Remembering 9/11 and Lessons Learned

Hopefully, the aviation industry will not lower its collective guard as we get further away from infamous terrorist attacks.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 11:48 AM ET

Verified

On 9/11, temporary flight restrictions (similar to the one shown here) popped up over military bases and other potential targets. [FLYING file photo]

Key Takeaways:

The 9/11 attacks brought immediate, unprecedented changes to aviation, including a nationwide ground stop, severe flight restrictions, and significant shifts in the industry workforce and daily flight operations.
Post-9/11, new security regulations were implemented, most notably the requirement for flight instructors to verify the citizenship of U.S. student pilots and stricter rules for foreign nationals.
The author notes recent relaxations in some TSA flight training rules and expresses concern that newer aviation professionals are unaware of critical post-9/11 security protocols, fearing the industry is lowering its collective guard against suspicious activities.

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Twenty-three years ago today, I was driving to work, listening to news radio when the announcer said that an airplane had struck one of the towers at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. I was a reporter at an aviation magazine and my first thought was, “I will be writing about this today.”

As I pulled into work the announcer came back on, sounding surprised as she said a second airplane had struck the other tower at the WTC.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.