Where were you on September 11th 2001?
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
Slept through the impacts recovering from an all night medevac and woke up to hear the news via a phone call.
I went flying that night... a liver patient from Winnipeg to London, Ont.
Was deathly quiet on the radio and we were told we were one of only 2 civilian aircraft in the air at that time. It was also the first time we weren't allowed into US airspace to cut the corner to London.
I won't soon forget that flight.
I went flying that night... a liver patient from Winnipeg to London, Ont.
Was deathly quiet on the radio and we were told we were one of only 2 civilian aircraft in the air at that time. It was also the first time we weren't allowed into US airspace to cut the corner to London.
I won't soon forget that flight.
Last edited by Schlem on Wed Sep 22, 2004 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I was in a motel parking lot in Rycroft, Alberta - I remember looking through the motel room window of a co-worker, and seeing the second impact. I initially thought that it was a movie special effect, but then I noticed that "live" caption at the bottom of the screen.
I was blasting for a geophysical company at the time on a heli-portable seismic project - we spent most of the day standing around the staging area, listening to the confused reports from the CBC.
Needless to say, we had a hard time using wheeled vehicles to replace our two MD500's for moving equipment through the swamps over the next few days.
I also remember the start of the American offensive in Afghanistan. One of the MD500 pilots was high enough up in our project area in Fort McMurray to get the CBC, and he relayed the news to us.
I was blasting for a geophysical company at the time on a heli-portable seismic project - we spent most of the day standing around the staging area, listening to the confused reports from the CBC.
Needless to say, we had a hard time using wheeled vehicles to replace our two MD500's for moving equipment through the swamps over the next few days.
I also remember the start of the American offensive in Afghanistan. One of the MD500 pilots was high enough up in our project area in Fort McMurray to get the CBC, and he relayed the news to us.
Please don't tell my mother that I work in the Oilpatch...she still thinks that I'm the piano player at a whorehouse.
I was working on a construction site. The neibour started blarring his radio as he was doing yarrd work. I then heard how a second plane had hit the Towers. I was in total shock when I first saw it on TV. To make maters worse my father who works in Boston, flew into Logan. So for a while until they said that the flights where American and United I was pretty nervous.
"Hey there's a plane! And where there's a plane, there's a pilot. And where there's a pilot there's a bar!"
I was on my way to work at Air Canada. I was listening to Howard Stern on Q97. He was talking about Pam Anderson and he stopped for a sec and said "What , a plane hit the World Trade Centre?" Then he was back to talking about Pam. About 5 mins later he says "What, a second plane crashed into the World Trade Centre, is this a joke" That's when I arrived at work.
I worked in the SOC office at AC. Coincidentally 2 weeks later I was looking for a job. But on that day, when I got to work the televisions were running already and all the big wigs were starting to show up to the Emergency Response Room. Within an hour my team was tracking every airplane in the fleet and searching through passenger list for suspicious persons. The big wigs were in "The Room" making strategic plans and press releases.
Interesting to have been there.
I worked in the SOC office at AC. Coincidentally 2 weeks later I was looking for a job. But on that day, when I got to work the televisions were running already and all the big wigs were starting to show up to the Emergency Response Room. Within an hour my team was tracking every airplane in the fleet and searching through passenger list for suspicious persons. The big wigs were in "The Room" making strategic plans and press releases.
Interesting to have been there.
It's better to break ground and head into the wind than to break wind and head into the ground.
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I was sitting in on my first week of class as part of my 2 year diploma course at the Moncton Flight College... they called all company A/C back to the ramp and cancelled classes for the rest of the day. there was an erie feeling in the college that day... we all stood around and blindly stared, silently watching more traffic come into moncton than had ever been around before... it wasn't pretty at all. let it never happen again
Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue....
I was instructing on Toronto Island. I had the desk shift that morning. The head of maintenance calls in to say he was stuck in traffic and he just heard on the radio that a "light" aircraft had just collided with one of the World Trade towers. We all streamed into the classroom and turned the TV on. We saw the second impact. It didn't feel real to be watching as a spectator, but I felt it physically. Flight operations were cancelled for the day. Right across the lake was New York state. It really wasn't all that far away.
It was a Tuesday if I recall. My wife and I were supposed to fly out on Thursday for my brothers wedding on Friday in Halifax. All flights were cancelled. We didn't even have a car, we had to rent one and drive 18 hours down, and then back, to be at work on Monday. If that wasn't enough to put a cramp on what should have been a very joyous weekend, most of the 18 hours driving I had the images of the 11th playing through my mind.
Air disasters. My family seems linked to them. I have an aunt that lives about as close as a house could be to where Swiss Air 111 hit the water. The whole community was involved in the recovery operations. They had famillies of victims staying in their home, to be close to the site. What a way to make friends.
It was a Tuesday if I recall. My wife and I were supposed to fly out on Thursday for my brothers wedding on Friday in Halifax. All flights were cancelled. We didn't even have a car, we had to rent one and drive 18 hours down, and then back, to be at work on Monday. If that wasn't enough to put a cramp on what should have been a very joyous weekend, most of the 18 hours driving I had the images of the 11th playing through my mind.
Air disasters. My family seems linked to them. I have an aunt that lives about as close as a house could be to where Swiss Air 111 hit the water. The whole community was involved in the recovery operations. They had famillies of victims staying in their home, to be close to the site. What a way to make friends.
I was spraying lawns at age 21 as a summer job for The Weed Man.
I had just pulled up to a large commercial job and was having a cigarette to compliment the plume I was about to inhale.
The pick up I was in was like a '74 and only had AM radio... When the news broke it was like listening to the old Orsen Welles broadcast.
They had this guy on the phone who had just witnessed the first one from his nearby apartment. All of a sudden he is screaming. "There is a second plane!" He was real close. It was just nuts. I called everyone I knew to make sure they were watching it , Waking them up.
Needless to say that large commercial job never got done, I just posted the signs and went home. It was the end of the world I figured, so they wouldn't mind.
I did end up hastily finishing my day and stopping for minutes at a time to watch customers TV's.
I had just pulled up to a large commercial job and was having a cigarette to compliment the plume I was about to inhale.
The pick up I was in was like a '74 and only had AM radio... When the news broke it was like listening to the old Orsen Welles broadcast.
They had this guy on the phone who had just witnessed the first one from his nearby apartment. All of a sudden he is screaming. "There is a second plane!" He was real close. It was just nuts. I called everyone I knew to make sure they were watching it , Waking them up.
Needless to say that large commercial job never got done, I just posted the signs and went home. It was the end of the world I figured, so they wouldn't mind.
I did end up hastily finishing my day and stopping for minutes at a time to watch customers TV's.
At YHM being investigated for a fuel spill that wasn't my fault.
Poor woman that they sent from Chigago couldn't get in touch with her family and obviously couldn't get home that day.
Poor woman that they sent from Chigago couldn't get in touch with her family and obviously couldn't get home that day.
"FLY THE AIRPLANE"!
http://www.youtube.com/hazatude
http://www.youtube.com/hazatude
Driving to work listening (as the guy above) to Stern of all people on Q107.
By the time I rolled onto Airport Rd in YYZ the second aircraft had hit.
Spent the morning watching, with the rest of the staff, the horror show unfold.
Afternoon spent trying to figure where the fleet was, what the timeline was like, and trying to keep customers informed... Then onto TC conference calls.
I think the oddest feeling was that night getting home and the neighbours coming over to talk of our day's experiences. Our house used to be right on the approach in Mississauga and I'll wont forget the silence and empty skies that night and for the days that proceeded.
By the time I rolled onto Airport Rd in YYZ the second aircraft had hit.
Spent the morning watching, with the rest of the staff, the horror show unfold.
Afternoon spent trying to figure where the fleet was, what the timeline was like, and trying to keep customers informed... Then onto TC conference calls.
I think the oddest feeling was that night getting home and the neighbours coming over to talk of our day's experiences. Our house used to be right on the approach in Mississauga and I'll wont forget the silence and empty skies that night and for the days that proceeded.
Like Schlem, slept through the impacts, woke up and saw it on TV.
We were the other civilian aircraft in flight that night, Geraldton to Sudbury, heart patient. Turns out he was an American on vacation...
Flew the 12th as well, both nights were eerily quiet. Hope I NEVER hear that silence again.
We were the other civilian aircraft in flight that night, Geraldton to Sudbury, heart patient. Turns out he was an American on vacation...
Flew the 12th as well, both nights were eerily quiet. Hope I NEVER hear that silence again.
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PT6-114A and I were trying to get to YFS from the knife and FSS wouldn't let me file the flight plan, and they said something about terrorist attacks in NYC. I was like, "WTF???". the FSS guy just said to find a TV, so PT6 and I went down to The Wild Cat Cafe and sat with the cook and watched everything unfold after the towers were hit. Very vivid memory.
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trying to figure out why no one was around for my audition for a part on a TV show of all things....left my bag at city center airport (i was a regular)...when i went back for my bag, city center was just about to shut down, but i managed to hop on the ferry and get my bag...it wasn't until i got on the bus back to YOW and an evening edition of the Toronto paper was handed to me that i got the gravity of the situation.
how did this thread come to be resurected...
how did this thread come to be resurected...
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YHM. Handled 4 U.S. Diversions: 1 NWA DC10, 2 AA 767s, and 1 UA A320.
The UA 320 was parked in BOS that morning beside a company 767 (UA flt 175) that went into the south tower...the crew was upset and crying...very though situation to deal with. They stayed composed until we offloaded all the pax. Broke down when we brought them into the hangar for paper work and they saw the footage.
Never made it to the AA flts...cause the DC10 offload took hours. Another shift took care of them.
A sad day...
The UA 320 was parked in BOS that morning beside a company 767 (UA flt 175) that went into the south tower...the crew was upset and crying...very though situation to deal with. They stayed composed until we offloaded all the pax. Broke down when we brought them into the hangar for paper work and they saw the footage.
Never made it to the AA flts...cause the DC10 offload took hours. Another shift took care of them.
A sad day...
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I was working a morning shift. First thing we did was pull up JFK's WX. Figured it was a Cessna lost in fog. METAR said it was CAFB.
After the second a/c, we called SLC ARTCC and asked if they wanted us to start diverting flights.
Once the sky was empty of civil traffic, all you could hear was the hum of the computer fans keeping the equipment cool, and the only thing on the scope were AWACS a/c circling just south of the 49th.
After the second a/c, we called SLC ARTCC and asked if they wanted us to start diverting flights.
Once the sky was empty of civil traffic, all you could hear was the hum of the computer fans keeping the equipment cool, and the only thing on the scope were AWACS a/c circling just south of the 49th.