OT----9/11 Where were you???
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:50 am
As we mourn & reflect on this very somber day, I like most, can hardly believe it has been a decade since this tragedy unfolded.
So I ask, Fox comrades, WHERE WERE YOU, when you first learned of the news? I'll kick it off:
I along with my wife, was on one of the 5000 planes, in the air on that that fateful morning. I had a trade show to attend in Ft. Lauderdale and my boss at the time, suggested I head down a day early and take my wife along, so we could grab an extra day or two on the beach. I'll never forget looking down at my watch when we went " wheels-up", heading SE out of Bradley. It was 8:32 AM. Anyone who has ever flown Southbound out of Windsor locks, CT, knows that in 10-12 minutes, you pass a little East of Manhattan, then hug the Jersey coastline all the way down. Think about that!!! The first plane hit at 8:46 am. Our pilot must have heard/seen everything!!
I always fly in a window seat but for some reason I ended up on the ailse. It was an azure blue day, not a cloud in sight for miles.
I remember commenting to my wife ( who went to school just outside of NYC) that we should have a beautiful view of the city this morning. She was busy talking with the passenger occupying the window seat and we lost track of time. I tried several times to peer out the window to get a fix on where we were but just couldn't manage to see anything. The plane was eerily calm. It was then we noticed that the flight attendants seemed a bit nervous about something. The kept huddling at the front of the plane and one time were all looking out the window on the right side. No one ever saw a thing, so I believe the air traffic was routed well east/west of the city. My wife, who's a very nervous flyer began to get a little uneasy. I assured her that it was a beautiful day for flying and that nothing was wrong with our plane.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes later when the cockpit door swung open and a ghostlike figure emerged to pick up the handset of the intercom. The pilot was ashen white and sweaty. He looked like he was in the throes of malaria. He grabbed the phone and uttered these chilling words: "Ladies and gentleman, this is my worst day as an aviator...." . At that point my wife squeezed my hand and whispered, "we're dead..". He proceeded to tell us that 2 planes had crashed into the WTC and a 3rd had hit The Pentagon. The world was changed forever and we were at WAR. All planes on the eastern seaboard were being grounded and that the closest airport to us was Raleigh/Durham. Our plane was safe for now but he couldn't guarantee what the world would be like when we landed. He said that several military fighters were in the area, in case other hijacked planes were spotted.
It was all so sureal. I heard the words but nothing registered. I instantly had cotton mouth and couldn't swallow for what seemed like an eternity. Everyone on the plane sat in stunned silence.
The pilot told us that he suspended the cell phone rule and for us to call our loved ones. Just as I was calling my parents, I had
the horrific realization that our rental car was waiting in Florida, not NC. I immediately called my traffic dept. and talked to Beverly, who I worked with for years. She was stunned when I told her where I was and asked if I knew what was happening. She managed to find us a car in Raleigh.
We finally landed and the plane taxied to a stop a mile out on the runway. We de-planed and everyone trudged down the stairs
and headed towards the trerminal, like walking wounded. It looked like a scene from the 101st Airborne, the eve before The Normandy Invasion. Planes were parked and sprawled everywhere.
Long story short, the wife and I took 2 days to return home. I will never forget crossing the GW Bridge at 5;11 PM that Thursday.
Manhattan was still very much smoldering and the air still had an acrid taste to it. An enormous American flag was draped over the main suspension tower of the bridge and it was a sight that still takes my breath away.
We have our original ticket stub and luggage tags framed in the hallway. We will NEVER FORGET.-----TOOL
So I ask, Fox comrades, WHERE WERE YOU, when you first learned of the news? I'll kick it off:
I along with my wife, was on one of the 5000 planes, in the air on that that fateful morning. I had a trade show to attend in Ft. Lauderdale and my boss at the time, suggested I head down a day early and take my wife along, so we could grab an extra day or two on the beach. I'll never forget looking down at my watch when we went " wheels-up", heading SE out of Bradley. It was 8:32 AM. Anyone who has ever flown Southbound out of Windsor locks, CT, knows that in 10-12 minutes, you pass a little East of Manhattan, then hug the Jersey coastline all the way down. Think about that!!! The first plane hit at 8:46 am. Our pilot must have heard/seen everything!!
I always fly in a window seat but for some reason I ended up on the ailse. It was an azure blue day, not a cloud in sight for miles.
I remember commenting to my wife ( who went to school just outside of NYC) that we should have a beautiful view of the city this morning. She was busy talking with the passenger occupying the window seat and we lost track of time. I tried several times to peer out the window to get a fix on where we were but just couldn't manage to see anything. The plane was eerily calm. It was then we noticed that the flight attendants seemed a bit nervous about something. The kept huddling at the front of the plane and one time were all looking out the window on the right side. No one ever saw a thing, so I believe the air traffic was routed well east/west of the city. My wife, who's a very nervous flyer began to get a little uneasy. I assured her that it was a beautiful day for flying and that nothing was wrong with our plane.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes later when the cockpit door swung open and a ghostlike figure emerged to pick up the handset of the intercom. The pilot was ashen white and sweaty. He looked like he was in the throes of malaria. He grabbed the phone and uttered these chilling words: "Ladies and gentleman, this is my worst day as an aviator...." . At that point my wife squeezed my hand and whispered, "we're dead..". He proceeded to tell us that 2 planes had crashed into the WTC and a 3rd had hit The Pentagon. The world was changed forever and we were at WAR. All planes on the eastern seaboard were being grounded and that the closest airport to us was Raleigh/Durham. Our plane was safe for now but he couldn't guarantee what the world would be like when we landed. He said that several military fighters were in the area, in case other hijacked planes were spotted.
It was all so sureal. I heard the words but nothing registered. I instantly had cotton mouth and couldn't swallow for what seemed like an eternity. Everyone on the plane sat in stunned silence.
The pilot told us that he suspended the cell phone rule and for us to call our loved ones. Just as I was calling my parents, I had
the horrific realization that our rental car was waiting in Florida, not NC. I immediately called my traffic dept. and talked to Beverly, who I worked with for years. She was stunned when I told her where I was and asked if I knew what was happening. She managed to find us a car in Raleigh.
We finally landed and the plane taxied to a stop a mile out on the runway. We de-planed and everyone trudged down the stairs
and headed towards the trerminal, like walking wounded. It looked like a scene from the 101st Airborne, the eve before The Normandy Invasion. Planes were parked and sprawled everywhere.
Long story short, the wife and I took 2 days to return home. I will never forget crossing the GW Bridge at 5;11 PM that Thursday.
Manhattan was still very much smoldering and the air still had an acrid taste to it. An enormous American flag was draped over the main suspension tower of the bridge and it was a sight that still takes my breath away.
We have our original ticket stub and luggage tags framed in the hallway. We will NEVER FORGET.-----TOOL