Lessons Learned - 'United 93'

It's about a war and a system challenge The nation, it seems, is split: those who remember 9/11 and the reasons we are in a war on terrorists; and, those want to forget it ever happened, recall our troops, and put our collective head back into the sand – which, of course, is what led to 9/11 in the first place. The first message from viewing the movie "United 93" is that everyone who remembers why we're fighting should take everyone who doesn't to see this film. "United 93" brings home that fateful day. It's a wakeup call for those who have gone to sleep on the dangers we face today, and on the perspective that the terrorists bring to the battle. Our determination must match and exceed theirs. Much of the movie focuses on the activities of the U.S. air traffic control system on that day. There is much debate going on in Washington right now regarding the future modernization of the ATC system, and its future funding and operation. In fact, ATC is the focal point of the entire future system funding discussion. A segment of the film focuses on replaying taped footage of voices heard momentarily from one of the hijacked cockpits – a replay which indicated early on that more than one aircraft was pirated. I kept wondering how a digital system would have speed up this process (particularly communication between FAA and the military); it could have helped officials who were dealing with the unexpected more quickly recognize the gravity of the situation. The big lesson of 9/11 was that the world had changed and we needed to change to survive. One of the changes has to be bringing to America the most sophisticated ATC system, one with an operational and oversight structure that allows it flexibility, dependable and predictable funding, and the ability to quickly absorb new technologies. It's not only critical for the future efficient operation of the U.S. aviation system; it's critical for response and defense against future attacks. Thanks for reading. jfi