the show the passengers would still be lined up for screening by TSA before they would be allowed on the ferries. President Obama, please disband this waste of taxpayer dollars.

[Stephanie]

1. Obama invited them all to the Inauguration & also for a ride on AF1

He invited the pilots and the entire crew for a ride on AF1 any time they like. How cool is that?

[Aviation Pro]

2. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.....

...I'd also extend that offer to the boatmen.

[southernleftylady]

9. My mother just called me and told me this WTG Obama! nt

[Stephanie]

13. Heard it on MSNBC just now

:hi:

[southernleftylady]

3. THANK YOU!.. as a flight attendant I thank you for bringing this up!

We are trained to get people out of the plane safely.. and on that plane it sounded as those flight attendants did their job! Way to go the whole flight crew

[Aviation Pro]

5. Yep, every six months I see a vanguard of attendants from an airline....

...we have a contract with go through recurrent. How'd you like the water drills in the pool?

[southernleftylady]

6. ugh.. dont even get me started lol I liked it alot better 10 years ago..

we I got first hired .. pre babies ...lol

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. You guys don't get nearly enough credit.

I hope after this people will pay more attention to the safety announcements and read the damn cards in the seat pockets. I'm compulsive about counting seat backs to the exits.

[predfan]

4. My favorite response to my Republican friends anti-union ranting.......

"while people were streaming out of the WTC after the attacks on 9-11, those were union members heading up the steps into the smoke."

I'd dare say most of the people involved in this plane crash rescue were Union members.

[southernleftylady]

8. I am a Northwest F/A.. we are union... we are merging with Delta.. they are not...

I cant believe they dont like unions.. wow.. I was shocked win I first learned they werent

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. I thought AFA was going to take another shot at getting a card drive going.

Hope it works!

[Stinky The Clown]

7. A side note ..... one of the ferry captains was a woman of 19 years. Yes. A 19 year old boat captain

Brittany Catanzaro, First Female Ferry Captain for New York Waterway and Hero to US Airways Flight 1549

January 16, 2009
by Sarah Amandolare

Brittany Cantazaro is NY Waterway’s first female ferry captain and helped rescue passengers on the US Airways flight that crashed in the Hudson River.

Brittany Catanzaro grew up boating in the summertime with her father on the Long Island Sound, and eventually turned her love of the water into a profession. The 19-year-old Catanzaro is the youngest ever and first female ferry captain for New York Waterway, safely transporting daily commuters from Weehawken and Hoboken, N.J. to New York City.

“I love being on the water. It’s like my first nature. It’s kind of home to me,” Catanzaro told The New York Times in an interview last December.

As if her trailblazing position weren’t enough, the young captain is now being hailed as a hero. On January 15, 2009, Catanzaro was in the midst of a shift when she noticed an airplane in the Hudson River. According to NorthJersey.com, Catanzaro was heading in the opposite direction, but “immediately … turned around and steered toward” what turned out to be US Airways Flight 1549.


.......... more here: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/profiles/2008-women-firsts/brittany-catanzaro.html

[Aviation Pro]

10. Boatmen is a generic term......

...and yes I did know about Captain Catanzaro.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. I wasn't taking issue with "boatman"

I just wanted to cite this fact.

[malaise]

12. Not really a side note

Cantazaro and others were a key part of this successful ditching.

[lonestarnot]

11. I would recommend, but you have homeland in you thread.

:evilgrin:

[LibDemAlways]

14. Everyone involved in the rescue is a hero. And re. your "snarky" comment:

"Homeland" Security apparently exists to harrass, intimidate, and spy on people. I am all for legitimate law enforcement within the framework of the Constitution. They very name "Homeland" sets off alarms with me. I would be very pleased to see it disappear and to see TSA restructured to provide meaningful security. Hoisting little old ladies out of wheelchairs to be wanded is an embarrassment and a complete waste of time and $$.

[mnhtnbb]

16. Now everyone knows the meaning of a New York minute!

Kudos all around to jobs well done.

:applause: