I am sitting here trying to find the right words to say from the Canadian point
of view but the enormity of the events of the last few days is hard to
comprehend let alone put down in a few words. I think this is larger than
national boundaries and I am sure Canadians look upon it as being a good
neighbour and doing the right thing. I am sure it would be the same if the
roles were reversed.
Reading Rick's friends' message is chilling though because I had not heard a
first hand account like this nor had I put myself in their position to imagine
what it was like. Hard to picture being "isolated" in an airliner hours away
from land hearing what was happening to your colleagues and not knowing for
certain what else was transpiring. The image of being ID'd by the fighters on
the way home shows how serious the authorities are taking the situation, I had
not heard that this was happening but I am not surprised either.
I think the Canadian reaction to the closure of American airspace was the only
correct option possible even though there may have been some risk associated
with it. At some point you have to consider what doing the right thing to help
your neighbour means and that accept it isn't necessarily the easy thing to do.
On the aviation side and from my own local point of view of the story, the
thing I am struck with is how well the diverted passengers took the
inconvenience and perhaps even more, how the local communities who hosted these
people responded given the numbers involved. In my local area, Halifax, Nova
Scotia, the press is saying we hosted the largest number of travelers, about
9,000 from 44 aircraft. We have two runways at YHZ, Halifax International, one
was shut down and aircraft were parked wing to wing and nose to tail, I have
never seen anything like it. Other airports like Gander & St. Johns had their
share also, I believe Gander had more visitors than residents.
The response from the local volunteer organizations and the general public was
phenomenal, sports arenas, university residences & schools were transformed
into dormitories and after a short period, the Red Cross who was managing
things, had to turn down offers from the public to host visitors in their homes
because everyone who wanted was placed! Food and supplies came out of the
woodwork, right down to toothbrushes and prescriptions. Students and staff
from a local chef program set up a kitchen on at least one site and prepared
meals for the visitors including special meals for those on restricted diets
for medical or religious reasons. Translators were found to assist people who
didn't speak English and in this my spouse and I were fortunate to be able to
play a small role with a few visitors from Italy since we had learned that
language when we lived there there a few years ago.
At my office they told me to take as much time as I needed and many of the
people there also have made arrangements to donate blood when the Red Cross can
catch up with the rush. This has really touched so many people.
There have been so many positive stories that have come fom this that have
either shown the good fortune of the lucky ones who escaped the events or told
about those that have risen to the events and helped their fellow man.
Well, I guess it is time to quit the rambling & get on to other things, just
wanted to say to Dean, Rick & everyone from the USA and all of our visitors you
are welcome for the small part I could play, I am sure all of the people who
volenteered or played even a small role in this would feel the same way.
Dave R.
Elite 583
PS Another side effect of all this has just turned up, a friend of mine just
called to tell me to go buy gas as the price is going up tonight, rumor has it
that it will hit $US3.32 (from $US 2.00) a US gal in the morning! Great,
someone is going to make a bundle off of this.....
Dean Billing wrote:
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I would like to add to the thanks that Rick DeCierro extended to our
Canadian neighbors. This is a message that I received from a friend of
mine and fellow pilot, a 747-400 Captain for United:
Dear Friends,
I want to thank all of you that called or sent messages to the house
expressing concern for my safety during the recent terrorist attacks onmessageour country.
I was enroute from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Los Angeles International
about 6 hours into a 10 hour flight when we received the followingover our data link system:
UA890 NRTLAX
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
THERE HAS BEEN
A TERRORIST ATTACK
AGAINST UAL AND AAL
AIRCRAFT. WE ARE
ADVD THERE MAY BE ADDTL
HIJACKINGS IN PROGRESS.
SHUT DOWN ALL ACCESS
TO FLIGHT DECK.
UNABLE TO ELABORATE FURTHER.
CHIDD A BAUMBARDT
This was the first indication we had of problem, but it was followed bywemany communications from United dispatch and we also received a lot of
information from the pilot to pilot communication frequency as other
airlines received information from their companies. Among the messagesbereceived, we were notified that all US airspace was closed and we wouldseverallanding somewhere other than the United States.
In about an hour we received word that we were to divert our flight to
Vancouver, BC. We requested a clearance "Present position, direct
Vancouver." We received a clearance over the data link to "Climb and
maintain FL380, when level FL380, cleared direct Vancouver", viaminuteslat/long fixes and a gateway fix into Vancouver airspace. We were
requested to send a position report directly to dispatch every 15USfor search and rescue co-ordination.
The clearance we received cut across about a 50 mile little corner ofsoairspace, but as we approached the US boundary we were given headingstoas not to enter US airspace. We were the 5th international jumbo jetdoingarrive in Vancouver, and they kept coming and coming until there were
about a couple dozen jumbos on the ground in Vancouver.
We did not tell the passengers or the flight attendants what we werelandor where we were going until we were on the ground in Vancouver. The
flight attendants were told about an hour out that we were going toaboardin a place other than the US. We had to assume we had terroristschanged.our airplane and did not want to tip them off that our destination hadIt took us about 2 hours to get a gate and about 3 hours to get off theairplane. When they began to deplane the passengers, they took 20 at atime into the jetway, where they were sniffed by dogs, patted down, andthroughall their carry on baggage was hand searched. Then they had to goco-pilotsimmigration and customs. The same for all the crew, I had twoaircraftand 17 flight attendants.
The passengers were told of the terrorist attacks once we got thestationparked well away from the terminal and I put the local broadcastfirston the entertainment system so they could listen to the news reportshotelhand. The passengers were great!
We were very fortunate that United had taken the initiative to booktorooms for all of the crews, but there was so much confusion we went to
three hotels where these reservations had been made before we were ableCenter.get rooms. I was up 30 hours before I went to bed on the 11th.
None of us saw any of the video until we got to the hotel. I guess I
don't have to tell you the emotion we felt as we saw one of our own
planes, one like I flew for 5 years, slamming into the World TradepersonalI want to tell all of you how wonderful the Canadian people were to
us. They are just as devastated as you and I are about these acts and
they were so concerned and compassionate for our country and ourhotelloss of colleagues. There were many more people in Vancouver thanairplanerooms available require many strangers to double up and over 4,000
wonderful Canadians opened their homes to complete strangers.
Leaving Canada, only the inbound crew was allowed on the airplane, no
deadheaders, no SA's, no jumpseaters, no cargo or baggage was
allowed. All of us went through the standard metal detectors, we
individually searched and all our baggage and flight bags were hand
searched. They even took away my plastic disposable razors. Theby ahad been searched by 3 different organizations on three separate times
including dogs before it was cleared for flight. Once the security
requirements were met we received our clearance and departed for the
US. On crossing the US/Canadian border our airplane was interceptedLosUS fighter aircraft and identified as friend or foe. Approaching theinAngeles area we were intercepted another time and reidentified.
It is great to be home and it is great to be an American. I really
believe, if the Canadians are any example and from what I saw happeningforEurope this morning on TV where the United States National Anthem was
played at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace for the first
time ever, we are definitely not in this alone. Our friends are thereIn hindsight I must say that I think our Canadian friends took aus this time.
...
tremendous risk allowing these jumbos to head towards Canada and land.
If one of them had been hijacked, they would have become the target.
Thanks again -- Dean #452-ReB
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David A. Ricker P. Eng.
DARTEC Engineering Inc.
3 Tamarac Drive
Fall River, Nova Scotia
Canada, B2T 1E8
ricker@dbis.ns.ca
Ph. 902-860-0256
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