My family just returned from seeing a matinee showing of "Flight 93",
and I have to say that it's been a shattering experience.

We normally fly as a family on Sunday afternoons, but heavy rain and
high winds kept us on the ground. Mary and my 15 year old son
suggested seeing a movie, and Mary has been wanting to see "Flight 93."
After following this thread the last few days, I didn't know if I was
sold on the idea...but we didn't have anything better to do, so...

At the last minute my 12 year old daughter opted to stay home, so it
was just the three of us at the theater. We did the usual
"buttered-popcorn-twizzlers-giant-pop" deal, and settled down in the
half-full house to enjoy an afternoon of escapism. Or so we thought.

The movie starts out slowly enough, following the terrorist's last
morning of preparations. These preparations were filled with prayer,
and tension, as they went about the business of checking in at the
ticket counter, and waiting the interminable wait before boarding. We
watch as, one by one, they -- and all the other passengers -- board the
plane, looking nervous but as innocent as newborne pups.

This story is interspersed with the happenings inside New York's,
Cleveland's, and Newark's ATC facilities, as, one by one, more and more
flights are hijacked. The tension is slowly ratcheted up as, one
plane a time, ATC loses contact with the pilots, and the planes change
course and altitude. Standard hijack procedures are pulled out, and
discarded, as the morning progresses and it becomes clear that what was
happening was completely out of the play book.

After the World Trade Center is hit, confusion becomes the norm, and --
as the ATC officials realize the enormity of the events unfolding
around them -- fear and horror join confusion as a close second and
third on the emotional tier. The military is called in, and (as luck
would have it) they are in the midst of a major NORAD exercise that has
left a total of four (4!) fighter aircraft available to defend the
entire Eastern Seaboard.

The FAA's military liaison cannot be found. When at last he *is* found,
he has scant little authority to do anything. People with authority
cannot be found, and NORAD is left with few planes and no rules of
engagement. Chaos reigns as the Trade Center is hit again, and the
Pentagon is attacked.

As the passengers on board Flight 93 become aware of what is happening
on the ground (via cell phone calls to loved ones), the formerly
passive passengers realize that this is no normal hijacking, and that
their only option is to try to take the plane back.

Of course, we all know the ending.

The movie is incredibly well done. The entirely matter-of-fact way in
which the events unfold -- in real time -- gives the film a weight and
authority that it would not otherwise possess. The tension that
ratchets up is nearly unbearable, as we watch events unfold both
knowing what is about to happen, and remembering our own, dark
experiences on that day of terror.

Near the end of the movie, I was entirely in the moment. I was with
the passengers as they plotted their take-over. I felt the knives slash
as they tried to take control. I physically felt the plane roll and
lurch as the hijackers tried to keep the passengers subdued. Mary said
that she was leaning whenever the plane rolled, and I felt a huge surge
of adrenaline as the passengers rushed the hijackers. I was with
them, as was everyone in that theater.

When at last the movie ended in a black screen, and utter silence,
people were audibly sobbing throughout the theater. My fists were
clenched, my breathing ragged, and tears streamed down my face. My son
was shaking, and my wife was absolutely motionless, not even breathing.

The people directly behind us were crying out loud, unashamed. It was
the most amazing thing I've ever seen in a movie theater.

No one moved. Minutes later, still no one had moved. I couldn't see,
and I couldn't catch my breath, as the rage poured out of me. I bit my
lip to stop from balling like a baby.

See the movie. We all need to see this movie.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"