Flying on 9/11
Seven years ago today, my wife came down to my hotel breakfast meeting at a midtown Manhattan hotel and told us that there was something we needed to see. We went upstairs to one of my investor's rooms, which had a balcony, and watched the disaster unfold. Several of our friends died that day, though we wouldn't know that for weeks. In between was a bizarre cross-country drive from Manhattan to Seattle.
I am on the road again today, and will observe that the airport is pretty empty today. I don't know if this is an anomaly, or a general reluctance to fly on 9/11.
PS- Ironically, I was making a presentation that morning to potential investors telling them that the commercial airline business, on which our small company depended, was due for a turnaround. Oops.
Jim Collins:
I'll never forget leaving work that afternoon and being the only car crossing the Highland Park Bridge in Pittsburgh. Downtown Pittsburgh had a voluntary evacuation after Flight 93 flew overhead. The office that I worked at was in a building that was built like a bunker. Most of us thought that it was safer to stay where we were. The other thing I'll never forget was that I was to be at a breakfast meeting at the Top of the World, at 9:00 AM September 18th 2001.
September 11, 2008, 1:40 pmLarry Sheldon:
We live in Flyover Country. Literally. One of the approach courses to Offutt AFB is apparently overhead.
The view from the parts of the house that we are in most of the time is to the West and when the sky is clear it is laced with contrails.
7 years ago the sky went pretty much silent. No light aircraft from Millard. No airliners to and from Eppley. The skies cleared.
The only traffic for a while was one approach to Offutt. Some reason to believe that was when the President arrived.
Some time later, another approach. Picking up the President?
Next traffic was an approach to Offutt--then we learned that the President was going to appear and speak in public. The Vice President hiding in the bunker? At the end of the President's speech, another arrival.
That was pretty much the end of traffic for a long time.
No contrails.
Eerie and scary.
September 11, 2008, 4:42 pmDoug:
"What are you prepared to do about it?"
September 11, 2008, 5:53 pmjohn:
that is scary. the other thing that is scary is that it's been 7 years. and it feels like yesterday.
September 12, 2008, 9:09 amjohn:
that is scary. the other thing that is scary is that it's been 7 years. and it feels like yesterday.
September 12, 2008, 9:09 am