Nine Eleven

The first of the airplanes were starting to roll in and my co-worker has produced a camera that he had stored in his locker in case of any unusual events, such has the one that was beginning to unfold.  This was before the time of good digital cameras where you could take a picture and if it didn't turn out you could delete it and make room for a better picture.  Instead this was a pretty good Canon camera in witch you would have to have the pictures developed.  Never the less he just started snapping pictures good or bad and just contiued snapping.  For a better view of the pictures, douple click on them.

Nine Eleven

The gates at YVR still remain unocupied in the 09:00 hours but that is about to change soon.  We are told to disregard the current work schedules we have witch include the arrival and departure times of the aircrafts because this will not be your normal day.

Nine Eleven

Vancouver Airport at this time was quiet but we started to imagine what was about to happen in the hours ahead. There must be about thirty-five hundred flights or more over North America and many of those would be Trans-Atlantic or Trans-Pacific flight, that will be needing to land. These international flights will not be allowed to land in United States so the next closest point for many will be right here at Vacouver International Airport (YVR).

Nine Eleven

All access to Vancouver Airports will be completely closed to all traffic including employees, police, media and everyone, and bridges and all roadways to the airport will be completely closed.

Nine Eleven

We get a call on the telephone from the control tower that United State and Canada is imediatly closing all airspace and all planes that are flying have to land now at their closest airports.  United State airspace will be closed for all international flights.

Nine Eleven

"An aircraft has just hit the World Trade Centre we are told.  Get ready for some suprises."  We turn on the television in the lunch room to see yet another airplane hit another World Trade Centre tower.

Nine Eleven

I thought someone was playing some kind of joke or something.  But that is not something that happens much when you are on the job.

Nine Eleven

It is around nine in the morning  on September 11, 2001 at Vancouver International Airport.  It is very quiet and very few planes have arrived and very few airline and airport staff have yet to arrived to begin duties but some of us are here about to begin our work.