Aviador Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 The follwing e-mail was forwarded to me, written by a now also retired pilot friend who like me was airborne at the time. What saved me and permitted continuance of the flight fromBoston to New York was the fact that I had a transplant team on board with a human heart in the cooler and a, I am sure very eager recipient at Columbia Prespitarian Mediacal Center in NYC. Guys, > > Susie and I just got back from seeing "UAL Flight 93", it was > absolutely gripping, and as a former airline pilot who was flying a > trip that morning on a Boeing 767 from Cincinnati to Orlando it was > almost too horrific to watch...it was very disturbing! For you pilot > types, the attention to detail, the cockpit, the preflight, the crew, > pilots and flight attendants boarding the aircraft and making small > talk was or so real and routine...just another day in the office! > Likewise the views from central flow control, NY and Boston ARTCC and > the NORAD command center were very realistic. > > Should anyone have any doubts about our response, or lack of that > morning you need to view this movie. Watching all the various > controllers and their supervisors trying to get their arms around the > problem and to come to grips and connect the dots is so very real. > The movie appears to almost happen in real time and you can really > sense the problem that the commanders had in thinking outside the box > and realizing that we were really at war. Fighters are scrambled, > late, and in the wrong direction, as threats are supposed to come > from over the water to the east not from over land to the west; the > planes are not armed, can they ram, and who has the authority to give > that command... the command is given but not relayed to the pilots. > The lack of communications, or rather the disbelief and lack of > coordination is stunning but easy to understand. Even the pilots of > UAL Flt 93 are given a data link message that the Towers have been > hit and to beware of cockpit intruders...they brush it off in > disbelief... as I'm sure any pilot would have prior to that date. > > The time line given at the end of the movie and the confusion over > what planes were involved, and which flights were being hijacked is > very revealing... we just couldn't get it together quickly enough. As > pilots and crew members we had never been trained to deal with > suicidal hijackers who were prepared to die, it was simply > inconceivable at the time. A key point, though not belabored, was > when the supervisor of the FAA Central Flow Control ordered that all > aircraft in US airspace land immediately, (there were over 4200 in > the air), that no planes from overseas would be allowed into the > country and would be turned back, and that there were to be no over > flights... he realized that we were at war but didn't know with > whom... it was a very bold and brave move and he was thinking way > outside the box... I believe that it was also his first day on the > job as the boss! > > All Americans should see this movie as it may help them get a grip on > the terrorist threat that we are up against vs. the radical Muslim > world. I don't know if we belong in Iraq or how we should deal with > Iran or North Korea or the Sudan, but I know that there is a real > threat to our way of life from the radical Islamic fundamentalists. I > continually hear that this is not a true reflection of the Koran or > true Islamic beliefs. Well that may be true, and it might not be, but > there would appear to be plenty of Muslims in the world that have an > entirely different and radical interpretation of the Koran which we > cannot ignore. What was probably as disturbing as watching an airline > crew, that could have been me or any of my friends, seeing their > world and their life taken away, was the hijackers preparing to die, > washing themselves and praying to their god as if they were doing his > will. They looked like ordinary young men, and to think that they > could sit next to all these people on that plane that they were going > to kill, who had nothing against them or done nothing to them, was > beyond words. I guess if nothing else it gives you insight into the > minds of suicide bombers, which to our Western way of thought is > beyond comprehension. This movie will make you angry, very angry. > > My experience on 9/11. > > We were just ready to close the door for our Delta 767 flight from > CVG to MCO when the gate agent came on board and asked if we had > heard anything about a small plane hitting the World Trade Center, we > had not, so she said goodbye and closed the door. Shortly thereafter > we were airborne climbing out on a beautifully clear crisp fall > morning heading to Florida with not a cloud in the sky or a care in > the world. I heard a bizjet ask for a reroute since he could not get > to New York and I thought that was strange. Then another bizjet said > "well I guess we >won't be going there either" and asked for a > clearance to an alternate. At that point I asked center what was > going on. There was a pause and then the controller came back in a > very excited voice and said "they have hit both of the Trade Center > Towers, they have hit the Pentagon, they have hit the Capitol and the > White House"... well you can imagine it got really lively on the > frequency. I turned to my Co-Pilot and said "I don't know what has > happened, but I do know that things will never be the same", and I > think I got that right! Within seconds the controller had composed > himself and said all flights on this frequency standby, and it was > dead quiet. He then said all flights are to land immediately and went > down the list of the planes under his control. "American 235 turn > right heading 230 you're landing at Pittsburgh, Continental 456 turn > left heading 180 for Cincinnati, Delta 235 (that's me) turn right to > 250 and descend to 8000, you're landing at Knoxville, airport your 2 > o'clock 40 miles....etc" It was the best, fastest and most efficient > handling I have ever had from ATC... they had everyone on the ground > all over the country in minimum time. After all the initial > confusion, their professionalism, and that of all the flight crews > was exemplary! We spent two days in Knoxville and then ferried an > empty 757 back to Atlanta and I believe were one of the first flights > to land back at our main hub. Our arrival at ATL was one of the most > moving experiences of my flying career. The airspace was totally > empty, there was no talk on the radio, and we were the only plane in > the sky over ATL, the busiest airport in the U.S., but we did have, > unknown to us until informed by the controller, an F-16 right on our > tail, but we never saw him. When we taxied in the normally frantic > ramp area was dead quiet, all the ground equipment, tugs, baggage > carts, tugs, fuelers etc. were lined up in military precision and the > ground crew were standing at attention and saluted... wow, I'll never > forget that. They needed a sign that things were getting back to > normal... that we were moving and flying again. > > Reflections. > > As you may know I was on a United Flight several weeks ago from > Chicago to Sacramento that had a passenger who tried to open the > front cabin door, allegedly claimed to have a bomb, and took a swing > at the flight attendant. We'll yours truly was sound asleep in the > last row of coach and missed all the action, but suffice it to say > that before he got very far he was rapidly subdued by the first class > section and we diverted to Denver. Unlike Flight 93 he couldn't have > gotten into the cockpit as the cockpit door is now armored and no > passenger is going to sit still and let anyone interfere with the > flight. I always felt that with the improved cockpit door that I > would be totally safe, and that all my passengers in the cabin would > act as Sky Marshals... I was and they did... they remembered 9/11, > lets hope that we never forget! I would also like to mention that all > the crew members on my United flight as well as all the ground rescue > folks in Denver and the United station personnel did an absolutely > marvelous job in handling this incident. It made me proud to have > once been a part of this profession. > > John Greetings, the ol Captain, happily retired. 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PREM-R Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 And the connection with Phuket/Thailand is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 And the connection with Phuket/Thailand is? Cant see one myself, so i guess this gets closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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