Don, you forget [...] training
I bet this was the biggest cost; you just don't learn how to fly a big
commercial jet overnight.
Skipping take off skills (it is already in the air when you take over)
and landing skills (it isn't going down in the normal way) how much
training would someone with light aircraft skills need?
Apparently a video tape is adequate, given the cars found with them left
behind. Once the hijacker had control of the plane they had some time to
practice with it before the target too.
I am wondering about the planning of the attack, and the failure of any
group to claim responsibility. I don't think it went according to plan,
with the failure of just one of the 4 attacks, the complete destruction of
both towers, and finally I think the American response was entirely
misjudged. In the first part I am guessing they were "lucky", entering the
country, making it through security and boarding flights very lightly
populated, and getting the people on board to cooperate. Since hitting the
towers as low as possible seems the most effective, that stage was poor.
The final result wasn't terror, but resolve, that I think left those
responsible in fear of admiting their acts.
I agree I don't see this type of plane attack occuring in the US anytime
soon, but I do expect to see it again someplace else in the world.
Economically I was thinking about all the contracts, and accounts that are
now blowing around the streets of NY. How many pending transactions that
will fall through, or have payment or shipment massively delayed. Perhaps
50,000 people who were directly envolved in arranging and facilitating
trade are now displaced, with perhaps 5 times that number now disconnected
from their routine transaction methods.
