Tonight I SAW THE LIGHT.

I returned from a business trip/flyertalk breakfast-dinner meeting tonight-March 11, 2002.

I flew UA #16 that was scheduled to arrive JFK at 11:15pm (2315). As luck would have it, we had a tail wind. This would be important.

When I boarded, I new and was aware of the new, temporary, memorial beams that would begin their 1 month of shining 88 beams of light into the air at Ground Zero.

And the lights were to be shut down at 11pm.

This 3 class trascon was full in first and in business; (we did have menus), and 80% empty in the back.

I was listening in to channel 9. There are several approaches to JFK. As luck would have it, tonight we flew 'direct LaGuadia'. Basically that meant we sort of cut a path directly over the city.

At first you couldn't 'see the light'. But as we go closer, and then directly over 'the light', everyone stretched their heads out the right side of the plane to get as near perfect a view as you would want to have.
By the way, the seat belt sign was on. We were at roughly 8000 feet (2600 meters).

I can't describe it in words. But suffice it to say I was speechless.

As a New Yorker I looked forward to seeing the beams from the air. Until tonight, I was DEAD SET against these lights. I know where the WTC was. I don't need to be reminded. But after seeing this from the sky, those beams took on a whole new meaning. The beams serve as a temporary reminder (as if we really need it), of what happened 6 months ago today. September 11, 2001.