FLYING Magazine
I pointed to the magenta line on the VFR sectional. “What’s this?” I asked the aspiring private pilot.
“Some place we’re not supposed to go,” he replied confidently.
“What kind of airspace is it?” I asked.
There was a moment of indecision, then he reached for the key on the sectional, found the answer, then went back to the airspace. Located within a rectangular box on the sectional are the words in all caps: “FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY PILOTS ARE REQUESTED TO AVOID FLIGHT AT AND BELOW 2900’ MSL IN THIS AREA.”
- READ MORE: A Perspective on Cockpit Security since 9/11
- READ MORE: Remembering 9/11 and Lessons Learned
Behold the National Security Area (NSA). This special-use airspace was created after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the day commonly referred to as 9/11. For those too young to remember or born after it, that was the day 19 terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four Boeing commercial airliners in the U.S. and turned them into weapons. For many of us alive that day, the memory remains vivid.
Two airliners were intentionally flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Another struck the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. The fourth aircraft was allegedly intended for D.C. but crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when the passengers fought back. The attacks killed 2,977 people.
Because commercial aviation was weaponized, the aftermath of the tragic event resulted in increased security and airspace changes. Prior to 9/11, passengers were permitted to carry pocket knives aboard airliners. The hijackers carried box cutters, which they weaponized. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created and airport security—and the list of items prohibited aboard aircraft—increased dramatically.
That morning when news of the attacks broke, all aircraft were ordered to land. At nontowered airports unicom operators got on the radio and let pilots on the frequency know they needed to get down—now. Aircraft on flight plans were told to land at the nearest airport for fear of being shot down by scrambled military fighters.
I was working at another aviation magazine at the time. I heard about the attacks on the radio as I drove to work. I ran into the break room and turned on the television just in time to see the second aircraft hit the tower.
Immediately I called my father, a former military man and aerospace engineer, who I guessed (correctly) was trying to call me to make sure I was safe on the ground. Using my full name, he told me to stay that way until the mess was sorted out.
Within hours multiple TFRs appeared all over the country.
In the Seattle area the largest TFR was a 30 nm ring that loomed over Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) from the surface to 5,000 feet. Essentially, the entire Mode C veil was a no-fly zone. The TFR was a solid cylinder, and no airspace cutouts like normal Class B existed. Any aircraft beneath it was going to be on the ground for a while—and no one knew for how long.
Fortunately, after about two weeks many of the TFRs were reduced in size or removed altogether.
Pilots returned to the skies over Seattle with caution as a few of the 9/11 TFRs still existed over military facilities.
Over Naval Base Bangor-Kitsap, the submarine base north of Bremerton, Washington, a TFR extended from the ground up to 5,000 feet agl and laterally out 5 nm. Smaller TFRs appeared over Bremerton Naval Shipyard, Naval Station Everett, and Naval Magazine Indian Island east of Jefferson County International Airport (0S9) in Port Townsend.
As these are all military assets, it made sense they would have TFRs over them. The ones that confused some pilots were the TFRs created over large gatherings of people, such as the one that appeared over the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, east of Tacoma. The fairgrounds are north of Pierce County Airport/Thun Field (KPLU), and when taking off to the north, a pilot had to make a turn to the east or west less than a mile from the runway to avoid the TFR.
The FAA explanation at the time was that airplanes—all airplanes—were viewed as a threat and might create a panic, which is not something you want at a crowded outdoor event. Such TFRs still are used over many sporting events, such as football games, car races, fun runs, and regattas.
Two of the most famous “event flight restricted airspace” locations that still exist are over Disneyland in Southern California and Walt Disney World in Florida. Both have a 3 nm-wide and 3,000-feet-high virtual bubble over them.
In the uncertain days following 9/11 there was conflicting information about what would happen to a pilot who blundered their way into one of these TFRs. The NOTAM indicated deadly force was a possibility. So was jail time.
I don’t think anyone was ever shot down, but I do remember hearing about pilots who lost their privileges for at least a few months after they violated a TFR because they did not get a weather briefing before the flight and therefore did not see the NOTAMs or they accidentally clipped it. There were stories of pilots being met by law enforcement and aircraft being seized and dismantled, looking for threats.
The threat of biological weapons spread by air became a concern.
Airshow performer Julie Clark was met by law enforcement in Folsom, California, after a Saturday practice because people became concerned when they saw smoke trailing from her Beechcraft T-34 Mentor. The colored smoke was part of Clark’s “Serenade in Red, White, and Blue,” which involved flying with patriotic music. Clark was surprised and stunned to learn of the panic it caused.
Changes in Flight Training
When it was learned the hijackers had trained at American flight schools, the FBI visited many around the country to review their student records. I was there when the agents arrived looking for surnames originating from the Middle East and Russia. I was asked what kind of name Godlewski was. I replied, “Very, very Polish and very, very Catholic.”
All the flight schools on my home field increased security just in case someone tried to pull a copycat stunt by stealing an airplane. Motor vehicle access to the ramp was limited with cement blocks. A police car and patrol officer was stationed in the front parking lot.
The flight school I was training at was not taking chances with their aircraft or customers. It made multiple signs warning pilots about the local TFRs, complete with photocopies of the sectional that showed their location and dimensions. The signs were displayed in the briefing room, CFI office, and even in restrooms.
At the time I was preparing for my commercial pilot check ride, and out of an abundance of caution, drew the TFRs on my paper VFR sectional using hot pink ink. I drew them slightly larger than the published dimensions as I did not want to be “that pilot.”
Eventually, the TFRs subsided, but we had three new NSAs as denoted on the VFR sectional in magenta, almost purple, ink, and a box next to the area contained the message in all caps: “FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY PILOTS ARE REQUESTED TO AVOID FLIGHT AT AND BELOW (INSERT ALTITUDE) MSL IN THIS AREA.”
The areas were created so that in times of heightened threat it would be easier for the FAA to establish TFRs over them. This hasn’t happened yet.
Permanently Prohibited
One TFR in the region did become permanent. The one over Bangor, the home of Ohio-class nuclear and Trident submarines is now a prohibited area—P-51, designated by a box outlined with blue hashmarks.
Aircraft are not permitted to enter this airspace. If a pilot does, the FAA can suspend or revoke their certificate, there may be civil penalties, and if a threat is perceived military aircraft may intercept them.
There are multiple prohibited areas around the country. P-49 sits over the Bush family ranch in Texas. P-40 covers Camp David in Maryland, and more recently there was the creation of P-75 over Trump Tower in New York City.
Remember 9/11
There are a variety of ways people remember 9/11. Most are somber, such as the reading of the names of those lost at Ground Zero in New York and lowering flags to half-staff.
For the aviation community, there are many of us who make a point to fly on 9/11, celebrating the freedom we have.