On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacked America using aircraft as weapons of mass destruction.
Within hours, FAA controllers brought 4,500 aircraft safely to land. As USA Today said, landing so many planes safely was "handled with ingenuity, skill and guts."
The next part - that called on expertise across FAA and the aviation community - was equally challenging: restoring civil aviation at previously unheard of levels of security.
Within 24 hours, FAA personnel drafted tougher security measures so FAA could reopen airspace on Sept. 13. Next, security experts developed new security programs, trained thousands of National Guard personnel, and dramatically expanded the Federal Air Marshal program.
Other FAA experts created standards for strengthened cockpit doors, developed new training for crewmembers, and implemented new security procedures for flight schools.
Air traffic control addressed the phased reopening of the aviation system with added security measures and stricter procedures.
Hundreds of FAA people worked to improve security and restore civil aviation, so important to our nation's economy and our quality of life. This website provides some of their portraits.
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Hundreds of FAA people worked to improve security and restore civil aviation after the skies were closed on Sept. 11, 2001. Here are some of their portraits.
Week of September 2
Week of September 9
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