On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic.

All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that “All Business” look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta’s main office in Atlanta and simply read, “All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination.”

No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland.

He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately — no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.

While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.

We decided to lie to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, New Foundland, to have it checked out.

We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that’s nothing new. Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM …. that’s 11:00 AM EST.

There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the US.

After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason.”

Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the US. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.

The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the aircraft. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane.

In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were US commercial jets.

Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.

People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.

Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm.

We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament

We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning.

Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.

Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word.

Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took really good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.

After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander!

We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the US airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while. We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.

Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the “plane people.” We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.

Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days.

What we found out was incredible…..

Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.

ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.” Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.

Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.

Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered “Excursion” trips.

Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests.

Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft.

In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.

Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully.

It was absolutely incredible.

When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling.

Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.

And then a very unusual thing happened.

One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said “of course” and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days.

He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers.

He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.

“He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.

He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!

“The gentleman, a MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well.

As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.

“I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them.

It reminds me how much good there is in the world.”

“In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward.

———————————

Are these statements about the story true or false?

1. The plane was told to land at the nearest airport as soon as possible.

2. The crew didn’t know why their request was approved immediately by air traffic control.

3. There were plans to hijack the plane.

4. The plane had a little problem with its instruments.

5. The passengers didn’t complain when they were told about the change.

6. None of the passengers were able to make a call to their families at home after landing.

7. Only one passenger was allowed to leave the plane at a time.

8. They finally left the plane only the next day.

9. The passengers and the staff were hosted by families in the town.

10. The passengers returned the kindness of the locals by donating money for their children.

Key:

1. True

2. True

3. False

4. False

5. False

6. True

7. False

8. True

9. False

10. True

Explanations:

1. They were told to do so ASAP.

2. They found out only later why there was no hesitation.

3. Other planes were hijacked, not theirs.

4. They lied to the passengers and said that.

5. There was actually much grumbling.

6. Some of them made calls but only reached the Canadian operators.

7. The passengers were allowed to leave the planes one plane at a time.

8. They got off the plane 11 am the next morning.

9. Only the passengers, the crew stayed in a hotel.

10. They donated money to support local students through a scholarship.

Winter is the most exciting, most enchanting of the seasons and we all look forward to it. The sparkling white snow makes even the dullest and plainest neighbourhood spectacular and beautiful to look at. There is nothing like sitting in the warm room near the fireplace, with a cup of tea or hot chocolate looking out of the window and watching the whirling snowflakes in the crisp and cold winter air. If you like winter sports it’s fun to go out and enjoy the snow. You can build a snowman, make snow angels in the snow or have a snowball fight. You don’t even need any equipment for that. If you are more into sports and like travelling in winter, you can try skiing or snowboarding in the mountains. Skating rinks are easy to find in bigger cities and if you are lucky enough to have freezing cold for weeks you might as well try creating your own skating rink. You only need a relatively big and flat concrete area, a lot of water and some expertise of how to make a nice smooth layer of ice which is suitable for skating.

Winter holidays are another attraction of the season. Santa Claus, Christmas, New Year’s Eve – just to mention the three most important ones. Preparations for the celebrations usually start early. You don’t have to wait until December to start the Christmas shopping. It seems that the Christmas season begins earlier and earlier each year. Shops start to sell presents, decorations and seasonal goods at the end of October already. Whether you like it or not one thing is for sure nobody can escape the craze of trying to find some suitable present for their loved ones. Some people like giving expensive store-bought presents, others prefer giving and receiving handmade ones. Obviously the season is the most exciting for children. Santa Claus brings presents to well-behaved children if they put their clean boots or shoes on the windowsill. Not so well-behaved or naughty children cannot be sure of getting sweets so probably they don’t sleep very well at night on 6^th December when Santa Claus comes.

After the magic of Christmas time you have to wait only a few days for the next celebration to come. New Year’s Eve is a noisy celebration, with parties, crackers and fireworks. People go out to the squares in bigger cities they dance, drink champagne and wait for midnight to come. They usually count the last few seconds of the year in unison and sing the national anthem to welcome the new year. And on the 1^st of January it’s time to make some new year resolutions.

Hello, there, I’m Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran from her Majesty’s Palace and Fortress of Tower of London. I look after another thirty-six Yeoman Warders and we are classed as a Body of Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London. I’m presently in the Byward North Office which dates back to around 1280 talking to you guys out there.

How did you become a Yeoman Warder?

I was on holiday in London when my wife thought it would be a good idea if I looked at this job. I never ever envisaged myself being a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. I was living overseas at the time. My wife said: ’You’re good at telling stories’ – I didn’t know how to take that. However, I did apply for the job. To be a Yeoman Warder- nicknamed Beefeater – you must have spent over twenty-two years in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. I spent over twenty-five years in the Royal Air Force. You must have had a rank of sergeant major and you must have been awarded a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. So I applied for the job and within six weeks I was having an interview at the Tower of London and eventually got the job. It was never in my dreams to do this job but as time went on I suddenly realised that maybe I could do this.

What is a life of a Yeoman Warder like?

If you become a Yeoman Warder at the Tower, you’re signing up to live with your family at the Tower of London, there’s no retirement age for a Yeoman Warder so you’re here as long as you’re fit enough to do the job. So this is where my family lives. It’s not a bad postcode but it’s hard to get a pizza to the front gate sometimes!

Just behind me there is Mint Street. That’s where coins of the realm were made and produced until 1810.  It’s now where the Yeoman Warders live, all the way around the palace. The houses are called casemates. There are thirty-seven Yeoman Warders with their families that live at the Tower of London. There are about forty-five in total because we have a doctor and a priest. We have our general and Keeper of the Crown Jewels, and the Governor and the Deputy Governor. So forty-five families in total living within the walls of the Tower of London. Very busy place!

You’ll see me walking past the houses here. These houses are the Tower Green’s other homes where the Yeoman Warders live within the Tower. And because we’re in the lockdown, you’ll see that one of the cars is outside as well, very very rarely you’ll see a car inside the Tower of London, in the Inner Ward there is.

What has lockdown in the Tower been like?

A lot of people are keeping very fit. We have a moat here that goes around the Tower and a lot of people run around the moat. We have a gymnasium and a gym out on the wharf as well. So a lot of guys take part in that. I think most of us have dogs in the Tower and we take our dogs for a walk. So we’re all doing a lot more fitness than we would do if we had the visitors here in the Tower of London. We’re obviously on lockdown but we keep the place as pristine as we can. There’s one of the Yeoman Warders, actually watering the grass so we don’t only sweep the leaves up and empty the bins and check all the square, preparing for our visitors. You’ll see an Yeoman Warder even watering the grass there. Well done!

What’s your most memorable moment as a Yeoman Warder?

Probably 2014 when Her Majesty came to the Tower of London to rededicate the chapel of St Peter and plant ceramic poppies in the moat because we were commemorating the beginning of the First World War.

Where is your favourite place in the Tower of London?

I love the Chapel of Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, Latin for St Peter in chains. That chapel is five hundred years old this year, built on the orders of Henry VIII. Beautiful chapel, he built it for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She didn’t like the other church that stood there as it got severely damaged by fire. So Henry built that chapel there. Beautiful chapel because two of my three children were married in there! I worked there for many years as the Chapel Clerk.

What are most people surprised to learn about Yeoman Warders?

They find it hard to realise that when they go home at night we carry on. We’ve even got our own pub in the Tower of London. Not as many as there used to be in medieval times. There used to be quite a lot of pubs in here. It was better to drink beer than water in those days!

We have our own life within the Tower. I think if anything shocks people it’s usually that one.

What do you do on your days off?

I’m a great theatre-goer and I love musicals. I love concerts. I’m just a mad music fan. And because we’ve got the boat and the pier outside the Tower, I’ll jump on the boat and go down to The O2 and see a concert. I’m not always going to be at the Tower of London whilst I’m here it’s a great place for entertainment. I’ve been around the world from my forces background but I’ve never been in such a vibrant city so I’m making good use of it while I’m here.

A passion for music.. What genre is your favourite?

I love soul and Motown music. I was brought up on that being a Birmingham boy from Warwickshire. I love all sorts of music to be honest but that’s probably my favourite. I was one of the first to get in and see the Motown Story in town. There’re some great shows, that’s my style of music.

Do you ever play music in the Tower?

Yes, I’m well known for blasting out music. Every now and then I’ll even put it on in the office.

What is your favourite music spot in London?

I’m a frequent visitor to the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, I love it on a Friday night. You can go upstairs and dance and all sorts. Ronnie Scott’s is the place to go. Just go early and go to the left-hand door. Tell them the Chief sent you!

What does being a Londoner mean to you?

You become a Londoner very quickly because you become very proud of the city and what it’s got to offer. It’s an ancient city. It’s one of the most historic places in the world where a lot has happened in society to map out what we do now. So I’m very proud of living here. I’m very proud of the city. It’s probably my most favourite city in the world. It’s an honour to be able to be here and be part of the buzz of the place. It has a hell of a buzz. I’m a Londoner and until we meet again in London…Take care.

source: Visit London