Pacific Coast Air Museum to host 9/11 remembrance

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The PACIFIC COAST AIR MUSEUM (PCAM) is proud to host a ceremony on 9/11/2011 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 to honor the brave men and women who responded on that day, to honor the memory those who perished and to display the untold story of heroism in the air by U.S. Air Force pilots and on the ground by Air Force and FAA controllers on that day. This free event is open to the public and begins at 2:00pm on Sunday September 11, 2011 at the Pacific Coast Air Museum at the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California.

On September 11, 2001, Lt. Col. Tim “Duff” Duffy of the 101st fighter squadron, 102nd Fighter Wing based at the Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) near Cape Cod, MA and his wingman, Major Daniel “Nasty” Nash, were on active alert. That morning “Duff” received orders to respond to a report of a commercial airliner hijacking. As the leader of the flight of two F-15A Eagle fighter jets “Duff” and his aircraft were the first American airborne fighter response on that day.

The aircraft flown by Lt. Col Duffy on September 11, 2001 was F-15A Eagle 77-0102. “102” flew combat air patrol missions that day to clear the New York City airspace of almost 100 aircraft. “102” and the 102nd Fighter Wing continued to protect the skies over the eastern United States for months. By February 2002 the wing flew 2,388 combat patrols. F-15 Eagle “102” is now part of PCAM’s aircraft collection.

At 2:00pm on Sunday, September 11, 2011 the museum will conduct a brief ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and dedicate the F-15 “First Responder” Exhibit. The ceremony will include short presentations by museum leadership and local dignitaries, a moment of silence, unveiling of the exhibit and flyovers by local first responder aircraft.