Where were you on September 11th 2001?

Schlem · Post by **Schlem** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 10:05 pm

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.

w squared · Post by **w squared** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 7:24 pm

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.

Quagmire · Post by **Quagmire** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 11:04 pm

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.

Snowgoose · Post by **Snowgoose** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 9:00 pm

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.

clearedtowha? · Post by **clearedtowha?** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 11:56 pm

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

loopy · Post by **loopy** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:06 am

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.

duf · Post by **duf** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 4:31 pm

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.

hazatude · Post by **hazatude** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 4:46 pm

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.

Cargodog · Post by **Cargodog** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:16 pm

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.

Jetman28 · Post by **Jetman28** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 6:46 pm

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.

wallypilot · Post by **wallypilot** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:58 pm

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.

water wings · Post by **water wings** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 8:32 pm

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...

flyincanuck · Post by **flyincanuck** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:31 pm

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...

MRO · Post by **MRO** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:47 pm

Wanna hear a crazy one?

I was on my way to the airport to sign up for flight school.

Wanna hear something crazier? I still signed up.
I was the only student there for that first year

The Black Hole · Post by **The Black Hole** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:35 am

I was at Tim Hortons, standing in stupid ass lineup... Then I thought, this isn't so bad or something...

Out of Control · Post by **Out of Control** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:57 am

YQU in the middle of a crew change.

Captain Crunch · Post by **Captain Crunch** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:58 am

In the middle of My Multi Ride, which was subsequently cut short, what's Osama's address so I can send him the bill for .7 of Seneca time...

joebloggs · Post by **joebloggs** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 8:03 am

I was firing up the old ho for a mine sched in northern SK when they closed the airspace. Shocking to say the least.

zzjayca · Post by **zzjayca** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:15 am

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.

moe · Post by **moe** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:26 pm

was flying the court party in SK. halfway between meadow lake and ile a la crosse when dispatch told us to turn around. didn't believe them at first but tuned in the cbc and got the news. 3 days of cnn followed.

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:28 pm

In grade 8 music class, my teacher walked in after lunch, and told us what happend, and that they had been watching the tvs over lunch, as soon as i got home, i went to the tv, to see what was happening. I was too young to realize the consequences of all of what happend that day would still be rebounding today, and will be for a very long time.

flyer 1492 · Post by **flyer 1492** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:23 pm

I was driving my daughter to school and my wife to the dentist that fateful morning when we heard it on the radio. I thought the announcer was playing a joke. When we finally arrivied at the dentist's office, I watched in disbelief. Nobody in the office could concentrate, needless to say my wife's dental work was postponed to another day.

FSS · Post by **FSS** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:52 pm

On the Suswap in a house boat steaming to the Sea Store for some more ice when the ship/shore radio came on and said, "just to advise you what is going on in the world," and proceded to tell about the four crashes. Had an IFR and a VFR controller and a Red Cross Worker on board. First words I said, They're F---ng joking!" Buddie said, "no I don't think so". On that lake radio/TV reception is very poor, so hadn't heard anything. Tied up at the Sea Store which had a large antenna and played the radio over outside speakers. First impluse was to call respective units, but there was nothing none of us could do. The sky which previously had been filled with contrails soon became clear and quiet. The ice was soon gone in the drinks.

motherfokker · Post by **motherfokker** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 3:58 pm

In the States trying to get clearance home and find out what the hell a "ground stop" meant. Then eating popcorn at the FBO as the second plane hit. Then the drinkin began with only a pair of slacks pilot shirt, oh.. yeah and $40 canadian. I was Mr. western union. for 5 days always bring extra clothes!!!

Snagmaster E · Post by **Snagmaster E** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 1:32 pm

Filling in as a ticket agent at a bus station I used to work at. I was basically informing everybody as they came in about the whole thing.

Scary shit.