McDasniel return trip to North Carolina

[VAUConnFan]

Were you in the tower at DCA or IAD on 9/11? That was a horrible day.

On that day, I was assigned to the air traffic control tower in White Plains, NY(HPN), the facility at which most of my career was spent, scheduled for the 3pm-11pm shift, and was home when the planes crashed into the towers. As soon as the first plane hit, I must have received at least three calls back to back from friends around the country requesting more details. I assumed, then, that it was a prop plane flying the VFR(Visual Flight Rules; basically see and be seen. The majority of aircraft fly VFR) Corridor down the Hudson River at 1100 feet; very popular airspace corridor for obvious reasons. Never in a million years would I have assumed that it was a commercial jet. As more details came to light and television coverage intensified, I was beyond mystified. Knowing the volume of air traffic in such a tight airspace in and around NYC, made me wonder how in the world anyone could successfully descend a heavy jet (heavy jet is any aircraft with the capability of taking off at greater than 300,000 pounds) thru that airspace uncontrolled without crashing into another aircraft. My wife, who just two years earlier, worked for a law firm on the 57th floor of 1World Trade Center, and was there in February 1993 when the bombing occurred, was inconsolable with concern for former co-workers. By the time I got to work at 3, all air traffic, in an unprecedented move and with incredible haste and professionalism, had come to a screeching halt. Teterboro Airport, because of its proximity to NYC was closed to air traffic, so all of its traffic was diverted to White Plains. One entire runway and most of the taxiways were choked with displaced aircraft. All of the ramps were full, all of the tiedowns were full. It looked chaotic, but it felt as if everyone had been drilled rigorously. It was at least two weeks before things returned to a semblance of normal. Nothing has been the same since.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I'm glad you enjoyed your career and that you are having an enjoyable and productive retirement.

When I was in the Navy, I actually did some air traffic controlling as part of my billet as CIC Officer on a destroyer. Most of it was in coordinating anti submarine work with air forces, mostly a twin prop plane called the S2F, but there was some anti-air intercept work as well.

I made a big mistake once in an ASW drill in Key West. We were going after a sub and had a couple of STF's helping out. I was kinda busy since I was both controlling the S2F's and running the sub tracking in CIC (I'm sure the Navy has changed that procedure... way too much going on for one person). Anyway part of our destroyer ASW armament was something called hedgehogs, which was pattern of mini-depth charges fired forward when we believed the sub was in that sector. Unfortunately our weapons officer "fired" the hedgehogs before I was able to make sure the S2F's were clear of the firing sector. The S2F pilots really chewed me out over the radio for that stupidity, and I'll never forget it. Good thing it was just a drill... nothing was actually fired.

Later, on my way home from the Tonkin Gulf I spent some time on a carrier and observed the controllers bringing in the planes returning from strikes... the technology they were using even way back then was pretty mind blowing for me.

So yeah, I'm very familiar with the awesome responsibility of the Air Traffic Controller. Thanks for your service.

I enjoy listening to war stories. There are places I have never been that I have fully experienced thru the eyes of those who served. It is my feeling that the Navy gets to see more of the world in a shorter period of time, and, thus, tell the best stories.

 

[semper]

How do you change your tag line?

 

[speedoo]

I enjoy listening to war stories. There are places I have never been that I have fully experienced thru the eyes of those who served. It is my feeling that the Navy gets to see more of the world in a shorter period of time, and, thus, tell the best stories.

You are absolutely right about the Navy seeing more of the world in a short period of time. That was one of the major reasons I joined up, and it definitely worked for me.

 

[JS]

How do you change your tag line?

You don't appear to have one as of now, semper.

Click on your handle at upper right. Dropdown menu includes Signature.

 

[MilfordHusky]

On that day, I was assigned to the air traffic control tower in White Plains, NY(HPN), the facility at which most of my career was spent, scheduled for the 3pm-11pm shift, and was home when the planes crashed into the towers. As soon as the first plane hit, I must have received at least three calls back to back from friends around the country requesting more details. I assumed, then, that it was a prop plane flying the VFR(Visual Flight Rules; basically see and be seen. The majority of aircraft fly VFR) Corridor down the Hudson River at 1100 feet; very popular airspace corridor for obvious reasons. Never in a million years would I have assumed that it was a commercial jet. As more details came to light and television coverage intensified, I was beyond mystified. Knowing the volume of air traffic in such a tight airspace in and around NYC, made me wonder how in the world anyone could successfully descend a heavy jet (heavy jet is any aircraft with the capability of taking off at greater than 300,000 pounds) thru that airspace uncontrolled without crashing into another aircraft. My wife, who just two years earlier, worked for a law firm on the 57th floor of 1World Trade Center, and was there in February 1993 when the bombing occurred, was inconsolable with concern for former co-workers. By the time I got to work at 3, all air traffic, in an unprecedented move and with incredible haste and professionalism, had come to a screeching halt. Teterboro Airport, because of its proximity to NYC was closed to air traffic, so all of its traffic was diverted to White Plains. One entire runway and most of the taxiways were choked with displaced aircraft. All of the ramps were full, all of the tiedowns were full. It looked chaotic, but it felt as if everyone had been drilled rigorously. It was at least two weeks before things returned to a semblance of normal. Nothing has been the same since.

Amen. That was a great job to get all the aircraft on the ground so fast.

 

[Icebear]

It was an unbelievable job. Thanks for the story and your job, VAU.