AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 37

AV I AT ION HISTORY /
YOU CAN FLY /
Operation Yellow Ribbon
9/11 attacks had a positive moment in time
in Gander, Newfoundland
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
FOLLOWING THE ATTACKS on the World
Trade Center towers in New York
City on the morning of September
11, 2001, a third airplane crashed
into the Pentagon around 9:30 a.m.,
leaving no doubt that the crashes
were a coordinated attack. After the
third attack, FAA National Operations
Manager Ben Sliney, his first day
on the job, initiated the emergency
Security Control of Air Traffic and
Air Navigation Aids (SCATANA)
plan, which shut down U.S. airspace
immediately.
Aircraft already over U.S. soil were
permitted to land at the nearest possible
airport. However, those not yet inside
U.S. airspace were not allowed entry-
an obvious problem for aircraft already
in the air. Those with enough fuel for
a return journey were turned back,
but almost 240 airplanes, carrying
between 30,000 and 45,000 passengers,
were past the point of no return. David
Collenette, transport minister for
Canada, ordered Canadian airspace to
be shut down too, but he would allow
airplanes bound for the United States
to land on Canadian soil.
However, Canadian authorities did
not want aircraft landing in Toronto,
Montreal, or Ottawa because these
already busy airports presented security
concerns. Halifax International Airport
accepted 47 airplanes, Vancouver
International Airport accepted 34 aircraft,
and Gander International Airport
accepted 38 airplanes. And although
eventually 17 Canadian airports would
welcome stranded aircraft, Gander,
Newfoundland, became the most wellknown.
Gander was a refueling stop
for transatlantic flights during World
War II, as it is the most easterly point
in North America. Through the years
following the war, the airport was used
less and less, although it remained
a critical emergency stopping point
for transatlantic flights experiencing
problems. It has two massive runways,
one at 10,200 feet long, the other at
8,900 feet.
The town of Gander is small, and
at the time had fewer than 10,000
residents. However, the historic
airport facilities could handle aircraft
of all sizes. Gander Control, one of two
air traffic control centers that guides
aircraft over the North Atlantic, also
could handle the coordination of the
more than 200 aircraft with their 6,122
passengers and 473 crewmembers.
For five days the stranded
passengers and crew
lived in Gander with the
residents, making friends
and memories.
Gander residents opened their
doors to the unexpected visitors,
offering food, drink, and places to stay.
Community centers and schools were
turned into shelters, giving people
places to sleep. Residents donated food
and bedding. For five days the stranded
passengers and crew lived in Gander
with the residents, making friends
and memories. Dubbed " Operation
Yellow Ribbon, " the events of that time
inspired a musical, Come From Away,
produced in 2013. Operation Yellow
Ribbon remains the largest emergency
operation of civilian aircraft in history.
julie.walker@aopa.org
Reaching
new heights
Scholarships awarded to 253
aspiring pilots
THE 2024 YOU CAN FLY scholarship awards
include the largest group of recipients and the
most scholarship funds distributed to date.
Some 253 students, teachers, and other aspiring
pilots have been awarded funds that will
help them pursue their dreams for a future in
the aviation industry.
Awards for AOPA scholarship recipients
range from $250 to $20,000, with an average
scholarship amount of approximately $9,000.
Scholarships are allocated to help recipients pursue
pilot, aviation maintenance, and aerospace
careers; cover the cost of flight training; and provide
funds for advanced ratings and certificates.
The total awarded for 2024 is $1.593 million.
These scholarships are made possible
through the AOPA Foundation-the 501(c)(3)
philanthropic arm of AOPA that, through generous
donations, funds programs that AOPA
membership dues don't cover. Beyond helping
people reach their aviation goals through the
annual flight training scholarship program, the
AOPA Foundation funds content distributed by
the AOPA Air Safety Institute and You Can Fly
initiatives that help build the pilot community
and keep it safe.
The You Can Fly program and the
Air Safety Institute are funded by
charitable donations to the AOPA
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.
aopafoundation.org/donate
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
37
http://www.aopafoundation.org/donate
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024

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