As we get older I guess reflection becomes a bit more meaningful. 15 years ago I was a Captain flying for Comair, on a flight from Little Rock Arkansas to Cincinnati on a crystal clear morning, when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. As we were already on the arrival into CVG and a bit passed Louisville, we were permitted to continue into CVG. Though we did not know what was going on at the time, it was obvious that something was very much out of the ordinary, by the transmissions from air traffic control, as they were instructing everyone to land and changing aircraft destinations, from their original flight plans. A few aircraft questioned this change of destination and I will never forget a specific transmission from ATC. "Sir if you do not comply we will notify the department of defense." I looked at my first officer and said "what the hell is going on". Aviation, and the way we all live, changed that day and so much has changed since then.

 

However as equally memorable to me, exactly one year after that horrible day I was flying from Columbia SC to New York Laguardia and we were scheduled to land at just about 8:45AM. I made the comment to my first officer that we are scheduled to land at almost the same time as when the first plane would have hit the Trade Center one year prior. Tensions and security were quite high that day being the one year anniversary. LaGuardia was landing on runway 4. The approach into LaGuardia for runway 4, you pass The Statue of Liberty and the city is just off the left wing, it's one of the most picturesque approaches in the whole country. We were vectored onto final approach and I looked at the clock in the airplane, and it read 8:42AM. Though we had the job of landing the airplane, it was another clear morning, just as the year before, it was very surreal for both myself and my first officer as I noted the time to him. We both knew what was happening one year prior almost to the minute, in the same airspace we were currently flying in. We touched down, my first officer was flying, I made my call outs and glanced at the clock it showed 8:46......I have had this sticker on my flight bag for almost 15 years to honor all who lost their lives on that day and that this is the greatest country on earth...God Bless America!

 

Awesome stuff.