Full Video Interview with Purdue Alumna and 9/11 Fighter Pilot Heather Penney

In this special "This Is Purdue" full video interview, we’re talking to Purdue alumna and former D.C. Air National Guard fighter pilot Heather Penney.
Listen as Heather (BA English ’95, MA American studies ’97) shares her incredible story from 9/11, when she was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice with her flight lead, Marc Sasseville. She reflects on the events of that historic day, from being selected to complete the mission to stop the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 to being grounded after hours of time in the air to how she feels about that day now, more than 20 years later.
Heather also expresses her gratitude for her time at Purdue, where her passion for flying blossomed further, and shares more about her experience training to become one of the nation’s first female fighter pilots.
Goosebumps. That's what you can expect from our episode featuring this brave and relentless Boilermaker.
*Disclaimer: This video interview is explicit.*
Check out all of our “This Is Purdue” podcast episodes: stories.purdue.edu/podcast/
Subscribe to “This Is Purdue” on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Check out our "This Is Purdue" video interviews on KZbin: / @thisispurdue
Learn more about Heather Penney’s story here: stories.purdue.edu/fighter-pi...
Learn more about Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts here: www.cla.purdue.edu/
Check out Heather’s official website here: heatherpenney.com/
#purdue #purdueuniversity #boilerup #thisispurdue

[@johnthomas3842]

Just to listen to her articulate her thoughts is a joy. I have listened to a few videos of her speaking, so professional, serious, humorous and down to earth. She truly is a humble hero. Knowing people of her caliber are taking care of our country makes me feel safe and grateful.

[@jojotrommlerExtraBougEe]

HUGE CONGRATS on a job well done! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE 🇺🇸🦅❗️🖤💛🚂🆙️🔨⏬️🖤💛

[@ivyyang981]

Lucky Penny 🍀! Best call sign ever!!! 😊

[@BunnyInes]

Great interview! Thank you for your service, Lucky 🍀! 🙏🏽🇺🇸🪽🫶🏽

[@nanamavik586]

I am a retired US Air Force F-16 pilot. I have a lot of problems with what is being said in this interview as well with the associated narrative that for some 20+ years has painted these 2 pilots as heros for what they "would have done" on Sept 11, 2001. There were no military heros on 9/11 except for those that worked to rescue the injured and trapped at the Pentagon. Beyond those, the military saved no lives that day. Absolutely none. The primary game plan to take down any aircraft coming into DC that day by ramming the nose and tail with F-16's was utter nonsense and completely unnecessary except as a very, very, very last resort. Why? Let me explain. The F-16 normally carries up to 511 rounds of live 20mm Target Practice (TP) ammunition on every flight for weight and balance purposes. The F-16's M61A1 Vulcan cannon firing a 20mm 1500+ grain TP round down its barrels at 3400 feet per second is hardly a "BB gun"...despite what was said by Heather Penney in another interview. In that interview it was also said these pilots only had 110 rounds each. That is extremely doubtful. The only reason 110 rounds would have been the limit was if that was exactly how many rounds were loaded or what was left over from previous air-ground training missions (unlikely in both cases). There is, however, an external rounds limiter switch which is typically set to 110 when shooting the gun during air-ground training to facilitate hit percentage calculations(e.g., 40 hits = 40%.) The pilot or crew chief can easily flip the rounds limit switch off before engine start allowing all rounds that are loaded to be fired. So it seems they took off with the rounds limiter switch on and set to the standard 110. As far as engaging an airliner, it would have been simple to intercept and cruise up behind it and put 25 to 50 rounds through the engines, tail, or cockpit. This would have almost certainly taken the airliner down. If all the ammunition was expended, the next thing to have tried would have been a supersonic, very close pass over the engines as this would likely cause the engines to stall and/or flameout. Only after these and possibly other options were tried should a suicide ram have been considered. Sadly, the suicide ram is the FIRST and ONLY option brought up when these these two pilots talk about what they would have done that day. The Pentagon was hit 34 minutes after the SECOND airliner hit the Twin Towers in New York City. 34 minutes! F-16's were sitting on the ground 10 miles away when the Pentagon was attacked. It was an abject failure of our civilian and military leadership that left the nation unprepared to respond and prevent an attack on our nation's capitol with a 34 minute warning. Again, no military heroes that day. The continued blaring for 20+ years about a suicide mission that these pilots WOULD HAVE DONE that day needs to stop. They saved no one. Exit the stage. Enough.

[@brgilbert2]

[nanamavik586] And like you I have serious issues but not with Heather Penny's narration but with yours!! Most of the videos posted are around 2 years old making the year about 2021 to 2022. That is about 20 to 21 years ago when they were posted, not when the interviews were conducted. Secondly I find it VERY interesting that I see NO dates of your service, something I would NOT have failed to mention in your position. And thirdly, you indicated you were an "Air Force" pilot or in the "Air Force", NOT in the "National Guard" (not sure if Miss Penny mentioned that in this video or I became aware of that in other videos I have viewed) which is ENTIRELY different then the regular service, Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. So to be totally unprepared is relevant and believable plus those 34 minutes, listening to a few of other interviews it sounds to me like they were entirely out of the loop. As for your take on what ammunition might be on those jets or should be and with NO experience about those planes, I will not comment especially considering how many errors are in your post.

[@jimmyboudreau4207]

Single mom raising two kids there's something wrong with this picture why