I have already seen the pilots of the crashed plane in NYC described as "heroes" in several places. Now, in no way do I wish to do the pilots down - they saved a lot of lives with their skill - but I don't think they are heroes. They did the job they were trained to do (part of which is not to panic in emergencies which you or I would do) in a superlative fashion but that is not heroic. Heroism is about doing something you could avoid doing but do anyway. Another word being devalued.