reply to post by scott3x
Either PFT or CIT (or both) have made it clear that there's an air corridor fairly close to the pentagon, so air traffic wouldn't be
unusual there. When we compound this with the fact that officials weren't looking for any flyover witnesses, as well as a 2nd plane myth, it seems
clear why so few flyover witnesses have been found.
Please allow me to dispel this misinformed "factoid".
It has become painfully obvious that certain "spokesmen" for both groups just do NOT know what the heck they're talking about, most of the time.
What
I have seen is a guy (Balsamo) who through no fault of his own can no longer fly due to Medical conditions. I also can no longer
qualify for a Medical, so I can empathize. However, in Balsamo's case he just doesn't have the amount of experience I have.
On ATS threads we have seen certain "spokesmen" for the PFT and CIT come on and show a complete misunderstanding in many cases, and when called on
it change the subject, or become defensively arrogant and attack instead of respond factually.
AND, the 'Aces" up their sleeves have always been the very few big "names" they trot out...I can think of the "Big Three" right now...and ONE of
them is the staunch proponent of "holographic airplanes" magically projected and fooling everyone, with weapons from space-based platforms magically
doing the destruction. I believe even CIT and PFT are cautiously backing away from
those claims....
In fact, the "story" keeps being altered, as conditions seem to warrant...if only to support a basic premise of somehow a "cover-up and
flyover"...and they do anything possible to twist back into that beloved scenario of theirs.
It is actually painful to watch, sometimes.
Thing is...these guys (most) actually think they're right! Not all of them are doing it out of malice aforethought. They are mostly genuine, if
misguided.
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adding...about the "air corridor" mythos....
Of course any Navigation charts you see today are possibly different than eight years ago (actually, there will always be minor differences, as they
are updated on a regualr schedule).
However, I am not aware of any what are called "VFR Corridors" that ever existed within the Washington DC Class B Airspace, not now certainly, and
not in 2001.
That is the only thing I can think they (PFT) are referring to with the phrase "air corridor".
Here is a website link:
skyvector.com...
On the right side of the page is a place called 'Location Lookup". As the example shows, type in a variety of terms...if you just use 'KDCA' it
will center on the National Airport for you.
THEN, along the top, you will see tabs. The ones labled "Enroute" will show the IFR charts..."L" for 'low' and "H" for 'high' altitude
depictions, as the airways are different on each. "DC Area" is also a 'low' IFR chart, on a larger scale focused on a smaller area.
"Washington" is the name for the particular "Sectional Chart". Just a name for one of the many that covers, for instance, the Continental USA.
"Baltimore-Washington TAC" means it covers BOTH the Washington and Baltimore Class B Airspace structures...("Class B" in days of old was called
the 'TCA', for 'Terminal Control Area'. NOW the term is "Terminal Area Chart". Still both are VFR Charts)
If you zoom in on the TAC Chart, for the Washington area, you can see how the airspace is depicted, and the various restrictions and such.
Class 'B' airspace directly on top of the airport goes all the way to the surface. Class 'B' means it is a positive control airspace, you MUST
have a transponder, and contact ATC (or in extreme cases make prior arrangements IF they will let you...very rare).
In addition, and not shown on any of these charts, are the various procedures specific to each airport for arrivals and departures. these are on the
IFR charts (sometimes refered to as 'plates') and can be found at the same site where I linked the Airport Diagram some posts back....
Sorry for another lesson...it is a very advanced lesson....and should have many, many prerequisites first, but this is a "crash" course...bad
pun.
[edit on 2 October 2009 by weedwhacker]