Where were you when JFK was shot, During the Moon landing, During 9/11 ?

[Phil Perry]

I was watching our black and white telly in '63 when a stone faced newsreader interrupted Doctor Who and announced that Kennedy had been shot. I was babysitting my younger sister at the time, and when Mum and Dad came home, they wouldn't believe me, but, no internet, no 24 /7 rolling news bollox in those days, they put on a special report the next morning. Upset Mother that did,. . she thought he was a really nice man. . . .

 

I was sitting all on me lonesome, in a friends loungeroom in the early hours of the morning watching a B+W TV in July 1969 , I was the only one in a group of similarly aged lads in a rock group, who had any interest at all in the project and they all piked off to bed at midnight. ! Fascinating stuff indeed. . . I watched until the UK lost the satellite feed. . . .

 

I'd just landed a Rans S6 deadstick from the circuit at Otherton, flying with the new owner, who asked me along for moral support ( ! ) at 400 feet on takeoff, the exhaust stack extension which protrudes beneath the nose became detached and the engine lost power. The lad asked me if I would take over control, which I did.. It wasn't a difficult landing at all, just had to land with a slight downwind component on the next runway around. . . .

 

We'd taxied it back to the hangars on what limited power it would produce and another one of the club members ran up and stuck his head in the door and babbled something about a plane flying into a building in New York . . . I watched it unfold as soon as I got home. Horrific.

 

This question was asked on another blog, and I wonder if it triggered any memories with any of you redoubtable lads and Lassies on RF. . .?

 

 

[pmccarthy]

My mum was horrified when the Yanks elected a Catholic as president, I remember that more than the assassination. I took the afternoon off from school to watch the moon landing at a mate's place. Woke up and heard about 9/11 on the radio but I had to go to work so I didn't see the newsreels for a couple of days. The one I remember best is Diana's death. I was in the Gold Coast casino when a stranger came up to me and said "Dodi and Di are dead!" And I said "What's a Dodi?"

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Yes. . .The Princess Di conspiracy. . . . ( sigh ) the fact that their driver was a known historical Pi$$head and was going too fast through the tunnel being chased by the papparazzi had nothing at all to do with it. . . . NO,. it was MI5, ordered by Buckingham Palace. . .Diana could not be allowed to marry a Muslim OMG. . ..

 

If she had worn a bloody seatbelt, she'd still be alive now, clearing minefields in Rwanda and Iraq no doubt . . . I've driven thru that tunnel where the accident took place, and if you tried to travel at more than fifty Mph, you'd need to be the STIG. . . .too many tight bends. . .they were going at around ninety. . .

 

 

[Robbo]

I remember I had just finished working at Moorabbin and was on holidays and was up all night tinkering with some gadget and it came on tv and I was thinking this is a cool movie, but something wasnt right when I started getting the same thing on every channel.

 

Wasn't long before I let out an audible gasp and muttered the words crap this is real.

 

Then I started to feel sick when I could see people jumping out of windows to certain death.

 

To the air crews, people in the towers and on the ground, I salute you and may you rest in peace.

 

To the hero aircrews who tried to stop this from happening, we will never forget and I fly in honour of you all.