9/11: Flying Toward an Erratic Flight 93 & Airline Emergencies with Capt. Brian Schiff

Captain Brian Schiff was flying on 9/11 when his plane was headed toward an erratic Flight 93. His story is amazing.
Capt. Schiff is an Airline Pilot, Flight Instructor and one of the most innovative educators in general aviation. He flies for a major airline and is type-rated on the Airbus 320, Boeing 727, 757, 767, DC-9 (MD-80), CL-65, LR-JET, and G-V. And, in spite of all those big iron type ratings, you are just as likely to find Brian flying the pattern in his Citabria as you are to see him on the flight deck.
“SocialFlight Live!” is a live broadcast dedicated to supporting General Aviation pilots and enthusiasts during these challenging times. Register at SocialFlightLive.com to join the live broadcast every Tuesday evening at 8pm ET (be sure to join early because attendance is limited for the live broadcasts).

[@opusmax1]

“Scanning for mushroom clouds…” That had to be the most surreal moment of their lives.

[@grayrabbit2211]

I remember my first day in broadcasting. I was 16. In my control room was the CBS NetAlert rack-mount unit. Bright red & black face, with a 2 digit red LED display. Normally it showed 00. The engineer snickered and said, "if that thing ever reads 15, grab a girl and go have some fun, as it'll be the last fun the two of you will ever see." At 16, the idea of nuclear war was distant, something in the history books. Here it was, right in front of me, as an actual possibility.

[@bearowen5480]

I can understand why you were looking for evidence of nuclear detonations. That would probably have been my reaction too. Several generations of airline pilots had never heard air traffic controllers prefencing their clearances for an immediate divert with the words, "....due to a national emergency."

[@threalMrT76]

Also think about the message they heard from ATC to the (obviously nonchalant Delta pilot), who was innocently only asking to go to Atlanta, Basically telling him that if he doesnt land NOW, they're gonna be shot down.. that would have also been a surreal moment.

[@Hof79905]

Todd Beamer was that heros name on flight 93.

[@02WIFE]

Cee cee Lyle was a flight attendant and former police detective on flight 93 too

[@bullibill8277]

A great interview with your host and especially with Captain Shiff. He's a great guy that I flew with many times as a TWA & AA flight attendant. You don't find 'em much sharper and nicer than Brian. I happened to be lucky on 9/11 and was off and watching things unfold on TV. My wife, also a flight attendant was busy boarding passengers onto her MD-80 in STL that morning bound unsuccessfully to SNA when all hell broke loose. More stories for some other time. I retired from flying after 44 years, and certainly miss the crews and passengers, but I don't miss the shenanigan's of the pandemic and post- pandemic days. Best of luck and thanks for a great interview with Capt. Shiff! Bill Bowman

[@jodyburgin1810]

Captain Bowman, thank you for sharing that. Captain Shiff certainly seems a lovely guy. He really has just hit a nerve with me when he said he'd watch people saying bye to family members about to board ... 'precious cargo' spoken like a true gent. 44 years, incredible!! Thanks again 😊

[@bullibill8277]

@@jodyburgin1810 Hi Jody, well I've never been called Captain Bowman before, thank you, but to be clear I mentioned that I was a flight attendant and Flight Service Manager (head F/A on widebody aircraft) for both TWA and AA and served as a member of Captain Shiff's crews every once in a while. Whenever I boarded and saw his smiling face up in the cockpit, I knew that we were probably all going to have a great flight! Bill

[@jodyburgin1810]

@bullibill8277 hey Bill, oh you did! I'm sorry, at this time of the day (UK) I've taken 6 doses of morphine (multiple health issues) I don't normally comment on things so late for that reason lol but I couldn't not. Captain Shiff seems extremely capable & kind & I'm sure the flights were all that & more!!

[@franciscorompana2985]

​@@jodyburgin1810hi Jody. Let me ask, do you have cancer. Usually people don't take so much morphine if they are not in the hospital, for all that I know. Are you in the UK?

[@jodyburgin1810]

@franciscorompana2985 no, I have psoriatic arthritis & a delay in diagnosis for 5 years unfortunately gave me multiple irreversible damage in most of my joints. I'm not gonna get into everything about PsA but please go check it out. Its a little known type of arthritis & going un-diagnosed can lead to irreversible damage to joints, ie bones. I take 30mg slow release every 12 hours & liquid morphine 4 hourly or 3 hourly on bad days (so 4 times a day or more when required) Yes I'm in the UK & unfortunately when Dr's/consultants didn't quite know what was wrong with me I was given morphine to help with pain issues. Some days I cant even manage stairs, I have to shuffle because there's almost zero movement in my ankles, knees & hips. I also have lots of various other health problems. If I was animal, I'm sure I'd have been put down a long time ago lol!!

[@bearowen5480]

Brian, I flew a 20 year career with Continental. That morning I was sleeping off jet lag at home in Colorado when I was abruptly awakened by my wife who told me to turn on the TV where I watched live with horror and disbelief as the second airplane flew into the World Trade Center. Life for all of us in the airline industry and the traveling public changed forever that horrible day. Before 9/11, after top of climb, I, like you, really enjoyed strolling back through first class, schmoozing with the customers and thanking them for their business. Except for one occasion later when I flew a plane full of WWII veterans from Guam to Iwo Jima on the 60th anniversary of the battle on a Part 91 charter, I never was able to do that again. Sad that such evil as displayed on that fateful sunny morning is still afoot in what was then our friendly skies.

[@danarzechula3769]

Sad that it ever was

[@taffycat5049]

How much fear did you have flying after 9/11?

[@bearowen5480]

@@taffycat5049 Not fear, but a heightened sense of flight security awareness. I was flying out of Guam for the remainder of my career, post-9/11. Virtually all of our Guam flight destinations were in foreign countries, a majority of which were in Japan. At the time I personally determined that the risk of my aircraft being hijacked by Middle Eastern terrorists and used as a missile against any significantly symbolic targets within the range of my flights was relatively low. I was most concerned about North Korean perpetrators would try to use the 9/11 style technique to attack one of our aircraft carriers on port call in Guam or the B-2 stealth bombers which were routinely hangared at Anderson AFB, both of which would have symbolic international media significance, and which posed existential threat to the DPRK. After 9/11, the Marines had stationed a detachment of WESPAC F-18s at Anderson. That was not much comfort to us Guam-based airline pilots. In the event of a hijacking of one of our aircraft we would potentially become the primary targets of any scrambled Marine Hornets! Fortunately, dramatically improved cockpit security measures such as newly installed flight deck access doors, secure entry procedures, sky marshalls and armed cockpit crewmembers under the FFDO program effectively denied potential terrorists the type of easy cockpit access that the 9/11 hijackers had exploited. Subsequently nothing untoward happened in our Pacific operations that would have endangered our aircraft or potential victims on the ground.

[@billfajack2303]

He's a gifted story teller. A very worthwhile watch.

[@abathens]

Yes. I would love to see a documentary on this story.

[@franciscorompana2985]

It's like JFK. You just invent your own.😢😊

[@mortalclown3812]

​@@franciscorompana2985 To mock what's been clearly substantiated via hundreds of different sources is cowardly and despicable. Dunning-Kruger is a real thing: how fortunate that all of their hats run extra small.

[@franciscorompana2985]

@@mortalclown3812 The Big Bamboozle: 9/11 and the War on Terror... by Philip Marshall, RIP (Pilot)

[@jrose9378]

“Let’s roll” hero is Todd Beemer

[@archienemesis]

Todd Beamer

[@handsome-brute2666]

Sadly that's a made up story🕵🙄😈🗽🚁🚁🚁🚀#Cheney👴🏻#Rumsfeld#911#Bush Sr.#CIA

[@tobyray8700]

Todd, “a man’s man” Beamer.

[@DW-ts5ki]

I call bullshit. False flag. Clowns

[@isabellind1292]

Mr. Beamer and his widow's 3 children are all grown up. RIP Todd Beamer and all victims of 9/11. 💜🌹💓

[@jimmylieb5225]

My most vivid personal experience on 9/11 was late in the afternoon after I got home from my work in Ann Arbor MI and not seeing any of the airliners that normally would be flying high over my house near Chelsea MI into and out of DTW. How eerily quiet the sky was and especially the absence of contrails. Then all of a sudden, I heard the unmistakable sound of a jet fighter racing overhead on what seemed like full afterburners. That really drove home to me the seriousness of what happened that horrible day.

[@clintegbert3405]

I knew 3 aboard Flight 93, they were Flight attendants, one was a passenger returning home,

[@danarzechula3769]

So sorry😢

[@shanejones578]

Do you believe the “story” or do you have questions too

[@raymond3803]

@@shanejones578 Good question. I wish they would answer.

[@shanejones578]

@@raymond3803 myself and 2 other grown men aren’t letting some dude hijack a plane with a box cutter. Just saying…

[@raymond3803]

@@shanejones578 Point taken. I know this Captain is well touted in the comments section. I've read nothing but high praise about him. But his testimony contradicts what was reported nationally. And he made an impossible analogy to express how clear the day was. 11:20 He was 1/2 way to NY just west of Cleveland. Flight 93 was just east of Cleveland. He is ordered to take a hard right. It was reported that all commercial flights were ordered to abort immediately and land at the nearest airport. Well, he flew right of Cleveland. Completely flew over Dayton, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Before flying over 600 miles all the way back to St. Louis to land. 8:46 *_Clear beautiful day, you could almost see NY from St Louis right after takeoff._* Isn't that a strange thing for a pilot, much less an experienced TWA Commercial Captain, to say? Considering on a globe of given size, New York City would be hidden behind 114 vertical miles of earth's curvature if viewed from St. Louis. The equivalent of an experienced land surveyor saying. *_"It was such a clear beautiful day; you could almost see Lake Mead from the back side bottom of Hoover Dam."_*

[@lisas8244]

Listening to this is some of the best time ever spent. 2 intelligent, charming, professional and knowledgeable pilots informing, educating, entertaining us with a wide range of stories and experiences. Just fascinating and done with a sense of humor. Love these guys! Thank you!

[@dilafng]

Capt. Schiff is a picture of grace under pressure. I’d be happy to fly with him anytime!

[@cherylcarroll7916]

Enjoyed this interview. I can’t imagine what pilots went through at that time trying to get their planes on the ground.

[@elizabethhonce1677]

Trust me, as a passenger. Do not ever feel bad for locking yourself in the cockpit and for taking all these precautions. We passengers want you locked in the cockpit. You can trust that if something breaks out on board, we're going to take care of it. 9/11 taught us bloody-minded Americans that. We need you safely in the cockpit flying the plane.❤

[@TitaniumTurbine]

It’s relieving too that ever since 9/11, whenever someone on a flight goes crazy/gets angry/threatens the airplane, a handful of 5-6 men get up without asking and take care of business. Flight attendants then provide them with zip ties and duct tape as well to secure the person. Gone are the days of passengers/crew compliance during hijackings. I genuinely hope that this unspoken social construct continues far beyond all of us who recall the events of that awful, terrible day. So, if you’re under 25 and reading this, know that when someone goes bonkers during a passenger flight, it is in your best interest and also your responsibility to stop and help restrain anyone acting in a threatening manner.

[@kathyr.8135]

I am 59 and I do not put up with Bullies. I have a temper when it comes to evil people . Do not underestimate what I will do

[@jamesa6080]

I think people might still hesitate if someone had a weapon or possible bomb on them (maybe even the threat of a bomb). With the security we have to go through now most of these crazies are more easily detained. I’d like to think I would be one of those people subduing an unruly passenger but you don’t know till it happens

[@larrytaylor7753]

Hearing these stories from pilots involved with 9/11 has been very interesting. Another interview you might want to do is with Captain Jack Jessup. He has a KZbin channel with a video titled 9/11 Remembered - My Experience. he was the last departure from Washington National. Shortly after takeoff, climbing north along the Potomac River and just passed the Pentagon, an American Airlines 757 passed right under him. He tells the story very well.

[@jennyfurr]

A family friend was an American Airlines pilot that morning. He had to land his plane at some small podunk airport. The passengers had to be evacuated via cherry picker. I can’t even imagine.

[@pootypump7440]

Cherry picker?? Why?

[@melissar.2594]

Wow, very interesting. They must have just been at some small county airport.

[@maureen3134]

@@pootypump7440Likely because the small airport didn’t have the stairs or a jet bridge to deplane the passengers.

[@ErikCB912]

@@maureen3134what about the emergency exits? Doesn’t an inflatable ramp blow up when opened?

[@maureen3134]

@@ErikCB912 Good question. Maybe it wasn’t available that day?

[@wendywatkins628]

I totally loved this chat. What a great duo of pilots excellent info to share. On 911 I was home getting ready for a short shift of work in Texas. All of a sudden news broke on the television about the first plane hitting the WTC. We didn't yet know it was a plane. Almost immediately I heard the jet engines race overhead, I knew something was up, but had no clue what. Then I watched the second plane hit and remember slumping into the sofa with a blank stare. I grew up In New York. This day i will never forget.

[@rocketman4787]

I have a similar story from 911. I was piloting a B767 from JFK that morning and got airborne approximately 30 minutes before the first tower was hit.

[@RileyMich55]

I’ve always wondered about the pilots and flight attendants who were in the air that morning. That had to be scary!

[@mauiskater]

Truly amazing interview! After all these years this is the first time I’ve heard this point of view. One of the best interviews I’ve ever seen! ❤❤❤❤He should write a book!

[@nafowler]

Wow such a good story. If you aren’t old enough to remember 9/11 it’s hard to understand how crazy the day was. All airliners downed for a few days and no one really knew if more was going to happen. I remember trying to sleep that night in TX and freaked out when I heard a plane (as they were all supposed to be down).

[@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas]

I so clearly can recall my sentiment of "is this not going to stop?" when news of the fourth plane broke and there was also some false report about an explotion on the capitol at about the same time

[@jodyburgin1810]

It really is hard to understand. Me & my family were on a flight home from Benidorm (to the UK) when this started, I rang my dad to tell him we were home & he told me to put the TV on. We'd been diverted on the way home but we weren't told why (obviously) but even the thought that we were in the sky when these heinous events started still make me sick to my stomach. God bless Captain Shiff.

[@BrandiHilton-pq2km]

Oh I totally agree. The 1st night was very eerie!. It was an upsetting day, and nightfall on 9-11 was so quiet. Especially being in Las Vegas. We were so use to hearing airplanes come in & go out every few minutes through our skys, There was no movement in the air space. After I had heard about the attacks, I called my mother, To check on her, & my dad & our kids. I wanted to run & escape from Las Vegas. I was so afraid. My mom said to stay there, & don't fly!. I told her I was/ would ride the Greyhound up. She was really scared for me. Even my brother was going to travel, that was halted. I just had never seen or heard such a quiet in the Las Vegas skies. My husband even met me at the bus stop near to our home. He was afraid for my safety, he wanted to make sure I got home in one piece.

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

I remember the very last plane that day in the air was air italia at LAX and irony was t one of those 4 terrorist grabbed planes that was headed for LA

[@BlaineNay]

As with the Heather Penney episode, this one had my eyes tearing up. Thank you.

[@FloridaGeorgia]

33:26 I LOVE that Capt. Schiff respectfully declined to answer that question.

[@barrymorse8810]

Brian's comment (at 31:15 minutes in) about not being able to make a cellphone call reminds me: the New York area cellular networks became so overloaded that I left my office in NJ and drove home and spent the day on my home phone (a landline) to try to discover the fates of friends and former colleagues who were in the WTC that day (as well as my wife, who still works in midtown). I can imagine cellular networks in other parts of the country were similarly overloaded.

[@swampcat0712]

yeah, I worked for Frontier Airlines in San Diego and had a close friend who was a flight attendant. she was there that morning, along with flight attendants from many other places having a convention. I knew she was at a place near the WTC and was worried, I couldn't get through to her. wish I could remember the name of the place. it was very close though. she later said she was part that streaming mass of humanity trying to get out of Manhattan that morning. I can't imagine what it was like for people that lived there and across the river. and your wife!! what a horrible thing to happen. I have a tub full of every publication and major newspaper that was sold at the airport for the first few weeks. not like I had to compete to get copies, the airport was deserted. I want to give these firsthand reports and publications to my grandchildren one day, so they can see what really happened before it gets whitewashed. all the airlines were sending certain people to training (lucky me) to learn to search, use the wand and how to help with the conveyer to identify things that weren't allowed... like fingernail clippers, etc.... was a learning process to be sure. we were basically TSA until a separate entity of TSA were up and running. our airline was the only one that searched the pilots and crew before allowing them on the plane. you can imagine this was unpopular and I was the one that had to do it.... grrr. but I did my job.

[@danarzechula3769]

Very shortsighted to not have landlines

[@jackib8113]

Seeing the ✈️ deck as a kid was a memorable experience,

[@mrlaw711]

Captain Schiff is a great guy. Wish I had met him when I once flew frequently for business. Enjoyed listening to the captain, and also the man you want in charge of your flight.

[@FLT111]

Brian Schiff and his father... top blokes! Thanks Socialflight for this.. you earned a subscriber.

[@BillyButtry]

9-11 was such a surreal time it was something the general public ever thought would happen.I was a fire fighter at that time in Missouri we were all paged to respond to the stations all across the country.Nobody had any idea of what was going to happen next. So they were having EMS and first responders out and about just in case something more happened like a missle attack a bombing riots we had no idea about what was next. We spent the first 3 days all on alert.Think god there was no more.

[@teresak1177]

Loved this interview! Thanks for sharing your story!

[@thesparkypilot]

I’ve taken classes from him before, he’s a great teacher too.

[@Shylo-xm9bh]

What a considerate man! Also a great storyteller.

[@postersm7141]

24:29 well look what happened in Sioux City Iowa. There was a training pilot on the DC 10 when disaster struck. It’s always good to have a pilot in the back!!!

[@02WIFE]

They couldn't made it without him

[@BillyButtry]

Man alot of information gold nuggets galore thank you for having him on.

[@christopherscott5499]

Thank you for posting this, I seriously enjoyed the pilot point of view in perspective as to how 9/11 unfolded from their viewpoint.

[@brahmsforever4313]

New to your channel and loved this interview! Brian is amazing. Bring him back! I'm a high hour sim pilot - over 3K hours in 763 and 738. Many years on VATSIM. We should be in on that deal - I've flown my sim with real pilots and they all say "I'm the guy that if...." HAHA! I wish nothing but good health and safety for our pilots and crew. Can't wait to hear more!

[@oldmanc2]

So pleased to have this recommended. Great video and stories

[@lauradavis8949]

THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR SHAREING CAPTIAN

[@sandymorrison1400]

When your engine(s) goes out, ask for a glider pilot...they done nothing but emergency landings from day one...Capt Sully.

[@sherrymcmullin1914]

Your story telling is 👌👌. You’re so delightful to listen to and you literally smiled the whole time. It’d be so nice to live with you. Your family is very lucky. 👌👌💯💯‼️

[@carolinelane9599]

Really enjoyed listening to this. Thanks for sharing.

[@mauiskater]

Incredible interview. Definitely watch ❤

[@jimknapp8731]

Enjoyed this session. Informative and entertaining at the same time. Thank you.

[@AdurianJ]

it's sad that people growing up today here in Sweden will never experiene flying pre-9/11 we didn't even have security checks for domestic flights back then other then on a random basis. I have a late teen experience of going into Arlanda buying tickets and sitting in an aircraft being pushed back from the gate in less than 10 minutes and i had a bag for the hold. Standard practice in Sweden was to fly with the cockpit door open so the passengers could see the pilots during the flight. Another great memmory was when i was 10 and we flew home the day before Christmas and there was like 11 people on MD80 and all the kids got to go in the cockpit during the flight and talk to the pilots, i also got as many peanuts as i wanted.

[@paulabrown6840]

I’m a retired F/A ..I would have been honored to fly with this Captain. 9/11 was so intense.

[@lukasfoster7515]

Great interview! I hope more and more pilots that were in the air that day on 9/11 come forward and tell their stories. And what was going through their minds.

[@jodyburgin1810]

Fascinating interview, thank you both so much!! Must have been terrifying not really knowing what was happening but having to stay calm & get your passengers to safety. Thank you Captain Shiff, your honesty & credibility is very much appreciated 😊

[@BlackStump172]

Yes , it is really interesting . I had not thought about what was happening with all the other flights .

[@jodyburgin1810]

@bestgirl1420 same here! I was myself in the air when it happened. Our 1st family holiday from UK to Benidorm. It had been a terrible holiday (the hotel wasn't very nice & the food was horrid, especially when we had little ones,our room got broken into so we spent a full day at the police station, travellers cheques, insurance papers & tickets home were all stollen & uk cash) so we were desperate to get home. When we arrived at the airport we'd been told the travel agents would have duplicate tickets ready for us but they didn't so we had to sort all that out & we were lucky to get on the flight home) so we were ready to get home! We got back & I rang my dad to say we were safely home & he told me to put the TV on. I couldn't believe what was happening, it was horrific. We had been de-toured over Germany as France had shut part of its airspace down & when we got to the UK airport a lot of the security & police had guns which unnerved us but it never crossed my mind that something like this could be happening. I remember it like it was yesterday & I still can't shake the thought that we were on a plane the same time the hijackings had happened & how scared those passengers must have been. Sorry that's all really long!

[@mortalclown3812]

Fascinating interview. The human element is the overriding feature of this particular episode. I've only heard audio transmissions from different sources. Thanks so much to both of you. Fwiw, I know I'm not alone in feeling dismay re: those who insist that the events of 9/11 never occurred. An interesting psychological phenomena called the Dunning-Kruger effect is at play here, but it hardly excuses their cruel assaults on truth, those who died and those who responded heroically. To those who do have PTSD, triggers, etc, sending extra blessings in support. Paz y luz, everyone.

[@robinclarke6914]

I don't think the passengers wanted to crash. They wanted to take control so they could live.

[@BlackStump172]

Because if they did not then they would die anyway. They had nothing to lose . They were braver than I would have been .

[@KC-RallyPlanes]

Great interview and great storytelling.

[@godstenrules]

I always like hearing people's stories of that day and hearing what they were doing that

[@borleyboo5613]

I have just ordered a book about Gander in Newfoundland where some flights were diverted to that day. The little town was helpful and welcoming to the hundreds of strangers who arrived in their town at such a challenging time.

[@paulazemeckis7835]

Thank you for a great vid! I flew a lot as a passenger (no ppl, just an avgeek) in the 80's and miss the open flightdeck doors. If a landing was really smooth I would tell them "nice landing". The pilots would always step out of the flight deck and watch us deplane with smiles. Hated the MDs...loved the L-1011s...miss them. DC-10 didn't compare. BTW.... you pilots are heroes. Thank you for caring for your pax! ❤

[@ohheyitskevinc]

Great interview and a great person too. I had to look at N939AS. Went to GA Telesis from AA in 2012 and is currently showing as stored. Loved those jets - went up like a rocket too.

[@abathens]

Amazing interview. This is such an important part of the entire history of that fateful day. Just a fantastic video

[@swampcat0712]

great interview. there are things gate agents knew but getting this perspective is thought provoking. I worked for Frontier Airlines in the San Diego. I was a gate agent but had just started working in operations and with the jetway. that morning was beautiful in San Diego too. I was still active-duty navy, but I was getting ready to retire and kind of came and went as I pleased as long as I called in. our station manager had scheduled an employee meeting that morning for 7am. our first flight, which was the only direct flight we had that didn't go through Denver, was a direct NYC flight. so, they were on the line up on the taxi way with several bigger airlines ahead of them. the time difference made a difference to my story. I'm one of those people that have CNN or some news station on all the time for background noise. as I was leaving the house to go to the employee meeting, dressed in my uniform, I noticed on the news that they said an aircraft, possibly a helicopter, had hit one of the world trade center towers. My dad was a pilot, I grew up around airports, so this captured my interest. while I was driving to the airport, I had the news on and heard that another plane hit the other tower. they were sure it was deliberate at this point. I lived near Miramar which is 20 minutes or so from the airport depending on traffic, at the time I left was a heavy traffic time, so it took me longer to get there. I was running late because of traffic and instead of parking near the harbor and taking the employee shuttle, I was just going to park in short term parking and pay the few dollars that would cost me. as I'm turning into the road leading into the airport parking in front of the airport, there were already men in uniform - national guard maybe - blocking the entrance to the airport. I had my airport employee card around my neck, but they didn't care. I was so freaked out that I literally parked on Harbor Drive and ran to the airport to make the employee meeting on time. it still wasn't clicking in my head what was happening. we started the employee meeting, the tv was on in the corner, volume off. we saw the south tower fall and I ran to the tv and turned it up. our station manager was screaming at me to turn it off and sit down. I ignored her and then heard the fire fighter's alarms for when they're down. being a firefighter in the navy, I knew what this meant and started crying uncontrollably. station manager still trying to get the employee meeting under control. about that time the young lady who was watching the counter came running back to the break room, crying and begging for help. turns out that the plane that had left the gate and was in the line up to take off, had been brought back to the gate and off-loaded. of course, they headed for our counter. as I mentioned earlier, that was our only direct flight - to NYC. you can imagine what they were going through. in the early days, we didn't know what to do either. our mean station manager didn't want to help them but corporate finally called and said give them food, hotel and ticket vouchers. some actually stayed overnight in our comfy airport. the veterans stayed in the USO which took good care of them and others. uniformed troops were all over the airport. not threatening, but very present. I think I want to add that one evening, when I had been with Frontier for about 2 weeks, two FBI agents went around to each station, and gave us and all the others, a sheaf of stapled papers that contained the names of all persons of interest that we needed to check before we allowed them to board. all middle eastern names. this sheaf of papers was about an inch thick - front and back. they said that during Ramadan, the Mohammad part of their name may be moved around. I had no clue, but they did tell us there was reason to watch for the people on this list and call them if they tried to board. we had a large middle eastern community in San Diego that never caused any problems. we tried to look through this list of names when we could. when you come in and the first flight leaves at 6 - 630, and the line is already out the door waiting before you even open the station at 0430, it's crazy. no excuse, but we tried. there were so many identical names. I know there were hijackers from San Diego on those planes. I didn't work the counter that morning, but I always wondered if we missed someone. they knew something was up because they brought us that big list. I wish they had warned the flight crews more.

[@danarzechula3769]

I'm not sure I understand the timing as this story unfolds

[@swampcat0712]

@@danarzechula3769 It was the morning of 9/11. west coast time. 3-hour difference. I was just talking about the FBI list of watch names and how the planes hadn't left the ground yet in most west coast cities.

[@psuindyrunner4422]

Never forget all the times I flew as a kid and being allowed to go up to the cockpit and sit in the copilot chair. Seems absolutely insanely crazy now and unbelievable that we were allowed to do that.

[@diveguy4291]

I flew aboard a BA 737 as a child in 96 and I was allowed in the cockpit mid flight as the pilots had their in flight meal with a gorgeous view of the sun set outside the windows, different times for sure, better i would argue, the world has lost a lot of innocence and joy since those events.

[@aviatortrucker6285]

The passengers didn’t purposely crash the plane. They had one soul on board who had aviation experience, and they were going to try to get him into the flight deck to attempt to possibly land the plane after regaining control. Unfortunately, the hijackers who were buckled and harnessed in were fighting the passengers who were trying to drag them out of the flight deck. This caused the aircraft to go out of control. The result was a spiral into the ground at full power.

[@cchris874]

We don't know exactly their plan. Where did you get this info from?

[@Bangkok-ik1fp]

​@@cchris874 Yes, a Boeing jet airliner just completely buried itself into a hole in Pennsylvania. That happens in cartoons which is about right for the educational level I read on these issues.

[@cchris874]

@@Bangkok-ik1fp Wrong. ET flight 302 did the same thing, even more completely. Please check the pre-excavation photos of that crash, if you are even capable of finding them. Don't come back with all the wreckage pics taken AFTER they were dug out. But something tells me you won't even get that far. Something tells me that even if you do discover your mistake, we won't be hearing an acknowledgement from you. That's the way 911 truth tends to work. Never acknowledge error. Or the actual truth.

[@anjou6497]

@@Bangkok-ik1fp Have you watched the film by Paul Greengrass United 93 ? Your comment is'nt very bright actually. The film gives any of us a most logical description of what most likely happened in those last few cockpit minutes. Indeed it did crash inverted and almost perpendicular to the ground at nearly 500 mph. The FFA chief at the time, Ben Sliney actually graciously played himself in the film, and also other ATC's and Military command operations staff, it must've been awful to relive it. All the interractions are completely accurate re the FFA & ATC's. If you have'nt watched the film, i urge you to do so.

[@stevegarbe8297]

All speculation

[@AaronHarberg]

Nick is a good !st officer, great guy! Thanks Ern.

[@mikelevitz1266]

Wonderful. Some comments have provided good emergency responses for non airplane situations.

[@stevendegiorgio3143]

That's good to know. I'm A private pilot and A&P mechanic but I never had the need to fly on a commercial airliner.I haven't flown on a commercial airliner since 1990.I just haven't needed the airline system.

[@nwanchorcertification]

That’s awsome I got the radios !!

[@HollyLewallen-Smith]

Interesting interview. ✈️ Love ❤. Shared ❤️. Saved on KZbin ❤️.

[@Hawker900XP]

Nice information.

[@artheriford]

Brian was taught by one of the very best instructors ever (his dad Barry) and knew exactly what it meant to be a TWA captain. I come from TWA lineage and they were they were the best of the best.

[@jrbuch]

I remember flying from Melbourne to Perth Australia 1 year before 9/11. Being in the cockpit as a kid during the descent into Perth airport and the views was something I won't forget in a hurry. 9/11 sure did change everything.

[@REAGAN_1980]

Landing like oshkosh that was a great visual.

[@BlackStump172]

I don’t understand the reference .

[@jimhebert9198]

I seen AA 11 around 15 past 8 Fitchburg Ashby line and it was very low I seen the people walking inside the plane that low nobody mentioned it dropped some significantly

[@tumbleweed2240]

Can you estimate its altitude? If you saw the people inside it must have been very low and not moving too fast. So, it was moving north to south. Did you know that 8 other people in MA saw it too and filed sworn affidavits as to what they witnessed?. Your information is very valuable.

[@brianford8493]

Dont try too hard chum......lots of good gen there....many thanks!

[@RayVisotski]

Great interview. Glad I found this site. Now subscribed. 👍

[@nmikloiche]

Captain Schiff talked about after landing back in STL that they had to wait 4 hr to get gate assigned. He said in the meantime they parked next to the national guard hangar and watched the guardsmen load bombs…. Does anyone know the full story about this??

[@truckinfool3550]

I’m not a pilot, I’m a lifelong trucker, but I’ve watched enough You Tube aviation channels that I’m pretty sure I could help land a plane…

[@02WIFE]

Were there any secure the cockpit warning

[@REAGAN_1980]

With more and more pilot incapacitations occurring would be good to let the pilots know that we could co pilot in an emergency.

[@iflyplanes687]

I guarantee that if you go into the flightdeck during boarding to identify yourself as a private pilot, as friendly as the crew may seem, they will laugh at you behind your back as you waddle to your seat. Save yourself the embarrassment. Keep it to yourself

[@pethraolson6068]

But we as a passenger understands those securities. Safty first.

[@KutWrite]

I'm guessing he's the son of writer/pilot Barry Schiff. Read a lot of his articles in "Flying" mag.

[@boeing757pilot]

Yes, he is...

[@irenedemarco1354]

Fantastic interview from another perspective. How frightening... I was on a global tour in 2002 and travel had tightened up severely, but as far as im concerned, i would rather everyone go thru extreme scrutiny BEFORE boarding a plane.... I have been hauled up under The T Act, for triggering all alarms... and that freaked me out... and id purchased a tiny backpack and had jammed that with gifts for grandchildren... id left it accidentally on the conveyor, so that also looked suspicious. ( Id forgotten to count my bags, cos i usually carry my own pillow onto the plane....) Usually 3 bags.. handbag, medical supply bag, and suitcase Thankfully i was able to identify what had triggered the alarms, and told airport police/security what was in the tiny backpack.. every innocent item....! Because i was stood over by armed men, it was a scary situation for me, and as much as i was scared witless, at least we know airport security and processes are pretty tight.... On one trip...some woman had 30-40 cm shears in her handbag... so she got hauled away...after creating a fuss about keeping them! i was next on line after her with a legbrace on that beeped, so, i took that off and showed security the metal stabilisers in the brace, and i didnt beep when i hopped thru a second time...! Another time, i forgot about the body bag under my knee length dress and tights...that was a mission to retreive at Dubai Airport Security, surrounded again by Saudi Men in headgear...(sorry, not sure what their headdress is named) So i had to squirm and wriggle to unclip the bag that held my Credit Cards and cash... it was so embarrassing... thankfully neither i nor the bag beeped when we went thru scanners a 2nd time... Its still incomprehensible tho, how so many people still dont obey baggage rules, and hold queues up because they have to be searched... foodstuff is international now, so no need to try smuggling weird stuff into countries!... Im ok with strict rules to be able to travel safely.... Thanks for sharing....

[@thatairplaneguy]

As a private pilot I don’t envy professional pilots. I don’t have aspirations of flying that bus. But if called on I’d help as i could. The more I learn about airliners, the more I realize all that I don’t know so I’m no longer ignorant to the fact that I’m not even qualified to help. Could I land a bus without killing someone? Probably but I don’t aspire to that challenge. I was in 8th grade on that day, I was infatuated even then with flying. I knew then that I would be learning to fly in a very different environment going forward.

[@ellonysman]

Sad standing there just like on the Arizona in Ha😮

[@jamesa6080]

I’m pretty sure the passengers of fight 93 didn’t crash the plane. The hijackers decided to down the plane when the passengers were breaching the cockpit

[@AB-mw8oz]

Yeah. The passengers and crew, they were all very brave on that flight, but it's a common misconception. They knew it was a suicide mission. They knew they were going to die regardless, They had nothing to lose by trying to recapture the aircraft.

[@maybememory1]

I wonder if, post-9/11, aspiring pilots who are or appear middle eastern find it difficult to become working pilots. It would be discriminatory, but I could understand hesitancy, especially not long after the attacks…

[@lindanitzschke1315]

Of course a plot would want to know of other pilots onboard. If flight instructor Denny Fitch had not offered his services to Capt. Haynes on United Flight 232 that crash landed at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, they'd probably not even made it to the airport but, instead, was at least able to make it there, tho crash landed with how difficult it was to have to land with little-to-no control due to loss of all hydraulics. It took a huge amount of physical strength to keep that plane in the air. Had they not made it, all 296 passengers and crew would have died. Instead, even with the horrific crash (mainly due to having to land at a way too high speed), 184 were saved, including all 3 pilots, as well as Denny Fitch, which helped in the investigation as to the cause of the cause of the loss of hydraulics.

[@iflyplanes687]

I respectfully disagree. The only time I will summon another pilot from the cabin to assist is if they can provide the FAs a copy of their license, and identification that gives them security clearance (such as an airline ID) for me to verify. Otherwise NO ONE is coming through that door except crew. Airplanes are completely capable of being flown single pilot. In the case of the United incident you mentioned, it was a company pilot that assisted. And I'm pretty sure the crew already knew who he was. That's a whole lot different than allowing some 200 hour wonder come to "assist" me. Sorry/not sorry.

[@stevendegiorgio3143]

I got my Washington DC SFRA and New York exclusion area SFRA training cnertificates.I also got my. kneeyboard prosedures.

[@MrDuds1984]

It’s amazing that here we are 20 plus years later and there is no TSA technology where we can keep our shoes on during security. One knucklehead tried to light his shoes on fire during a flight and we’re still paying for it with this crazy take your shoes off thru security policy

[@parkburrets4054]

He claims that the passengers purposely crashed the plane. That’s the first time I’ve heard that claim it doesn’t make sense to me. If they got control, why wouldn’t they try to land safely?

[@BjrnOttoVasbottenbjovas]

I take it as he means a crash was the most likely outcome of fighting with the highjackers in the cockpit

[@JWSSpeedo]

Todd Beemer.

[@27dforce]

I remember after the liquid bomb incident, i was carrying my firearm on board a flight. I walked around security, showed my creds, and met the marshals prior to boarding. We walked down the ramp and a individual from the airline ran down asking for my water bottle. I was like OK. The air marshals were like, he walked around security, has a firearm on him and no one checked his bag, but you're really worried about his water bottle. I said, guy's no big deal, you can have my water bottle after i took a sip. Talk about not thinking! But i was like at least he noticed that haha

[@jefferypreston5714]

Totally showing heroism on flight 93 They crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania

[@markbergthold6181]

I make a point of thanking the pilot/FO as I exit.

[@naamanpratt]

💫

[@bobcfi1306]

My biggest question if you need me upfront in your airliner…. Do I do a slow roll…Bob Dilk

[@danarzechula3769]

Yes we are a line of defense it is good to be remindes

[@hollyhurley7789]

Re: Dry mouth under stress. Singers chew on their tongues a bit when they get it from stage jitters.

[@personofinterestchocolatem9158]

I don't understand why his passengers aboard his flt couldn't / wouldn't make / receive calls / texts about what was unfolding. Yet the passengers and crew aboard the doomed flights were able to make and receive calls from their cellphones and airphones. I just don't understand it.

[@MickeyMack-og8mv]

NSA

[@CMill78]

Flight 93 was able to make calls when their altitude was low enough. Nobody made cell calls from 30k feet

[@HappyQuailsLC]

Wait, missiles being loaded up on “ airliners”??? How broadly are we defining airliners here? Commercial ones???

[@hanneandersson5577]

Did the Captain leave and take a stroll? 😮Aha, now I understand why it was so many as 4 plane been hijacked. Omg, the world was more beautiful before 9/11. We thought the best of people, we still do, but we can’t! 🙏

[@amateurdesubaru]

youtube isn t anymore what it was 15 years ago ...

[@BrandiHilton-pq2km]

The crew & passengers were our real life heroes. They decided to sacrifice their lives to stop these evil, evil people who were bent on destroying our nation. The terrorists underestimated our bravery, resilience, & the way we took a stand & stood up to them- It definitely shocked the guy who supposedly had a bomb on him...They disabled him, & knocked him out. Then the passengers made the way to the cockpit, it startled the guys who were flying. They made it into the cockpit- They struggled, fought back, They terrified the guys - they decided to go upside down, & crashed. Flight 93 saved our lives. They stopped the men who were headed to the capital. They were targeting our nations leaders. R.I.P Flight 93! You wont ever be forgotten!.

[@BlackStump172]

Did they ever find out what building was their target ?

[@nancyross5257]

Instead of the shoe bomber, it should have been the bra bomber. Then we could surrender our bras before the flight.

[@sladwig4094]

47 massive core columns. Can reasonably estimate 188 core column connections per floor. (47 x 4 ) Each core column bolted/welded together from 4 directions. 36k psi steel or greater. 20,680 total of these core column connections. Why would they all fail together in 10 seconds? 95% of these 20,680 estimated core column connections were not on fire. A backyard swimming pool amount of jet fuel dispersed over approximately a football field size floor area per floor. A hollow aluminum airplane with its wings half full of fuel. If high rises could be demolished in 90 minutes with only jet fuel, why go to all the expense of using explosives and timed charges for demolition? A concrete estimate alone is 110 floors x 5" thick = 550" = a 45 foot tall block of concrete almost the size of a football field that turned into dust before it hit the ground. Why is that?

[@shinebrighter3802]

Absolutely!!! I couldn’t agree more with your critical thinking.

[@cchris874]

What does this have to do with flight 93? The truther spam manages to squeeze itself into every nook and cranny of the most barely tangential videos. It's like the dozens of unwanted spams we get everyday in our email boxes. Can't you contain yourselves at all?

[@TM-tw1py]

Guess they must have been lying to us about the events on 9/11.

[@HW-sw5gb]

Most demolitions try to be done carefully

[@cchris874]

@@TM-tw1py Indeed, the truth mvt hasn't stopped lying since.

[@aracelitan557]

LANDiNgGEaR-Land O Lakes 10O

[@lhaviland8602]

The funny/sad thing is that pilot suicides resulting from the locked door are well on the way to surpassing the number of deaths on 9/11.

[@melissar.2594]

BS

[@CMill78]

There were 2 or 3 crashes because of that, nowhere near 9/11 deaths. And since those crashes, a flight attendant goes to the flight deck while one pilot is in the restroom so one person can't be alone on the flight deck anymore. Problem solved.