Where were you on September 11th 2001?

I'd Rather Be Flying · Fri Sep 10, 2004 10:21 am

On my way to CYYC (driving), listening to the radio, when one of my co-workers phones my cell and says: "Airplanes are falling out of the sky". Needless to say that we didn't go flying that day.

Arrived at the office where we spent the majority of the day watching the tube and standing around watching the heavy's land. I still recall the look in everyone's eyes and on their faces that day.

Truly a frightening event and a sad day in history.

Loud&Dirty · Post by **Loud&Dirty** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 10:40 am

Taxiing out with a student to do an IFR flight and then taxiing back when they closed the airspace in mid-taxi.

LastSamurai · Post by **LastSamurai** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:08 am

Similarly to RSC, I was walking the halls of the college when the second plane hit the tower. The whole courtyard was silent with disbelief. Calculus and physics forgot about their laws and formulas that day as discussions, debates and remorse occupied the minds of both the professors and students.

Later we would find out that there would be no flying. Not only had the close community of aviation been severely affected but the lives of the countless wives, husbands, daughters, sons, fathers and mothers been robbed of their sacred family.

My sincerest condolences go out to those families who have been touched by the sadness that resulted of that day...September 11th.

G

Dockjock · Post by **Dockjock** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:40 am

In a hotel sleeping after a morning bag run to Sarnia. Awake to knocking on the door and open to see another one of the pilots who was supposed to be in YYZ, but had diverted to swap airplanes with me. So both of us were stuck, spent 3 days there waiting and drinking. Man that was f-ed up.

Siddley Hawker · Post by **Siddley Hawker** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 12:56 pm

Visiting my wife's parents down near YBX. Had the radio on, and was just getting out of bed when the news came on that an airplane had hit the WTC. First thing I thought was somebody was chugging down the Hudson River in the fog in a 172 and turned left instead of right. Then I turned on the TV.
As an aside, I think my father-in-law summed it all up as good as anyone. I've been married to his daughter for 35 years and in all that time I've never heard the man use profanity. As we watched the second tower fall, he just shook his head and said "The filthy bastards."

Beaver Driver · Post by **Beaver Driver** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 1:31 pm

I had slept in a little that morning, so instead of watching the news with a cup of coffee I headed straight for the airplane. Spent the rest of the day flying around the north only hearing tidbits of what happened from other people. Only found out the next day that the flight ban was for ALL of Canada and U.S. It sure was quite on the radio that day

low n over · Post by **low n over** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 3:47 pm

I was in CYEV filming CF-18 scramble for the Korean 747. Later that day I flew a Navajo to Old Crow with a northwest-tel tech to fix the phones. On the way I had arctic radio tell me that Cheyenne Mountain wanted to know exactly what I was doing, heading straight for US airspace. Told them I was cleared for a 'humanitarian flight' by Edmonton. They left it at that. Probably ruined some F-15 pilots day.

Mitch Cronin · Post by **Mitch Cronin** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:24 pm

I was in YYZ, working on a '67 in the hangar... as the news came, someone brought a tv into our ready room and when we could steal some moments, we watched in horror as the events unfolded... Sat on the hangar floor staring at our bird wondering how in hell someone could turn it into a weapon... then after the closure of everything, spent the day in a stunned stupour, helping to park aircraft making room for all that were coming in...

I remember seeing a car in a ditch on the way to work that morning, thinking "that guy will remember this day... what a bummer"... little did I know!

Hz2p: I think you've seriously misread "most Canadians".

aileron · Post by **aileron** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:37 pm

While grabbing a coffee at work and my coworker says "Did you hear that terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Centre and made em collapse?"... "NO?!" I saised.

Amazing that I spent 45 minutes driving to work, listening to Larry & Willy on "99.3 the Fox" and all they were rambling on about was their "Toughest Contest Ever, part 2"... geesh.

Got some photos around the airport, unbelievable. Lived in a house on the approach end of 26R and it was eerie not hearing the aircraft anymore. Recall seeing many, many, many contrails in the sky in the shape of holding patterns for YVR...

V3-BZE · Post by **V3-BZE** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 4:44 pm

Sleeping in a hotel in Houston on the morning of 9-11. I was jumpseating my way from YYC to Belize on Continental Airlines on sept. 10th, but didn't catch the last flight from IAH to BZE that day. Needless to stay I was stuck in Houston for the next 6 days, and when planes finaly began to fly again, I wasn't able to get the jumpseat anymore...
Very sad day for all!

harveymushman · Post by **harveymushman** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 5:05 pm

I was working a contract in Pickle Lake it was a nice morning until I turned on the T.V.

it was a terrible thing to see, but it wont be the last I dont think

Guido · Post by **Guido** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 5:36 pm

High school physics class... needless to say we didn't do much of anything for the rest of the day.

Apache64_ · Post by **Apache64_** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 5:48 pm

I was on my way to work when the first plane hit, watched the second plane hit at work, and sat around work for the rest of the day watching the tv. One of the dispatchers mom was on a AC flight to New York that day and we all sat around wondering if it was one of Air Canadas.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 6:25 pm

In Inuvik, and a passerby mentioned it to me. No one cared too much, when your that far north, nothing really seems to matter. The Inuvik airport got closed down and cops had the road blocked off because of a "suspicious package". Turns out it was a electrical toolbox. The electrician was having a pee break.

FamilyGuy · Post by **FamilyGuy** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 8:46 pm

May Allah or whomever they worship

not have mercy on their souls...burn in hell.

BirdDog · Post by **BirdDog** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 8:53 pm

I was working out in the East Coast (YQM) at the time. I remember being told what had happened and the feeling of disbelief that overcame me… shortly after as we all know the Pentagon was hit and then the Pennsylvania crash. Then the word that all airspace was closed… I still have a copy of the NOTAM:

010008 CYHQ OPS
CYHQ EMERGENCY SECURITY CONTROL OF AIR TRAFFIC (ESCAT) (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS SCATANA) LEVEL 2 HAS BEEN INVOKED BY MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE (MND). ESCAT LEVEL 2 REQUIRES THAT ALL AUTHORIZED FLIGHTS INTO OR OUT OF CANADA FILE AN IFR OR DVFR FLIGHT PLAN.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 5.1 OF THE AERONAUTICS ACT, THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT RESTRICTS ALL TAKE-OFFS AND LANDINGS BY ANY AIRCRAFT IN CANADIAN AIRSPACE OR ENTRY INTO CANADIAN AIRSPACE, WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS:
- HUMANITARIAN FLIGHTS (TO INCLUDE MEDIVAC/ORGAN FLIGHTS, NORTHERN RESUPPLY FLIGHTS, AIRCRAFT PROCEEDING TO PICK UP PERSONS STRANDED IN THE BUSH WITHOUT THE NECESSARY MEANS OF SURVIVAL, ALL AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN FOREST FIGHT OPS)
- SEARCH AND RESCUE FLIGHTS
- OPERATIONAL POLICE FLIGHTS
- MILITARY FLIGHTS
- FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL/ TERRRITORIAL GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS
- AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN AUTHORIZATION ISSUED BY THE MINISTER
NAV CANADA ACC SHIFT MANAGERS AUTHORIZED TO PERMIT FLIGHTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE CONDITIONS, IF ESCAT LEVEL 3 IS INVOKED BY MND ALL AIRCRAFT MUST OPERATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A WARTIME AIR TRAFFIC PRIORITY LIST (WATPL) NUMBER ASSIGNED BY CANADIAN NORAD REGION HQ.

YQM was one of the airports to receive USA destined aircraft as the airspace was closed. In the hours that followed the attacks …to sit and watch these diverted aircraft land and the feeling of helplessness and not knowing what was going happen next was a very surreal experience that I will never forget. Our Hornets loaded with armament doing low and overs to make their presence known in the hours, days and weeks that followed the attacks brought into sharp focus that the wars we read about and watched on the nightly news have made their way to our door step. Sadly this war is far from over.

Tubthumper · Post by **Tubthumper** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 9:02 pm

...on my way to Tim Horton's to meet a friend, then back home listening to the radio on the way, and finally the TV footage. Very erie (sp?) to say the least.

FamilyGuy · Post by **FamilyGuy** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 9:02 pm

Bird Dog thanks for that, I'd forgotten all about ESCAT and the NOTAM's. Scary heavy duty stuff... Armed fighters on CAP, AWACS on patrol. Hate to have been out in the boonies and try to "sneak" across the border VFR that day.....

2bornot2b · Post by **2bornot2b** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 9:08 pm

I was packing my suitcase for my dream job. I had been accepted into the British Airways Trainee Pilot Sponsorship program and I was to leave the morning of the 12th to start my year long training at Western Michigan University.

Needless to say it never happened. Got a call from BA within two hours of the attack saying that the training had been delayed for 48 hours. Got a call the next day saying that the training had been delayed indefinitely. Remained on contract with them until March 31st, 2003 - which just meant that if they restarted the Trainee Program before then that I would have first right of refusal. They only just started hiring experienced pilots again as of this past March.

That was the end of my professional pilot career. In fact I haven't flown a plane since even though I am (was!) a licensed commercial pilot - haven't even flown privately since. I made the decision that the industry wasn't going to be healthy for a long time and I packed it in. No regrets as I now own my own business making heaps of cash (though its been hard work for the past couple of years) and I am finally looking into renewing my private license and buying a plane with a buddy of mine.

Funny how things work out. At the time it was the worst day of my life, but now I look at how everything has worked out (still married for one!) and I truly believe things happen for a reason.

Hope to see you all in the skies very soon:)

BirdDog · Post by **BirdDog** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 9:19 pm

Heavy Duty stuff for sure, I forgot to mention... that in the days following the attacks, I felt like I had to do something... but what? Then it struck me, I left work (couldn't fly anyway) and went down to the city arena and volunteered with the Red Cross to help provide assistance to our stranded guests....nothing big ...organizing supplies, just handing out toiletries, blankets...very simple tasks but it made it real. The fear and uncertainty that the passengers conveyed was sobering to say the least. They were very grateful and were happy just to have someone to listen to them.... remarkable yet sad experience.