When the Skies Went Quiet

Greg and Dan talk with Gene Olson, Director of Airports for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria, about his firsthand experience working in airport operations on September 11, 2001. At the time, Olson was Director of Operations at Evansville Regional Airport, and he recalls the morning of the attacks, receiving calls from air traffic control, and the unprecedented decision to halt air traffic across the country. He walks through what it took to shut down airport operations, secure runways and terminals, sweep the building, and respond as the aviation industry faced a situation unlike anything it had experienced before. He also reflects on how airport security and procedures changed in the aftermath and how long it took for many of the new rules and systems travelers know today to take shape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.