Not exactly...

After watching the carnage on TV and telling my wife and small kids that "everything changes after today", I went to work at the USFS base in Redding, CA.

I was the Lead Plane on call that day and didn't think I'd be flying when they blew the horn. I called OP's and asked if this was for real as all aircraft are grounded. She told me emergency aircraft were exempt, here's my special code, air attack, one tanker and one helicopter would be on the scene and they were.

Surreal flight. Cool Sept day after a bit of a late summer scorcher. A few clouds and no one on the radio. Tower controller, someone I knew, asked what I was doing. I said, "Rich, here's my code." He cleared me to takeoff. Center was eerily quiet. He said besides me, the air attack, the air tanker and the helo, there were a couple military jets in So Cal and one CHP helo in Sacramento in the air.

We dropped on the fire a couple times and I called it. Went back to the base and watched the continuing fall out. To this day, that is the only entry in my logbook that I consider special. Not my first solo. Not the day I passed my Private Pilot check ride. But the entry in the logbook on Sept. 11, 2001 when I departed after all other aircraft were either down or landing.

Eric

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