The events of Tuesday, September 11th shaped the week for NBAA’s staff, obviously. Monday proceeded at high-pace in anticipation of the 54th Annual Meeting & Convention. Bill Miller [senior marketing manager] of the convention and seminar department was already in New Orleans assisting the experts from the Freeman Companies who were in place, and Linda Peters [exhibits director], Marti Smith [convention services manager] and Sandy Wirtz [director of seminars and housing] were about to leave early Tuesday morning. I chaired a meeting of the FAA Safer Skies Joint Steering Committee at NBAA, and we were at peace with the world.
Per normal procedure, Alex Rushton (Pete West’s assistant in Government and Public Affairs) was monitoring CNN from his desk early Tuesday morning when a reporter interrupted the telecast shortly before 9 a.m. to say an aircraft had collided with the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He called my phone, causing me to tune in CNN and start worrying if a general aviation aircraft using the Hudson River corridor had blundered. As we watched, another aircraft appeared about 9:03 and slammed into the South Tower. About 20 minutes later we received word that the Pentagon had been hit. And then rumors began to fly, such as the mall was on fire, the capitol had been struck, government buildings were car bombed.
