Seems fitting for the day that is in it, when you think back on all the lives lost on this day 11 years ago, it's still hard to grasp the sheer volume. I think 9/11 has become that "Where were you when" event of at least my generation, and probably many of those younger and older than me. My thoughts are always with the families on this day, but also with all those also effected by the this in more indirect ways. Still to this day I get goose bumps from looking at the footage of the crashes, and I don't think that feeling will ever go away. When people turned something you have a passion for into a weapon that killed so many it changes you, I'm sure many others on here felt that way on the day looking on as events unfolded, it hurts deep down to know that these machines you're so passionate about, have been used to murder 3,000 people...

 

Found a nice FSX tribute video on You Tube:

 

Regards,

Ró.

"Where were you when"

 

Living in Toronto at the time, I had the day off. I turned the TV on that morning to check the weather and the first building was on fire, live on TV. Reporters were not confirming what the cause was but speculating it may have been an aircraft. I remember thinking how is it possible for an aircraft making an approach to JFK to be able to lose control and hit the tower like that.....then the second plane hit the second tower and I knew right away what it was. It was unbelievable the moment I saw that second plane hit. I didn't move for the entire day as you couldn't believe what was happening at the time, only to get worse as the buildings collapsed.

 

I remember my flat at the time was on Queen Street West in Toronto above the shops. This is a very busy shopping district. That afternoon I hung out my Star & Stripes from out my front window on a pole I mounted over the street for the next month. People along Queen Street appreciated that as it really stood out when you walked down the street.

 

Canadians did a lot for America at the time as they took a considerable amount of aircraft into Halifax and CFB Goose Bay when the USA wasn't allowing International Flights into US Airspace. We called this the day the world came to town. The people of Halifax and Happy Valley-Goose Bay were very good to open their doors to all the people stranded in Eastern Canada that week.

 

Cheers

"Where were you when"

I remember I was at work on my first recurrent training session as a Captain on the A320, we had just stopped for lunch and were sitting around in a little group just hanging out in the library of the training department just chilling when someone shouted out to look at the TV, we all gathered around to look at it, there was about 30 of us there, all huddled around this television screen. Our first reaction was that they had made a navigation error similar to the AA965 in Cali, Colombia. Though we immediately started to doubt that due to the prevailing VMC. Once the second plane hit we knew just what was going on, we were so shocked that something like this could happen.We weren't sure at first if it was one of our aircraft, but we quickly deduced that it couldn't be and that they'd still be over the Atlantic. When the second plane hit we were so distraught, I remember people crying, and just being in total shock. I remember how everyone wanted to use the phone to call their families, all I wanted to do was hold my kids and wife.

 

Things had calmed down a bit for the next while, until the first tower collapsed and then everyone just broke down, thinking of all those still side the building. It totally changed the way we looked on our job, but it also added a real bond between all of us in the room that day... I remember arriving home to my kids who were 7 and 2 years old at the time, both in tears thinking it was my plane that had crashed, I remember my wife and neighbour inside both in tears in each others arms, I remember my neighbours husband just sitting there speechless, in shock.

 

I don't think those memories will ever leave me...

 

Regards,

Ró.

Good thoughts Ró.

 

It must have hit people who work in commercial aviation doubly hard, not to mention air travellers on that day.

 

My GF was flying out to Singapore on her way to Oz that afternoon (as it was here in UK) and she phoned from Heathrow saying she was thinking of abandoning the trip. I told her to carry on with the journey as it was probably the safest time to be flying as everyone in the business would be on high alert. When she got to Singapore the hotel staff upgraded her from a basic room to what was obviously a VIP suite (!) and treated her like royalty. I imagine they'd had a lot of cancellations that day.

Huh? First time steel melting?

 

I had just sat down at my desk to start my day as I did everyday when a strange "whooshing" and "droning" engine sound started to get louder very quickly. As quickly as it caught my interest, a shadow passed by my window and was followed by a terrible thundering noise just like a strong thunderstorm.

 

I was sitting on the 34th floor of 7 WTC with a view up and into the massive hole that had just been opened into the side of the north tower. I had many friends in that building so my first thought was to call and ask of they were ok. Thankfully, I got through and was able to tell one that he might want to stay away from the building for now. I wouldn't be able to make any calls after that as all the lines were busy from that point. It caused my family a lot of grief all morning until I was able to meet them.

 

Everyone at the office ran to the windows and began speculating about what could have happened. None of us were sure but a lot of people were suspicious as many had been there one the bombing occurred. At this point flames and smoke could be seen and there were papers flying everywhere through the air. Seeing a bunch of paper trash blown by the wind always brings me back to that day.

 

The evacuation started after 5 minutes of confusion. I recall the coworker in front of me packing her belongings into her backpack as I told her we would be back in a day. As we went down the stairs everyone more or less saw and heard the same thing so we concluded it was an airplane that lost control.

 

We made it to the lobby to a scene of destruction on the street from falling debris. The main exits were blocked and everyone was pushing to get out. Then the second plane hit and the flames fanned out directly overhead in plain view from our glass faced lobby. It felt like we were in a broiler as the heat could be felt just like opening an oven. It sent everyone into a panic and people started doing anything to leave as a massive pile out debris started to rain down and crack the glass. Amazingly it held together as I pushed my pregnant coworker against a column to screen her from the crowd and anything that may come through from the outside.

 

A few minutes later we were outside and walking to the north. We stopped a few blocks away on Chambers street to stare at the buildings. We were all very aware that we were fortunate to be standing there as we saw the trapped people high above. It was terrible to witness and many of us were sitting down and crying or shaking their heads in disbelief.

 

A fireman running past us and toward the buildings stopped to tell at everyone to evacuate the area because the buildings were not stable. He then resumed running to the towers. I wish I knew the name of that fireman, and I do hope he is okay.

 

We all started walking to the north and I never looked back. I must have been so shocked, because I had no idea that the buildings had come down until that afternoon when I made my way to midtown to find my mother.

 

It took forever to get to my car which was parked opposite the towers in NJ. The winds carried much of the dust and smoke over that way and left my car buried in a thick layer. The smell was terrible and did not leave for a few weeks. It took some time for ash to stop blowing out of the vents when the fan was turned on.

 

I was back at work the next day in a backup site in NJ. It was the best thing that could have happened for our health. Unfortunately, the building faced NYC, and it was impossible to avoid seeing the rising column of smoke all day. Soon curtains were installed on that side of the building. The nights and weekends were very tough, because I would think about the events all day without anything else to focus on. It also took many months before any of us at the office could trust the Newark bound air traffic that was on final flying directly overhead.

 

When I see these messages, it reminds me of how small a world it is that we live in and all the good people in it.

 

Edit: I guess that weird post was removed.

"Where were you when"

 

I had finished a graveyard shift as a 911 Dispatcher. When I came home shortly after 0600 MST, my wife had CNN on our TV. The video showed the fire in the first tower. My wife said a plane hit the tower. As a firefighter for twenty-two years, my first thought was to how were they going to fight a fire nearly 1,000' above the street? To me, the members of the FDNY were the best there is. If there was anyone who could fight this fire, it was them. My wife, who is also a firefighter, and I hugged each other and prayed for all of the rescuers, not just the firefighters, who were there that awful morning.

My second thought as a 911 Dispatcher was the date- 9-1-1. Was this deliberate or coincidence?

I placed a call to my Dispatch Center to let them know to get ready for a flood of calls. At that time, we had no AM/FM radio or TV in our Center, so the on duty Dispatchers had no clue yet what had happened in New York. Even though we were in Colorado, I knew people would call us for information.

My next call was to a friend and fellow Dispatcher who was a Fire Chief in a nearby town. He had not heard of the incident either. As I talked to him, the second plane hit. Like many, I knew this was no longer an accident.

As the coverage continued, showing the building collapses and the subsequent attack at the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 77 in Pennsylvania, my thoughts turned to revenge against those who did this. Echoing those famous words from World War II, I thought the attackers had "awoken a sleeping giant".

That evening, I recieved a call from my sister. She was scheduled to attend a meeting in New York on September 11th and had reservations at the Marriot Hotel next to the World Trade Center. Fortunately, her business meeting was cancelled the day before and she was not there during the attacks.

This summer, my wife and I visited Ground Zero for the first time since the attacks. We saw the fountains that now stood in the footprints of the two towers. We saw the tourists smiling as they had their pictures taken next to the names of those who died that morning. To us, the plaza between the fountains was once a place where rescuers ran for their lives as the first tower collapsed above them. My wife and I agreed that we would not have our picture taken there out of respect. Ground Zero was not just another vacation destination for us. It is hallowed ground.

We will never forget those that died that day. Not just the firefighters, but also the police officers, the paramedics, the members of the military, the business people, the secretaries, and the people of all faiths who died that morning.

We will never forget.

http://en.wikipedia....ki/11_September

 

The main thing I connect to the 9/11 phrase is 'look what it has made out of us'. And there's no question on 3000 dead people having an impact. In fact, this may be the most tragic media event of all times but who would even set up a ranking in those regimes?

 

I would feel ashamed if that one event made me forget about the other dead people before and after that date. Their fates, their circumstances and their tragic role in history.

 

So if one attaches more to 9/11 phrase than the pictures media wanted him to remember, that's a win. If one asks openly, if all the 'countermeasures' following the event are justified, if they are even able to establish a kind of security in a society, that's a win too.

 

There's no gain in losing 3000 lives, but there's a way to make their loss count. By this, the hardest thing to do may once again be the one showing why you are better than their murders.

My family has a history in law enforcement; seems to be in the blood. Many were active that day, and risked their lives because that's what they do (except my sis, who was pregnant at the time and refused an order to go anywhere near the place, as there were already suspicions circulating about toxic materials)

 

Even as we remember the victims in the buildings themselves and their loved ones, please take a moment to also remember the victims among the first responders and others, many of whom spent days and weeks at the site and the surrounding area; whose cancer rates have since tripled, and who even now, all these years later, are dying at a prodigious pace.

 

The costs of that day continue.

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Some not nice reading, for those that feel up to it. http://en.wikipedia....mber_11_attacks

Well said, Devon.

 

Bill

 

I was in the air, this hit me very hard, as it was my airline that was one of the two involved. I still remember the ACARS message, and my captain and I trying to figure out what to tell the crew and paxs.

 

I will never forget the many acts of kindness from strangers that day the the week after. In many ways, it was both our lowest and our highest moment not just as a nation, but as the people of this planet. Almost every nation, and all walks of life bonded together as one.

Ró

 

I completely support your thoughts in your first post. Nice find on the tribute video. Chilling scenes at the start.

 

As a UK based Paramedic who has been to a major incident (a train crash) and experienced many other aspects of human life and nature at its worst (and best) I can still only start to imagine the horror on the day for all those involved and all those who were and continue to be affected by this atrocity.

 

I clearly remember where I was that day - participating in the emergency driver training that was the last element of my training to do my job. Where 'hardened' ambulance staff, many with years of experience stood, sat and watched in total silence. In horror and despair.

 

Not one year passes where I do not give a thought for all those affected. In particular, for my fellow emergency services colleagues, who whilst others (understandably) were running away, they rushed to the scene to help and sacrificed their lives in doing so. May all those who died RIP, hopefully more peacefully in the knowledge that although few of us alive today knew them personally, that they are in our thoughts and not forgotten. And may this sentiment extend to all their families, friends and loved ones, who continue to miss them and try to understand and come to terms with the terrible events of this day.

 

Peace be with us all.

Very Interesting reading from other's perspective. Here is a piece I wrote the day after...

 

Quote:

 

September 12, 2001

 

I woke up yesterday morning; September 11 at home in Calgary, Alberta Canada to what I thought was just another day. After turning on the television to catch the weather, I ended up canceling my appointments in order to watch the horror unfolding in America to the south.

 

In the early afternoon, strangely unsettled, needing to connect with other hurting humans, I went to the Calgary International airport. The city streets and freeways were almost empty as most people stayed home with family, glued to the TV news coverage, grieving. I drove to and parked in an area close to the terminal. In a long line and stopped on taxi strips and unused runways were jumbo jets from all over the world, a sort of rainbow of colors and a who's who of the world’s airlines.

 

A small number of people were standing on the back of pickups and traffic barriers, staring at the evidence before their eyes of the truth of the shifting sands of the foundation of their world. There was a strange silence, no one making eye contact with another, each buried in private thoughts. All my mundane, commonplace problems seemed so insignificant in light of the slaughter of so many in New York and Washington.

 

Airport Security, City of Calgary Police and RCMP patrolled the airport perimeters with a seriousness and consternation that forbid attracting their attention. It seemed like a different world from the orderly happy-go-lucky stampede city that seemed so permanent just a few hours before.

 

I watched as a few giant stragglers lined up to land, a United Airlines 747, an Air Canada 767, an Italian MD 11 and a Canada 3000 330. Each followed the one in front of them, stopping behind all the others, waiting for permission to approach the suddenly overloaded terminal and cautious Canadian authorities. For the thousands of passengers sitting and waiting endlessly on their grounded aircraft, I sensed that a radical un-welcomed change has imposed itself in their lives. A chapter in history has been closed. A new one begins.

 

It’s a curious weakness how shocked we, as modern humans, can be when the probable happens. Even though we know that life is temporary and on a slippery slope, we are always surprised by the proof of it. Society and civilization, as we know it, is no more secure than our own steady heartbeat, and the next lung full of air.

 

Unquote

 

Still painful isn't it?

This story is front cover on our newspapers today, Goes to show the global connection that still exists today:

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7656516/Kiwi-voice-soars-at-9-11-memorial-service

 

A Kiwi opera singer with a personal connection to 9/11 has sung the American national anthem at Ground Zero in a service marking the 11th anniversary of the terror attacks.

 

Dunedin-born soprano Marla Rodriguez performed The Star-Spangled Banner at an early-morning service at the former site of the World Trade Center yesterday.

 

At the same time, her husband, tenor Daniel Rodriguez, sang the national anthem at a 9/11 memorial service at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

I was enroute to a business meeting that Tuesday morning, and my Wife called me to report that a plane had struck the Trade Center in New York. I didn't believe her, but told her it must be a small aircraft with a trainee aboard. I wasn't that surprised, and told her I'd check the radio news channel.

When I heard the real magnitude of the situation, I called her back and apologized with my "flippant" attitude toward her call. It was so serious that I actually cried on that road trip. I still cry today thinking about it.

 

Stan

I'm sure I'm one of the youngest members of Avsim, and thus can't personally remember anything about 9/11, except what my parents have told me.

With that, someone found the original thread on airliners.net, supposedly dated 2 minutes after the first impact. Scary reading, especially one of the last replies, which points to a (then) year old thread theorizing what would happen if an airliner hit the WTC. I had chills.

http://www.airliners [DOT] net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/568411/2/#menu27