“You haven’t seen a tree until you have seen its shadow from the sky.” Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly a solo nonstop trans-Atlantic aircraft, spoke these words about the joys of flight in 1932. She and others, such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles H. Lindbergh, and Frank Whittle, recognized early on how aviation would change our view of the world. Since these early discoveries of aviation, society has relied on flight as a primary means for safe transportation. This feeling of security was challenged on September 11, 2001, when nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners and aimed the planes at targets in the United States. These terrorists’ attacks, referred to as 9/11, created the need for improved airport and airline security and reformed the United States Government’s entire security strategy and infrastructure.
Aviation has long existed as target for criminals, mentally deranged, and more recently, terrorists. John Graham blew up United DC-6 over Colorado in 1955 with twenty-five sticks of dynamite in his suitcase. In the 1960s, hijackers would commonly take over flights and divert them to Cuba. The government responded by developing laws with tougher penalties. On November 24, 1971, D.B.Cooper had a bomb with him on the plane and passed a note to the flight attendant explaining that he would detonate the bomb if he were not given $200,000. After receiving the ransom, he forced the plane to take off again, parachuted out of the aft door,
Imagine a cloud of black smoke covering the sky of your hometown or having to make the choice if you should jump to your death out of a skyscraper because if you didn’t, then you would burn alive. Imagine calling your husband while on a plane while knowing that will be the last time you tell him you love him. Imagine the fear you would feel not knowing if your loved ones survived a terrorist attack. This nightmare on an imaginations became a terrible reality for New Yorkers and American citizens. On September 11, 2001, four aircrafts were hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the aircrafts flew into the twin towers in New York City, one aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth aircraft crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. These terrorist attacks that took place on September 11 resulted in many casualties, an increase in airport security, and the United States invading Afghanistan and the Middle East.
The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks forever changed the way our air travel industry operates. It affected the government, the airlines, airports, employees, and passengers alike. There was not as much of a threat of terrorism before 9/11, so airport security was not nearly as thorough, and at times intrusive as it is today. Through the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, the evolving threat of terrorism has not been successful in carrying out another 9/11 style attack.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large
The first attempted hijacking of an airplane on US soil happened in July 1961 out of Chico Municipal Airport. From 1961 through 2016 there were about 10 major airline or airport attacks, worldwide. In 1969 a 19- year-old Marine had control of a flight for 6,900 miles, which was the longest lasting hijacking ever. Then in 1988, a bomb a Pan Am Flight 103 killed all 259 on board and an additional 11 bystanders on the ground. In 2011 a suicide bombing in a Moscow airport killed 37, and in 2016 three coordinated suicide bombings in the Brussels airport killed 32. Between 1968 and 1972 hijackers took over a commercial airline every other week on average. The 9/11 attack was the last straw and on November 19, 2001 the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was passed by the 107th Congress allowing President Bush to create the TSA. Its mission is to protect our nation’s transportation
On September 11th, 2001, the Unites States of America was attacked by suicidal al-Qaeda terrorists. Early that morning, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial jets, which did have passengers on board. The terrorist purposely killed themselves and the
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 shook up the lives of all Americans. On September 11, 2001, nineteen radicals who were associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda high jacked four airplanes with the intent to carry out terrorist attacks. Two airplanes went into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City killing over two thousand six hundred people. They also attacked the pentagon in Washington D.C killing over one hundred people, as well as a plane going down in Pennsylvania killing all people aboard the plane. Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, national security has improved dramatically with the intent of an increase of public safety.
On September 11th, the President proclaimed that the security of the airline business needs to be augmented. He invoked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Transportation, Central Intelligence Agency, and other federal organizations to oversee this operation. Surprisingly, this speech was given thirty years prior to 9/11 by President Nixon. His speech was given in response to advice pertaining to airport security, and then 9/11 caught the country off guard. The incident with the World Trade Center and the Pentagon instilled fear, shock, and most of all, terror into the citizens of the United States of America (DeGrave, Michael J.).
September 11, 2001 will forever be known as an infamous and tragic day Americans will unquestionably remember. On this day, three planes filled with innocent civilians, were hijacked and crashed into significant sites. The three places the hijacked planes collided with were the Twin Towers in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. In addition, the terrorists orchestrating the whole attack scheduled a fourth plane to collide into another aimed target. Fortunately, though unlike the other hijacked planes, the mission was unsuccessful. The passengers on the plane fought against the terrorists and eventually surpassed their power, landing the plane in Pennsylvania. Though this may have been a slight victory and prevented worse outcomes, it did not outweigh the devastating results of the collisions. Inside the Twin Towers and the Pentagon,
On September 11th of 2001, nineteen militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. During this event, many people lost their lives and any people lost their loved ones. In spite of what had taken place on that horrible day, the events brought out some of the most genuine hearts and minds to work. The events occurring on September 11th was an eye-opener to say the least. These terrorist attacks made airports and airport security more aware and in a way have pushed airports to progress in security. Finding new and smart ways to find dangers and saving innocent people’s lives.
Before the attack on September 11th, Americans lived under the assumption that they had immunity from the world’s turmoil. But who could blame them; a foreign attack had not taken place on American soil since the war of 1812, not to mention, America’s greatest adversary, the Soviet Union, had disbanded nine years prior, leaving the US with no considerable enemies. Whatever the circumstances under which the September 11th attacks occurred, the resulting events would change commercial aviation in perpetuity and leave a lasting economic, militaristic, and humanitarian impact on the world.
The September 11th attacks have had a profound effect on American history. Often referred to as “9/11”, these attacks were comprised of a group of organized terrorists known as Al-Qaeda. This extreme Islamic group assaulted several landmarks in New York City, Washington D.C, and the state of Pennsylvania. In New York City, two airliner jets were hijacked with passengers aboard and slammed into the World Trade Center. “The next attack resulted in a plane colliding into the Pentagon, government building; the last attack was in Pennsylvania when a plane crashed into a field. In total, 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001” (History.com Staff). The September 11th-attacks have affected airport security by the new training of flight attendants, the formation of the Transportation Security Administration and new technical advances to keep up with increased terror threats.
United Airlines Flight 93 was to be flown from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California, but was instead flown into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (The 9/11 Commission Report). The hijacker’s initial target for this plane was Washington D.C. (The 9/11 Commission Report 4). Many conspirators believe they were headed toward the White House. (One Nation 43). Four hijackers boarded this plane between 7:03 and 7:39. (The 9/11 Commission Report). At 8:42, the plane began to head toward San Francisco. The terrorists on board were Saeed al Ghamdi, Ahmed al Nami, Ahmad al Haznawi, and Ziad Sarrah. (The 9/11 Commission Report). When the passengers of this plane realized what had happened they knew they had to react fast. Four men decided to take initiative of what was happening. Todd Beamer,
September 11, 2001 marked the most horrific day in history for United States of America. The events of this day changed the lives of those residing in America forever. United States was considered somewhat safe, in regards to terrorists’ attacks. However, this all came to a screeching halt when 19 militants known to be a part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes for the purpose of destroying targeted areas in the United States. As a result of the deadly attack on the United States, security measures drastically changed. Although, security measures throughout the United States have been in place, extreme caution came into effect. All departments looked at different measures to improve preventing terrorists’ attacks.
The answer to this capstone question will examine the role the Federal Government in the development of aviation in the United States. The discussion will discuss the three ways in which the Federal Government became involved in aviation development and cite an example in each of those cases. The resulting effect on aviation development of such involvement will also be explored.
The field of aerospace, and by extension the aviation industry, is helping the world grow more interconnected every day. But while air travel has greatly increased the speed at which people can traverse the globe, unfortunately the same is true for the rate at which diseases spread. The rate of a disease’s spread is directly related to the spread of people, something which Station Eleven uses to justify the quick spread of a devastating pandemic. In Station Eleven, commercial aircraft were responsible for the initial transport of the flu across the globe. Furthermore, the entire aerospace industry is depicted as largely helpless in the wake of the global outbreak. The flu causes a collapse of the industry’s infrastructure and Mandel implies that in the event of any global catastrophe, not just a flu, the industry would act as a liability. While it is true that that increasing rate of air travel poses a safety risk in the event of an outbreak of a contagious virus, the aviation industry and the field of aerospace as a whole would not be a liability. To give the industry its due diligence, one must examine both sides of the issue. Air travel permits society to more effectively combat diseases, as it facilitates the transport of researchers and scientists to areas of infection, and furthermore, aerospace technologies have frequently been adapted to be used in the fields of medicine or to improve public health. Many technologies that are used every day and that improve the