McGrath of Harlow states:

>>>Planes fly over New York<<<

Not exactly. As a native of NYC and someone who lost loved ones in the Towers, please believe me when I share the following info with you:

Air-traffic over the Island of Manhattan is restricted to military only and even then, it is rare. One of the reason so many people caught those impacts on film was due to the extraordinary noise the first plane made coming in at the speed it was flying and the fact that folks on Manhattan recognized it as an alien or unusual sound. even when you fly into Laguardia airport in Queens, you fly AROUND Manhattan, not over it, in a very wide circle. COming into JFK, you fly over Jersey and staten Island on approach.

So, no, planes do not fly over New York all the time or even some of the time unless they are Hijacked, woefully off-course or have special clearance. The plane that hit the Empire State Building in the 1940's helped heighten awareness of what could happen if air traffic got too close to the city's highrises. That WAS a military bomber off course in nighttimne fog, BTW.

The Twin Towers WERE built to withstand a direct hit from a large aircraft. The strength of those structures was unparalled. What happened on 9/11 was a unique combination of factors ( the large fuel loads, the dspeed, the angle of impact...) which contributed to the collapse. It was not merely the heat but the tremendous speed that played a role in the amount of structural damage AND in my opninon, it's amazing they stood as long as they did. I could get more specific but it would bore everyone. Suffice to say History Channel has aired at least three different 2-hour documentaries on the building of the twoers, the events of 9/11 and the aftermath that address all these issues in great detail. Their website can hook you up with DVD copies or you can email me and I can send you VHS copies. (LisaMFeerick@aol.com)

Now, why were SO MANY Firefighters sent up the stairs? It wasn't just to rescue people folks. It was to activiate the various systems in place to aid in the event of a Fire, as well as to help organize and supervise the evacuation. A member of my wedding party just made it out with her life from the South Tower and she described the evac to me in detail. Those firefighters made a huge difference...guiding people away from overcrowded stairwells, directing the flow of foot traffic and reporting on which floors had been cleared..that prevented MORE personnel from going up. Also, remember that the levels BELOW the buildings had to be evacuated too, from the shopping concourse to the subway stations that are part of the complex. Personnel were required to facilitate that. When they finished, they didn't just leave. THey kept helping.

What Firefighters in other towns or smaller cities don't understand is that the Bombing of the Trade Center in '94 provided the City Firefighters with a very good idea of what they would face in the event of a disaster in those buildings. They had training for how to deal with a new event and it's a miracle more weren't killed. Please note some who died had gone done there with the Mayor to "assess the situation" and it's a miracle the Mayor didn't die himself. In retrospect, his decision to run down there with all those important folks wasn't extacly that smart, but boy did it make HIM look like a Hero, huh?

I think it's very easy for some captain in some town to diss the NYFD in hindsight. Part of that comes the natural conceit we all have when we are proud of how we do our jobs and think we could do better but part also comes from the simple horror of the situation and the assumption that for something that bad to happen, SOMEBODY had to screw up. Sometimes, very bad things happen DESPITE everyone's best efforts.    He's right on the hero question...wrong about the NYFD being idiots. Basically, this guy (the fire captain) got caught trying to look important and knowledgeable. I'm sure he's a good guy, he just should know when to quit. His "opinion" is not an informed one because if it were, his criticisms would have been more specific.

stepping off my soapbox now. I hope I managed to avoid poltics here. It irks me that anyone would use what happened to my loved ones, family and friends that day for political gain.