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Monday, September 9, 2013

9/11 WE REMEMBER

#911 #blog #avgeek #aviation


an Encore Tribute . . .
Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york
"From now on, every airline ticket purchased is a vote for Freedom, and every flight flown is a victory over terrorism.  So thank you for your patronage, thank you for your  patriotism, and God bless America!” 
—Cap'n Aux, September 16, 2001

Freedom One RNAV Arrival into DCA...


MEMORIAL SITES/TRIBUTES
Flight 93 Nat'l Memorial
Honorflight93 
ALPA
USAToday
United Heroes


FLIGHTS


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york

Note: sadly, it's very hard to find proper sites that list the passengers & victims. There are now 100's of nutbag "conspiracy" sites that I won't honor by mentioning. The links below are the best I could find:

—AA FLIGHT 11 LINKS
     —Story
     —People
     —Crew 
 
—AA FLIGHT 77 LINKS
     —Story
     —People
     —Crew

—UA FLIGHT 93 LINKS
     —Story
     —People
     —Crew 
 
—UA FLIGHT 175 LINKS
     —Story
     —People 
     —Crew 



GROUND ZERO/PENTAGON/SHANKSVILLE
  
Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york
WTC
Planes


FIRST RESPONDERS


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york



Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york

     —FDNY


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york
     —NYPD


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york
     —Health Issues


OTHER COOL STUFF


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york

Miss TWA and the 9/11 museum


Let's Roll Todd Beamer 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york


"LET'S ROLL" 
The rallying cry of America's First Counterattack against fanatical terrorism

9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama twin towers ground zero new york

MY 9/11 STORY
As an airline pilot, I am often asked about my personal 9/11 story.

While I had many airline friends “on the road” that day, I fortunately was off and at home.
Our first indication came when Tawni (my wife at the time ) and I were dropping our two kids off at grade school.  They were attending a private Christian school run by their grandma, who came running out to inform us.


We went inside to watch CNN and try to make sense of the news.  The 2nd plane had just hit, so we all knew it was a terror attack.  We spent the day riveted to the screen, while the teachers tried valiantly (and in vain) to give the kids a routine day of classes.


I was scheduled to fly the next day, but Tawni put her foot down and demanded I stay home.  The point turned out to be moot, as the FAA took the unprecedented step of grounding ALL U.S. air traffic for the next 3 days.


Airline crews were strewn and stranded across the country, having been diverted inflight to the nearest suitable airports—and then grounded.  Flight crews did their best to make the best of it, miles away from worried loved ones.  Three days later, they became some of the many unsung heroes of 9/11, being the very first to return to America’s Free Skies.
When I finally flew again, about a week later, passengers and crew alike were still understandably skittish.  In the back of my head I had prepared a pre-departure speech, which I’ll try to recreate here:

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking.  Welcome aboard Flight XX, with service to XYZ.“I understand that you may feel a tad nervous being onboard today given the week’s unprecedented events.  Let me personally assure you that we as a flight crew and airline have done our very best to give you the safest and most secure flight possible.“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to point out that, from now on, every airline ticket that you purchase is a vote for Freedom, and every flight flown is a victory over terrorism.  So thank you for your patronage, thank you for your  patriotism, and God bless America!”
And yes, I got a rousing round of applause from the cabin for that one.

This year, I am flying three flights on 9/11. Am I worried? Not one bit. Here's a few pics from last year's 9/11 flights:


freedom flight 9/11
9/11/12 "Freedom Flight"
9/11/12: I voted today!


capn aux 9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama

My dispatcher agrees!
and finally...
9/11 war on terror us troops support jihad bush obama
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
The war against terrorism isn't over.  Regardless of your politics, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!  A few links:
Troop Support.com (many links)
Of course there are a million more sites recounting 9/11, honoring the victims, etc. Unfortunately, there are also hundreds of whackjob conspiracy sites, scumbags celebrating it, etc. As far as I'm concerned, every one of them can go to hell!

Feel free to list in the Comments Section your favorite sites HONORING 9/11...


 Encouraging Signs!



A few brave souls in the Muslim world are standing AGAINST violence and terrorism!  I hope this becomes a HUGE grassroots movement.  I see this as the ONLY  WAY out of this worldwide mess . . . but it takes GREAT courage, for they could be "martyred" by fanatics for their nonviolent beliefs!



Link to article


A recent photo shared on Facebook. They really need this kind of example in Egypt right now!




Related Cap'n Aux Posts
—  —  —  —  —  —  —

           POST-FLIGHT CHECKLIST
  1.  JOIN THIS SITE.....................VERIFY.............................JOINED
  2.  COMMENT............................VERIFY.............................MADE
  3.  FACEBOOK...........................VERIFY.............................LIKED
  4.  TWITTER...............................VERIFY.............................TWEETED
  5.  EMAIL....................................VERIFY.............................MAILED
  6.  OTHER NETWORKS...........VERIFY.............................SHARED 
             POST-FLIGHT CHECKLIST.......................COMPLETE!   

— — — — — — — — — —

LINED UP & WAITING
Departing Wednesday, September 18 @ 11:00 PHX
The Cap'n & the Controller—a 2-part series!

Part I: Blog Buddy & Air Traffic Controller Brian
Jumpseats with Cap'n Aux!

— — — — — — — — — —
HOLDING SHORT
Departing September 25

Part II: Cap'n Aux visits Air Traffic Control!
— — — — — — —


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3 comments:

  1. Eric,
    What a great tribute to those that were lost that fateful day over a decade ago.
    It changed us all - it changed everything - and I'll never forget that day as long as I live.
    I wasn't flying either, but I was Captain on the first flight our company launched, once the airspace was reopened to 135 operators, and it was a sobering experience.
    I hope we never have to endure such tragedies again.
    Brent

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Brent at iflyblog.com!

      I tried to go "minimalist" with my 9/11 tribute post--that is, less of "me and my story," and more about the people we lost, and links to those sites that honor them.

      I would like to hear your story some time about that first day back. It was quite a memory for all of us, I am sure!

      May we win the war on terrorism quickly and decisively.

      Thanks for your comment, Brent!

      Delete
  2. This is an outstanding tribute to those lost, those left behind, those who risked their lives during the recovery efforts and to those who have fought bravely to protect and serve our country.

    I wasn't flying on September 11th, but I flew on the first day our company operated flights after the attacks. I remember expecting enormous crowds at the airport. I thought there would be long lines to get through security and anticipated packed flights as we attempted to get the system up and moving again. What I found was a deserted terminal and flights with only a hand full of passengers. Of course that changed over time, but it was a very slow recovery.

    All these years later, I find it difficult not to get emotional on the anniversary of that tragic event. My youngest daughter was less than a year old on 9/11...she's full of questions now and enjoyed your post too.

    It's always a pleasure to spend some time immersed in your blog.

    Brad

    ReplyDelete

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