Seven Flags For Seven Years Over Ground Zero

By Ed Lightle

On September 11, 2008, seven years to the day after terrorists flew two commercial aircraft loaded with passengers into the twin towers, nine members of the Team Fastrax Demonstration Team made a commemorative jump over Ground Zero in New York City. As the fireman’s bell was struck a fourth time to signify a moment of silence, seven jumpers deployed seven American flags at exactly 10:28.31 to commemorate the time the second tower had fallen. Said John Hart, founder of Team Fastrax, “This jump was dedicated to all of the victims of 9/11, lost, missing and carrying on.” Hart and renowned skydiving videographer, Norman Kent, exited with the flag jumpers and shot video.

The team exited at 5000 feet because clouds prevented them from exiting at 7000 feet as planned. But they had trained for this kind of contingency and the flags were deployed perfectly on time as John Hart released yellow smoke and deployed a 100-foot yellow streamer. New York’s Mayor Bloomberg reflected on the emotions of the spectators on the ground. “As the fireman’s bell tolled for the third time, the most incredible site appeared above them–seven American flags. At first spectators stared in silence, crying, then the entire city began to cheer.”

Flag jumper, Travis Donley, recounts his emotions under canopy. “My God! What an experience! It was tough to fly a 7800 square-foot flag over a major city and water, not to mention the tears in my eyes during the entire jump. It was moving and inspiring at the same time. As we descended, we could hear the entire city in a roar. Groups of people chanted U-S-A, boats were doing donuts in the water and blowing their air horns, helicopters hovered in the distance, and thousands of cameras flashed from the ground.”

As planned, the jumpers landed on a 190 by 200 foot pier across the East River in New Jersey. With nothing but river on three sides, there was no room for error. The LZ was approximately 1.3 miles from the exit point above Ground Zero. Blessed with winds from the east at 4-6 mph, the formation separation point of 3500 feet worked out perfectly for the team to land safely on the other side of the East River. After the jumpers landed, they gathered in a circle for a moment of prayer and reflection. Feelings of patriotism and the significance of what they had just accomplished made it impossible to hold back their emotions.

Perhaps the significance of the jump was best summarized by Vicki Tureski, whose brother-in-law was lost in WTC1. “I glanced at my 22 year-old daughter, who at this very solemn moment, was pointing up at the sky. Quite honestly, I was ready to discipline her when I looked up to where she was pointing. What a surprise to see those flags coming down. A big smile crossed my face. This sad moment was made happy, as for me, the flags were being sent from our lost loved ones above. I felt the flags were a direct message from my brother-in-law, Steve Pollicino. So thanks for reminding us of the hope we have each and every day. I congratulate those of you who made this happen.”

Even though this was a purely voluntary effort by Team Fastrax, nearly a year and-a-half of planning took place to make the demo a reality. Gene Newsom, Captain of Team Fastrax, worked closely with federal, state and local governments, filing literally hundreds of documents with the FAA, TSA, Homeland Security, the National Parks Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the New York City Mayors Office, and the New Jersey City Police and Fire Departments.

And already there are plans for next year. “The Mayor has asked us to land on Ground Zero itself and we’re planning jumps into the other two sites of the terrorist attacks,” says Hart. “We want to do our part to make sure this day is never forgotten.”

Flag Jumpers:
Travis Donley
Dave French
David Hart
Niklas Hemlin
Brian Marzluf
Dan Paganini
Stuart Schoenfeld

Video Jumpers:
John Hart, Founder of Team Fastrax
Norman Kent, world-renowned videographer and photographer

Chief Pilot:
Bruce Schemmel

Ground Operations:
Gene Newsom, Team Captain
Tristan Donley
Justin Hammons
Nita Newsom
Babs Waguespack