9/11 First Responder Fighter Aircraft To Be Sent To Museum

NEWSROOM


9/11 First Responder Fighter Aircraft To Be Sent To Museum By Jim Douglas

		December 15, 2010 - In an unprecedented opportunity The Pacific Coast Air Museum has been awarded the honor of providing the home for a historic national treasure the very first aircraft to respond on the scene to the World Trade Center twin towers attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. On Tuesday the F-15 ?First Responder? was flown down to Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rosa, California were it will be the centerpiece of an interactive, educational exhibit at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. The aircraft has been officially awarded to the museum by the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Now, an aggressive fund-raising effort to build a befitting exhibit is under way to raise $250,000.00.

The exhibit will honor those who perished and those who responded in a valiant effort to save lives, as well as educate visitors and tell the untold story of heroism in the skies and on the ground that day. The museum is proud to be the West Coast destination for the public to learn about what many call our generation?s Pearl Harbor. On September 11th 2001, two U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles from the 101st Fighter Squadron, 102nd Fighter Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) Massachusetts were scrambled by NORAD in response to commercial airliners being hijacked and used as weapons to attack the World Trade Center in New York City. This armed patrol was this nation's first airborne response to the terrorist attacks of that day arriving over Manhattan only moments after the World Trade Center was struck. The sight of these F-15s over New York City was the show of strength New Yorkers on the ground needed to see in their darkest hour. Owing its heritage to the Massachusetts Minutemen, the 102nd Fighter Wing has been in continuous service since 1921, and the tail flash for this wing includes the Minuteman, the very symbol of the citizen soldier. On May 22, 2002 a Joint Resolution was passed by the Congress of the United States recognizing the members of the 102nd FW for their actions on September 11th, 2001.

One of those historic ?First Responder? F-15 Eagles was retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson Arizona on July 31st after nearly thirty years of service. This is the 102nd Fighter Wing Commander's aircraft, serial number 77-0102 and was the lead aircraft that responded from the alert shelters at Otis ANGB on that fateful day.

		This aircraft lead the United States response in the sky over New York City, and developed, in the air, the air defense plan for New York City, Washington DC, and the east coast of the United States. The exhibit at the Pacific Coast Air Museum will honor those who perished and those who responded in a valiant effort to save lives, as well as tell the untold story of the heroism in the skies and on the ground that day by the U.S. Air Force and FAA Other News Stories Bombardier Showcases The CRJ1000 NextGen Regional Jet Beechcraft Delivers Centennial T-6B Texan II Aircraft To Navy Trauma Patients Transported By Air Ambulance More Likely To Survive Ryanair Calls For Taking Away Workers ?Right To Strike? JetBlue Fined For Violating Disability Code Share Disclosure Rules Pratt & Whitney To Invest $1 Billion In R&D Over Five Years Report Out On FAA And 3RD Party Role In Developing RNAV Procedures Engineers Found Guilty Of Stealing Goodyear Trade Secrets IAM Charges Delta Air Lines With Election Interference Boeing Receives Military Contract For EMARSS Intelligence Aircraft FAA Establish Airspace Restriction Over Super Bowl XLV Boeing Delivers 3 More F-15K Slam Eagles To Republic Of Korea GE Rolls Royce Fighter Engine Team Tests Sixth New Engine Bell Helicopter Awarded $27M Contract From Yemen Government NASA Astronaut Alan Poindexter Returns To NPS As Dean Flight Attendants Push For Aircraft Child Restraint Devices IAM Lays Out Concerns With U.S. Korea Trade Agreement Sikorsky S-76D Helicopter Enters Final Assembly Astronautics Receives TSOA On Its New EFI Control Panel Japan Selects Mitsubishi To Build 40 UH-60J Helicopters Real Time Global Weather Application For FliteDeck Pro EFB Plenty Of Blame To Go Around For Fatal Helicopter Crash The FAA Seeks Your Help To Curb Laser Incidents Missouri Man Pleads Guilty In Selling False Aircraft Inspection Labels UPS Shipments Requires Government Photo ID At Retail Stores No Tarmac Delays Longer Than Three Hours In October 2010 Boeing Begins Production Of India?s First P-8I Navy Aircraft Court Rules Continental Airlines Responsible For Concorde Crash Gordon Bennett 2010 USA2 Balloonist Located Off The Coast Of Italy Royal Australian Air Force To Utilize JSOW C