KATRINA, KATRINA and REMEMBERING 9/11
FROM CAP’N MERYL
Link to this week’s column at USAToday.com/travel:
USA Today Column
I am writing this on the Friday preceding Labor Day
weekend. Al The Web Guy and I are so filled with
horror and sympathy for all those affected so deeply by
Hurricane Katrina there is room for little else. I
have readers all over the country (and all over the
world) and I know many of them are affected and will
not see this right away, if ever. If and when they do
I want them to know how deeply sorry Al The Web Guy and
I are at these devastating losses. We feel helpless at
the sheer magnitude of the situation and wish we could
help in some meaningful way but for now will settle for
cash donations to the rescue and recovery efforts. In
the meantime, we are following this horrific situation
very closely and hope that the promised help has
finally come and will continue to come in the days,
weeks, months and even years ahead.
I had an elderly aunt in New Orleans who died several
years ago, but she once came over to my layover hotel
and took me out to the most wonderful lunch in the
French Quarter. Her daughter joined us and still lives
in New Orleans. I got word that she was out of state
during the storm itself and then retreated to stay with
relatives in New York, so I’ll be anxious to hear how
that plays out and whether her home survived.
Another very close friend of ours, a retired pilot from
my own airline with whom I flew several times, has
three homes, all in storm areas, and it sounds like
there was damage to all of them but not devastation.
This was a welcome shock because one home is in
Harrison Country, Mississippi, featured on the evening
news as the very “epicenter” of the storm. We didn’t
hear from him for several days but he finally got an
enote out. We haven’t heard back yet to hear the
extent of the damage.
I know many of us have either friends or relatives or
both in the storm-struck area and are watching
anxiously as the days tick by and we see what lies both
behind and ahead. Our hopes and thoughts are with all
those affected both directly and indirectly.
On another devastating subject, a few readers have
requested that I write about my own 9/11 experiences as
here we are at another anniversary of that ugly date.
It is intended that just a bit of my perspective as a
pilot will be included in the sequel to “The World At
My Feet” which I’m working on now.
I wasn’t flying that day, having just returned from
Boston the evening before. Al The Web Guy was already
retired as a B-747-400 captain and was on the
construction site for the house we now live in. I was
home sleeping off my trip when he called and told me to
turn on the TV. So I watched unbelievingly along with
the rest of the world.
I remember thinking “poor American Airlines!” since all
the initial reports indicated American’s planes were
involved. When my own airline emerged as one of the
two which had crashed into the World Trade Center it
was, of course, even more of a shock than it already
was, and then of course both airlines lost a second
airplane and passengers as well. It was almost too
much to absorb.
I did not know any of the pilots on board but I had
recently flown with two of the flight attendants who
were on the plane that crashed into the World Trade
Center.
My middle brother, Lorin, had been in New York on his
honeymoon and left early, missing the whole thing by a
day. He was safely back in San Diego with his new
bride when it all happened.
I happened to fly the first flight for my airline into
La Guardia when planes were allowed to fly again. I
had just thirteen passengers on board from Chicago and
I had asked our flight planners if we would come close
to the crater that used to be the WTC. Although I was
told we would be routed some distance away from it—we
weren’t. We were vectored (given headings) which took
us right past the site. The sun was low in the sky
and of course the site was very much still on fire.
The smoke went up and hit a cloud—then sidestepped up
until it hit a second cloud, then went up again from
there. All this against a hazy, blood red background
of light from the setting sun.
The feeling was of overwhelming anger and sadness at
all this death and destruction and despair. There were
even grief counselors in place at La Guardia to meet
the pilots but both my copilot and I were feeling—not
unaffected, of course—but okay to continue to do our
jobs.
Nothing, of course, has ever really been the same for
any of us. For a long time afterward our passenger
loads were scanty and sometimes we flew nearly empty
airplanes. Eventually, things got back to what I would
consider normal but of course my airline which must not
be named (for legal reasons) went into a steep economic
decline which had already begun but which worsened
immeasurably, and it’s still struggling with bankruptcy
even today.
I wear an American flag on the lapel of my uniform. It
was issued by my airline and I will never remove it.
Not that I would or could ever forget, but I don’t ever
want it too far from my consciousness.
On another (but related) subject, I recently mentioned
my idea for a new section on my site for a thoughts
exchange between me, my readers and some of our troops
in Iraq. The entirely favorable (and overwhelming)
response tells me to go ahead. This new section will
make its appearance in a week or two, when Al The Web
Guy can get the new part of my site up and running.
The winning name, after considering all the suggestions
is:
“Welcome to the Sandbox—Voices of our Troops” and if
you have any questions you’d like me to submit, please
do so at: info@fromthecockpit.com and put IRAQ in the
subject for me.
For now, meet Captain Jimmy Smith in my “Cap’n Meryl &
Friends” Album in my Photo Gallery.
Captain Smith
We’ve communicated several times after I dropped him
and a couple hundred other troops off in the “Sandbox”
several months ago. As I read his notes it occurred to
me that I definitely wouldn’t be the only one
interested in his insights. What better than to give
our troops a voice to those of us back home wondering
about their thoughts, their day-to-day existence and
how they’re faring? A genuine, sincere show of support
for them as the valued human beings they are regardless
of our own thoughts about whether or not we as a
country should have a presence there.
I’m along for the ride on this one, so to speak, and
we’ll see what develops and how it goes over with
Jimmy’s cohorts over there. I do know that some
restrictions are going to apply, but more about that in
future Weekly Updates.
In the meantime, I have GOT to get my new book, sequel
to “The World At My Feet” finished. So, until next
time…
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed!
Cap’n Meryl
www.fromthecockpit.com
www.flyingfearless.com
www.fromthecockpit.com/profile.htm(keynote speaker)
Link to this week’s column at USAToday.com/travel:
USA Today Column
I am writing this on the Friday preceding Labor Day
weekend. Al The Web Guy and I are so filled with
horror and sympathy for all those affected so deeply by
Hurricane Katrina there is room for little else. I
have readers all over the country (and all over the
world) and I know many of them are affected and will
not see this right away, if ever. If and when they do
I want them to know how deeply sorry Al The Web Guy and
I are at these devastating losses. We feel helpless at
the sheer magnitude of the situation and wish we could
help in some meaningful way but for now will settle for
cash donations to the rescue and recovery efforts. In
the meantime, we are following this horrific situation
very closely and hope that the promised help has
finally come and will continue to come in the days,
weeks, months and even years ahead.
I had an elderly aunt in New Orleans who died several
years ago, but she once came over to my layover hotel
and took me out to the most wonderful lunch in the
French Quarter. Her daughter joined us and still lives
in New Orleans. I got word that she was out of state
during the storm itself and then retreated to stay with
relatives in New York, so I’ll be anxious to hear how
that plays out and whether her home survived.
Another very close friend of ours, a retired pilot from
my own airline with whom I flew several times, has
three homes, all in storm areas, and it sounds like
there was damage to all of them but not devastation.
This was a welcome shock because one home is in
Harrison Country, Mississippi, featured on the evening
news as the very “epicenter” of the storm. We didn’t
hear from him for several days but he finally got an
enote out. We haven’t heard back yet to hear the
extent of the damage.
I know many of us have either friends or relatives or
both in the storm-struck area and are watching
anxiously as the days tick by and we see what lies both
behind and ahead. Our hopes and thoughts are with all
those affected both directly and indirectly.
On another devastating subject, a few readers have
requested that I write about my own 9/11 experiences as
here we are at another anniversary of that ugly date.
It is intended that just a bit of my perspective as a
pilot will be included in the sequel to “The World At
My Feet” which I’m working on now.
I wasn’t flying that day, having just returned from
Boston the evening before. Al The Web Guy was already
retired as a B-747-400 captain and was on the
construction site for the house we now live in. I was
home sleeping off my trip when he called and told me to
turn on the TV. So I watched unbelievingly along with
the rest of the world.
I remember thinking “poor American Airlines!” since all
the initial reports indicated American’s planes were
involved. When my own airline emerged as one of the
two which had crashed into the World Trade Center it
was, of course, even more of a shock than it already
was, and then of course both airlines lost a second
airplane and passengers as well. It was almost too
much to absorb.
I did not know any of the pilots on board but I had
recently flown with two of the flight attendants who
were on the plane that crashed into the World Trade
Center.
My middle brother, Lorin, had been in New York on his
honeymoon and left early, missing the whole thing by a
day. He was safely back in San Diego with his new
bride when it all happened.
I happened to fly the first flight for my airline into
La Guardia when planes were allowed to fly again. I
had just thirteen passengers on board from Chicago and
I had asked our flight planners if we would come close
to the crater that used to be the WTC. Although I was
told we would be routed some distance away from it—we
weren’t. We were vectored (given headings) which took
us right past the site. The sun was low in the sky
and of course the site was very much still on fire.
The smoke went up and hit a cloud—then sidestepped up
until it hit a second cloud, then went up again from
there. All this against a hazy, blood red background
of light from the setting sun.
The feeling was of overwhelming anger and sadness at
all this death and destruction and despair. There were
even grief counselors in place at La Guardia to meet
the pilots but both my copilot and I were feeling—not
unaffected, of course—but okay to continue to do our
jobs.
Nothing, of course, has ever really been the same for
any of us. For a long time afterward our passenger
loads were scanty and sometimes we flew nearly empty
airplanes. Eventually, things got back to what I would
consider normal but of course my airline which must not
be named (for legal reasons) went into a steep economic
decline which had already begun but which worsened
immeasurably, and it’s still struggling with bankruptcy
even today.
I wear an American flag on the lapel of my uniform. It
was issued by my airline and I will never remove it.
Not that I would or could ever forget, but I don’t ever
want it too far from my consciousness.
On another (but related) subject, I recently mentioned
my idea for a new section on my site for a thoughts
exchange between me, my readers and some of our troops
in Iraq. The entirely favorable (and overwhelming)
response tells me to go ahead. This new section will
make its appearance in a week or two, when Al The Web
Guy can get the new part of my site up and running.
The winning name, after considering all the suggestions
is:
“Welcome to the Sandbox—Voices of our Troops” and if
you have any questions you’d like me to submit, please
do so at: info@fromthecockpit.com and put IRAQ in the
subject for me.
For now, meet Captain Jimmy Smith in my “Cap’n Meryl &
Friends” Album in my Photo Gallery.
Captain Smith
We’ve communicated several times after I dropped him
and a couple hundred other troops off in the “Sandbox”
several months ago. As I read his notes it occurred to
me that I definitely wouldn’t be the only one
interested in his insights. What better than to give
our troops a voice to those of us back home wondering
about their thoughts, their day-to-day existence and
how they’re faring? A genuine, sincere show of support
for them as the valued human beings they are regardless
of our own thoughts about whether or not we as a
country should have a presence there.
I’m along for the ride on this one, so to speak, and
we’ll see what develops and how it goes over with
Jimmy’s cohorts over there. I do know that some
restrictions are going to apply, but more about that in
future Weekly Updates.
In the meantime, I have GOT to get my new book, sequel
to “The World At My Feet” finished. So, until next
time…
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed!
Cap’n Meryl
www.fromthecockpit.com
www.flyingfearless.com
www.fromthecockpit.com/profile.htm(keynote speaker)
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