Heather Penney

Heather Renee Penney (born September 18, 1974) is the director of United States Air Force Air Superiority at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. She is best known for her role as a USAF lieutenant who was one of two F-16 pilots who flew their unarmed planes in an attempt to ram and down[1] United Airlines Flight 93 before it reached Washington, D.C., during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.[2]

Heather Renee Penney
Born (1974-09-18) September 18, 1974
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, U.S.
Other namesHeather "Lucky" Penney
OccupationUnited States Air Force pilot
Years active1998-2016
Known forflying a ramming mission to prevent United Airlines Flight 93 from reaching Washington, D.C. during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks

Early life

Heather Penney majored in literature at Purdue University. Her father was retired Air Force Col. John Penney (born 1947), who served from 1970 to 1979 during the Vietnam War and joined United Airlines in 1979 and served until his retirement in 2007.[3]

Career

Air National Guard

Penney was the "only woman in her fighter pilot training class and the only woman in her fighter squadron" (121st Fighter Squadron)[4] with the D.C. Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews.[5]

September 11 attacks

Penney, who was a first lieutenant at the time, was ordered into the air in her F-16 fighter jet alongside Marc H. Sasseville's aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base as the terrorist attacks were unfolding on September 11, 2001. They were ordered to down United Flight 93 before it reached the Washington, D.C. airspace, but because of the urgency, there was not enough time to outfit their aircraft with live ammunition. The mission could only have been accomplished by ramming the plane with their respective fighter jets. Flight 93 subsequently crashed as the crew and passengers fought to take control of the aircraft, ending Penney and Sasseville's mission. In the Washington Post, Penney described her willingness to down Flight 93 without using live ammunition, saying that "there are things in this world that are more important than ourselves. [...] We belong to something greater than ourselves. As complex and diverse and discordant as it is, this thing, this idea called America, binds us together in citizenship and community and brotherhood.[1]

Iraq War

She served two tours of duty in the Iraq war.[6]

After retirement

In 2011 she was working for Lockheed on the F-35 project.[2] On September 7, 2017, Penney and her father, John Penney, gave a lecture, entitled 9/11 Perspectives at National Air and Space Museum, as part of the GE Aviation Lecture Series.[7]

See also

References
  1. Penney, Heather. "Heather Penney, the 9/11 fighter pilot, says celebrating normalcy is a way to honor heroes". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  2. Hendrix, Steve (September 8, 2011). "F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11". Washington Post.
  3. Gorman, Ryan. "On 9/11, this fighter pilot was sent on a kamikaze mission to possibly kill her father". aol.com. AOL Inc. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  4. "CAF Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Acquire Aircraft, Produce Film to Inspire Youth and Honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots". WarbirdsNews.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  5. Culver, Christine (May 11, 2015). "The 9/11 Takedown That Never Happened". Air and Space. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  6. Cummings, Tommy. "Air Force pilot ordered to take down Flight 93 to speak at Rep. Johnson's veterans ceremony". dallasnews.com. The Dallas Morning News Inc. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. "9/11 Perspectives". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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