I wonder if AJ would be surprised to know that NORAD controlled the planes that hit the Twin Towers?
As nearly as I can tell, the FAA was uniquely the controlling agency. I suspect that the 'famous' fighter jets which scrambled were actually impulsive and rogue pilot decisions - controlled, again, by the FAA.
#33. To: SKYDRIFTER, BTP Holdings, *9-11* (#32)(Edited)
BTP Holdings: I wonder if AJ would be surprised to know that NORAD controlled the planes that hit the Twin Towers?
SKYDRIFTER: As nearly as I can tell, the FAA was uniquely the controlling agency. I suspect that the 'famous' fighter jets which scrambled were actually impulsive and rogue pilot decisions - controlled, again, by the FAA.
In this YouTube video, NORAD commander, Gen. Arnold, states at 4:58 that no one would have known the intent of the hijackers and, without that, [paraphrasing] a shoot down order would have been unjustifiable: 9/11 Military Response
The disturbing part of that video, imo, is at the end where it's reported that any shoot down decisions here have been delegated since 9/11 to NORAD, which is a joint Canadian partnership. Sure, Gen. Arnold is dutifully logical and ethical enough on the hijack issue but what if a Canadian commander ordered a passenger jet here blasted out of the sky without even trying to bring it to a safe landing somehow? Sovereignty infringing, to say the least.
Mineta stated to Lee Hamilton, of the 9/11 Commission, that [he] was in a bunker when Cheney apparently declined to give a shoot down order for a plane that was about to crash into the Pentagon 79. Note that if the events went as Mineta described, the fellow coming and going from the room wouldn't have had time to leave the room and return. If the "plane" were actually travelling at 550 mph, 10 miles is covered in about 1 minute. Part of that time would be spent in the dialog, "do the orders still stand?" So, it would seem unlikely that this fellow would have time to even leave the room and return for the next dialog. It turns out that Mineta himself was former Vice President of Lockheed Martin 80 – one of the world‟s biggest defence contractors and also one the primary contractors in the Airborne Laser Project which is described as “America's first directed energy weapon system” 81