RIGHT NEXT DOOR: Patrick Harten, Air-Traffic Controller

RIGHT NEXT DOOR: Patrick Harten, Air-Traffic Controller
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

2015-01-16-fv3_121813_nmhatc0006_lores.jpg

Patrick Harten, Air-Traffic Controller
Harten might not be as famous as Chesley Sullenberger, but as the lead air-traffic controller on duty during the Miracle on the Hudson, he deserves a great deal of credit for coolness under fire in an unprecedented emergency. He stayed in regular contact with the stricken airliner and helped guide it to its eventual safe landing in the water off Manhattan. He's stoic, professional and unassuming -- which, come to think of it, is exactly the sort of person you want in charge when people's lives are on the line.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot