F-16's Intercept Commercial Flight (Ready to Fly Yet???)

Chicago Tribune ^ | September 19, 2001 | Jon Hilkevitch

[sam_paine]

A pair of F-16 warplanes raced across the Midwest sky to investigate an American Airlines plane whose pilots did not respond to calls from air-traffic controllers shortly after takeoff Tuesday from O'Hare International Airport, authorities said.

It turned out to be nothing more than a radio problem, but the 51 passengers aboard American Flight 1555 got a startling view of the fighters just beyond the wingtips of the Boeing 737-800 until the glitch was sorted out.

Officials said the F-16s escorted the passenger jet back to the apron of the runway at O'Hare, then peeled away.

[sam_paine]

Don't worry!!!! The FedGov will always know what is intentional and what is a technical difficulty.

They will protect the greater good from you!

[Setting: Airport boarding area.] FAA recording in background, "Passengers, in the event of unresolvable technical difficulties, your flight may be shot down with the latest air-to-air weaponry in an effort to minimize Pentagon or Congressional casualties. In the event of flight termination, your relatives will be notified, but their taxes will not be increased as a token memorial to you, since you have already purchased the missiles required for your own demise. Thank you for flying the Friendly Skies of America."

I know this is wartime, but do we all understand that we have now abdicated to the bureaucratic spooks in the NSA/CIA/etc the power to recommend the removal of innocent lives as collateral damage for the greater good of the government??? Doesn't make me feel better about flying...

[sam_paine]

P.S. I think Rumsfelds recent quotes about not turning the US into a Police state are fantastic, and give me pause for hope.

[VoodooEconomist]

and the crews were able to communicate with hand signals,"

Italian terrorists?

[Mike K]

"Although the pilots of Flight 1555 could not receive or transmit voice communications, they did punch a numerical beacon code on the aircraft's transponder, indicating their communications radio had failed and the passengers and six crew members were OK, officials said."

Too much information. The next terrorist who is not aware of this ability can now insist the pilot send an okay signal.

[sam_paine]

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Fox News Sunday September 16, 2001

TONY SNOW, HOST:

SNOW: Let me ask you, you were in the Pentagon. People at the Federal Aviation Administration contacted NORAD, and yet we were not able to get fighters to knock those planes out of the sky. In one case they called Langley Air Force Base in southern Virginia rather than Andrews Air Force Base which is next door. How did that happen?

RUMSFELD: Tony, it happens because the United States has not said to itself that it needs to stay on high alert every minute of the day. The Department of Defense has as its legal assignment, under the law, to defend from external threats.

Here was a person, a group of people in the United States using civilian aircraft. I mean, the idea of us sending up a fighter plane to shoot down an American aircraft filled with Americans is such an unusual thought.

Now, anytime planes go off track, NORAD is notified. But we have never maintained the kind of -- invested the kind of money to maintain an air cap over the United States on a continuous basis.

SNOW: Are we going to need to?

RUMSFELD: I think that you have to remember that a terrorist can attack at any time and any place using any technique. And if you were going to do that, you would have to do that with every subway, with every port, with every ship, with every crossroad, with every large gathering of human beings.

The way to deal with this problem is not to suddenly become a police state and say we're not going to be free and we're not going to go about our lives; it's to go after the people who are posing this very serious danger to the world. And that's what we need to do.

[SolitaryMan]

I understand your point, but do you have a better idea?

[Abn1508]

Take a bus.

Do I want to be accidentally wacked? No. But these guys did exactly what we pay 'em to do. I'm all for it.

[2ndMostConservativeBrdMember]

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[jwalsh07]

Maybe I'm a bit slow today. What do you obeject to? I find it quite reassuring that our fighter jocks were on the scene forthwith.

[12B]

Italian terrorists?

LOL Good one.

[TKEman]

I personally will be flying to St. Maarten/St. Marten in the Caribbean in late October. On American Airlines. I will not cancel the trip. I'll be danged if I allow terrorists to intimidate me.

[sam_paine]

"A better idea" or "a better solution?"

I know, I know. This may be a better temporary solution, but the best IDEA(L?) is the action of those brave MF's on the Pittsburgh flight that took the plane down themselves. Not enough is being made of their heroism.

It's one thing to have a citizen volunteer to sacrifice themselves for their country, and another to instruct a soldier to fire on our own.

Bravery and valiance may be esoteric, but I hate the image of career fighter pilots running herd on cowering sheeple in the sky. Wonder what the old founder-folks would think of us?

[constitoot]

Well, I'm struck by the heroism of the passengers in the flight that went down in Pittsburgh, but . . . I can't help but think we're going to hear more about that flight down the road. F-16s were almost on the NY and DC hijacked planes before they went down -- but not that San Francisco-bound plane more than an hour later? I don't know. If we shot it down, I'll understand. But it will be a huge bummer.

[constitoot]

Well, I'm struck by the heroism of the passengers in the flight that went down in Pittsburgh, but . . . I can't help but think we're going to hear more about that flight down the road. F-16s were almost on the NY and DC hijacked planes before they went down -- but not that San Francisco-bound plane more than an hour later? I don't know. If we shot it down, I'll understand. But it will be a huge bummer.

[DrNo]

Maybe I'm a bit slow today. What do you obeject to? I find it quite reassuring that our fighter jocks were on the scene forthwith.

Dittoes! I think it would be exciting and reassuring to see an F-16 on your wingtip!

I imagine it would be something like the feeling of 1911 or a "snubbie" in an IWB holster.

[spoosman]

All Bush has to do is issue an exec order banning all people of Middle East origin from flying into, or inside of the USA. The rest of them should be deported. If we keep these people out of our country, we'll be safe from terrorists.

Why? Because the only low lifes on planet earth capable and willing to commit suicide and kill for the demon named allah will be insane middle eastern fanatics. Get the out of the country, keep them out of the country, and problem solved.

[Axeslinger]

If they are trained as pilots they will already know about transponder codes. If they are not, or only know of this little tidbit of information, the pilot can dial in the transponder code that indicates a hijacking.

[sam_paine]

Toot,

You one-upped me on the cynical train....and that's hard to do!

But you make a good supposition. If they did take it (any flight ) down, why would they tell us? How -could- they tell us? Gulf of Tonkin redux?

[Kakaze]

" Too much information. The next terrorist who is not aware of this ability can now insist the pilot send an okay signa "

You are amazingly nieve or ignorant..the procedure for radio out communications is PUBLISHED in the Federal Aviation Regulations..........this is not giving out information.

God has everyone just lost perspective. the pilots did the right thing fighters and airliners alike.

[sam_paine]

God has everyone just lost perspective.

Uh, well, yes. When walking down the street as usual and someone cold-cocks you with a Louisville Slugger in the head, it does cause one to stagger back a few steps and try to get a handle on what's going on. It's ok, you know, to be startled by some of this.