In Honor & Memory... We Hear an NYC Air Traffic Controller’s 9/11 Story: How Chris Tucker Saved Lives

Chris Tucker is a former air traffic controller who was working in New York City on 9/11. Tucker spent the whole day trying to keep the passengers of two hijacked planes safe. This episode is his story. It's heroic, and it saved lives. But as Chris says, "I was just doing my job."Episode Notes:I welcome Chris Tucker on the show. The reason I had him on is because I heard him speak at an event. And it was riveting. Chris spoke about his personal experience trying to keep the passengers of two hijacked planes safe - [2:55]I tell Chris my experience that morning. I was a hedge fund manager. It was one of the most beautiful days in New York City. I saw the plane. And my business partner thought it was the president. The plane flew over us. Everyone ducked. It was so loud. And so fast. And we watched the plane go right into the building - [4:06]Chris says why he became an air traffic controller - [6:56]Why New York City is too stressful to live in - [8:02]How Chris' solo sailboat trip gave him clarity. And helped him see what he wanted to do with his life. He said, "The nice thing about being in the middle of the ocean with no one else around you is that you can find some clarity that for some bizarre reason is not attainable when you're in the normal world." - [8:57]I ask "How long does it take to get a pilot's license?" He breaks down the process. - [9:54]"Flying is, in general, very safe, but that having been said, airplanes can find ways to kill you that you can't even dream of." - [12:18]Chris' scariest moment aboard a plane. He says it was very similar to what happened to JFK Jr. - [12:32]How Chris transitioned from pilot to air traffic controller - [16:37]I ask Chris, "How close can two jets get before they start to affect each other?" - [19:33]Chris gives an example of how two aircraft accidentally impacted each other. And caused turbulence. "That aircraft had to make an emergency landing. But that's extremely rare," he said. [22:13]Chris Tucker's training: he does 3 months and is in the top 40%. He moves to New York and starts apprenticing. It took 3 and a half years to become fully certified. "And the very first day was terrifying." - [22:45]Chris gives some background information. This helps set the setting for September 11. So we can understand what makes being an air traffic controller so stressful - [23:40]How private jets and small planes impact regular planes - [26:33]Why there's a 0% chance I'll get a pilot's license... Chris tells a story about a time he almost crashed directly into another plane - [29:20]In 1981, Ronald Reagan fired 11,345 air traffic controllers who had a union strike. I ask Chris, "Why did he think he could do that? And why did we survive that?" - [32:06]Chris Tucker starts to tell us about his day on September 11, 2001 - [33:58]Chris was working departures out of JFK airport. And he explains the structure he has to follow to make sure arrivals and departures don't conflict with each other - [34:45]"I had a lot of work to do," Chris says as he explains the number of planes he has to vector before ever learning about the hijacked planes - [37:20]The moment Chris finds out there's a hijacked plane... - [39:13]Everyone was experiencing denial. Chris explains why they didn't believe there was a real hijack at first... and how that changed - [40:00]The controllers in Boston could hear the hijackers making announcements to the passengers - [41:12]Things change... the hijackers turn off their transponder. "Now we can't see the altitude the aircraft is broadcasting." - [43:01]I ask if the military could have intervened in any way. - [45:03]"One of the flight attendants on board called American Airlines and told them that the aircraft had been hijacked and that they had murdered the pilots." - [46:23]Chris says what they thought the hijackers were going to do... and why they didn't think a crash was possible... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.