Eleven years ago today I was at work in the morning. I had been in this new job for almost a year. Some of you may know, I am an Air Force Reserve Technician Pilot, meaning I am a civil servant 40 hours a week and a reserve pilot on evenings and weekends. I was the Assistant Chief Pilot, meaning I was the scheduler for about thirty pilots in my squadron.
That particular morning I was alone in the office, but had the television on and set to Fox News. I was busy working on the schedule when I looked up to see the reports about an aircraft hitting the first tower. Several weeks prior to this a small single engine aircraft had hit another building in New York, and it was simply pilot error. I chalked it up again to some dumbass pilot getting in over his head. It amazes me how many people get in an aircraft without much thought as to how dangerous it can be if you aren’t prepared. I remember thinking, “Holy crap, not again.” My focus went back to my excel spreadsheet. We hadn’t heard anything yet about what kind of aircraft it was, so I assumed it was a similar sized plane.
