Where were you on 9/11?

[SeanD]

I was reflecting a little today and talking to some co-workers about 9/11. We all seemed to know exactly what we were doing and who told us the news and that moment in time when I turned on the t.v to see that first building on fire and thinking to myself what a random, strange accident. I thought, wow that pilot must have had the sun in his eyes. Those poor people, how the hell are they going to put out that fire?Then out of the right hand of the t.v comes the second plane. The reporter then said " We are under attack " I had no idea what he was trying to tell me. Who was attacking us? Was it Iraq? Russia? My mother was the original person who called me out of my sleep to tell me to turn on the t.v and I will never forget her words, "Sean, a plane has crashed into one of the twin towers, turn on the t.v. America has changed today." Where were you all on 9/11?

[fly22]

Flying home from Peru. Diverted back to Lima and spent an extra 10 days there. They didn't tell us why. Upon lnading a little Peruvian told us they were attacking my country. First thought to pop into my head " What? Just like in Red Dawn?"

[DE727UPS]

Copenhagen, Denmark. Working. UPS canceled us that night but it was normal ops the rest of the week, intra Europe, except for the armored cars with machine guns on the ramp.

[Trip7]

At school during my football team's mandatory morning lifting sessions. Heard a plane hit the WTC on the radio blaring in the weightroom. After we were done walked by coaches offices and first saw towers flaming. Went to get shower and change. When I got back only one tower was standing. Saw the second one fall live.

[Chris_Ford]

I was asleep when most of it happened (living in Arizona at the time). Woke up and hit my alarm over to the radio, which was usually a sports station, but they were saying things about evacuating the Sears Tower and the Space Needle. I jumped out of bed and ran down to the TV when only one tower remained standing. Ran into my parents room and told them what had happened. Sat and watched for a while, then had to start getting ready for school. I got out of the shower and the second tower had fallen. We were so far away from New York, school was basically no different. We watched it on TV during the first class of the day, but in the second we had to take a vocabulary test. That stuck out in my mind that maybe 10,000 had died and we had to take a stupid freaking test? By the third and final class of the day, it was all but over, and things returned to normal.

I do wish now that we could start rebuilding the towers, exactly as before, but higher. I'm not sure I like the present design. I would like to see a tall, defining building built there, with a respectful memorial. Seems to be taking a long time.

[JaceTheAce]

I was living in San Diego with my brother. My brother woke me up early in the morning to tell me the news.

[surreal1221]

Getting breakfast at Chick-Fil-A in between classes at one school, on my way to my other school.

[kellwolf]

I was at home on my day off from Sea World, get ready for my first flight lesson that was scheduled for the next day. My wife called me from where she was working (Disney) to let me know that a plane had hit the WTC. Watched the rest of it live....

[Doug Taylor]

Boston.

[meritflyer]

Day off work. Laying in bed, my father called me from Paris and told me a small plane had just hit the tower..

I watched the rest unfold live.

[killbilly]

Dallas. Had just taken my kid to school...was reading emails and got a LISTSERV message from one my moto-groups that someone had hit WTC with a 737.

I turned on the TV. Saw both fall live.

[frog_flyer]

was sittin at home in dallas and saw a huge hole in the wtc. Went to school and heard about another one, and sat in the cafeteria watching tv just about all damn day.

[ready2fly]

At work.... in a very tall building.. near an international airport.

[flyingmaniac]

I was overseas in Japan, just wearing down from drinking that night. A friend servicemember called me and told me to turn on the TV. After that, I knew I had to report to my ship on base for muster. Then of-course we were going to go out to sea pretty soon.

[Ian J]

I was at Ft Campbell, KY at a pistol range. A Humvee pulled up and told us the news. I raced home and packed my field gear, kissed my wife, and told her I didn't know when I was going to be home. I was sure we'd be wheels up to somewhere within 24 hours. Um... no... took till January before we left for Afghanistan.

[LouieP]

It was sitting in English class my senior year of high school just 2 short hours North of NYC. Couldn't believe what we were seeing. Three days ago I brought one of my old flight students to fly the NYC VFR Corridor. I still can't believe it everytime I fly past Ground Zero. 2 acres of emptiness right in the heart of the city. Always remembered, never forgotten.

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Working out of town at an Automoble factory. Guys came to me and told me a commuter went into the tower. Heard the second one hit one the radio live. Left immediately for home (4+ hour drive). Stopped back at hotel to see the news for about 10 mins. Had office manager calling me constantly when they announced the missing flight (UAL93) and I was in the area it was.

Paid close to $5/gallon for gas that day to get home, in a line that took about an hour to get through.

[jayllamas]

I was getting ready to end my 11pm-7am hotel front desk shift....I was wondering why everyone's face was glued to the lounge TV. I didn't care because i was reviewing for my next flight to prep for my private pilot checkride...not knowing the current event will change the path of my dreams. My flight school closed down, my dad lost his job flying MD-11's and the hotel I worked at hotel almost turned turtle because of lack of customers...etc. etc....let's just pray something like this will never happen again. Got so pissed with the terrorists that I joined the CA air national guard the same month.

[Mariano]

I was at my apartment in Manhattan, Central Park West & 102nd st. , a relative call us to say a plane just crashed at the WTC, turned on the TV just before the second plane hit.

Stayed home all day, (except a visit to the grocery store to buy food).

I remember my wife (an ex-firefighter) getting ready to go to ground zero that evening to volunteer, when the mayor appeared on TV, asking New Yorkers to stay home, that no more volunteers were needed. She stayed home, she couldn't have made it downtown anyways, you couldn't walk or drive south of 14th st. for the first couple of days.

The whole tragedy hit me really a couple of days after, while I was riding the subway. I saw a young woman holding a picture of a loved one ( she was obviously searching for him), crying, and holding the picture pressed against her chest. There was the real tragedy, in front of my eyes, away from all the sterilized media craze. It made me really, really sad.

[MikeD]

Was airborne leading 4 jets at the bombing range; re-roled to remain airborne. What a madhouse with ATC sequencing planes that morning.

[triple7]

Woke up to a phone call from my mom to turn on the tv. watched the 2nd plane hit, then got a call from my dad that he was headed home and ok. He was a pentagon Army guy, and I didnt know what the big deal was, till I returned to the TV to see the pentagon with a smoking hole in it. Class was canceled that night, and for two weeks there were armed(m-16 style) guards on campus. I remember it like it was yesterday.

[cmsuav8r]

I was in high school just ending the first class of the day when another teacher came into the classroom and told us to turn on the tv and that a plane just hit the world trade center. The news didn't really hit me until one of my classmates said that this would change the history books. School just didn't seem important the rest of the day.

[IFly85]

I was in High School at the time and we were in between classes. I forgot my pen from the first class and went back to get it, and I noticed everyone was just staring at the tv. The only thing I knew at the time, was that it had something to do with the World Trade Center. Went to the next class and was informed that an airplane had hit the World Trade center. I deffinately remember that one class because there was a girl who was in the class and was scared to death because her father was in New York on buisiness, but luckily he was at least a few blocks from the towers. Then my next class we watched the 2nd tower fall live. It was a day that no one will forget.

[towhook]

Waiting for the DE to come in and start my PP checkride. An instructor popped their head in and told me.

[OldTownPilot]

In High School, junior year, AP statistics class. The Computer Science teacher comes in and tell us 2 planes had hit the towers, and we went back with her into that room. My dad was a 756 FO out of EWR at the time, and I knew he was starting a trip that morning EWR-BOS-EWR-LAS. Once they were talking about them being comercial planes I was freaking out. My next class was computer science in that same room. Most of the people in school kept asking if he was alright, so about an hour later I was called down to the office, so I really thought it was his plane that was targeted. But they said that my dad had called the house and was ok in BOS.

Durring his flight he was one of the crews that was asked if they say any of the errant aircraft. UA 93 was just behind him in line to take off, and he saw on of the 767s that hit the tower. When he got to BOS they said he would not be going anywhere for a while cause a plane had hit the WTC. His first thought was that a COex ATR took a wrong turn in the hudson river departure corridor. They then told him it was 2 767s. The airline was great, they got the crews out of the airport quickly and got him a room in Peabody. A couple of days later he was the second ferry flight to leave BOS and headed to BWI, flying overhead of NYC. Then commuted home BWI-CLE-PWM.