Heather Penney

Heather Renee Penney (born September 18, 1974) is a defense policy expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Virginia. 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
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
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchAir National Guard
Years of service1998–2016
RankMajor
Unit
Battles/warsIraq War

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", the 121st Fighter Squadron[4] of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews.[5] In 2009, she transferred to the 201st Airlift Squadron,[6] which provides short notice worldwide transportation for the Executive Branch, Congressional Members, Department of Defense officials and high-ranking U.S. and foreign dignitaries.

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 other than the minimal 100 rounds of ball ammunition always carried to maintain trim. The mission could only have been accomplished by ramming the plane with their respective fighter jets. Penney and Sasseville were never able to intercept United 93, as it had crashed at least 35 minutes before they took off, and likely would have reached Washington 15 minutes prior to being airborne.[7] 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][8]

Iraq War

She served two tours of duty in the Iraq war.[9]

Private sector

In 2006, Penney joined Lockheed Martin as director of USAF Air Superiority Programs, Aviation Systems, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations[10] while still serving part-time with the Air National Guard. During her time at Lockheed Martin, she spent a great deal of time working on the F-35 project.[2] On September 7, 2017, Penney and her father, Col. John Penney, gave a lecture, titled, “9/11 Perspectives” at National Air and Space Museum, as part of the GE Aviation Lecture Series.[11] After leaving Lockheed in 2018, Penney joined the think tank, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies as a defense policy expert.[12][13]

Penney appeared as an air power analyst on the television documentary series Bullet Points.[14]

Awards and honors

In 2012, Penney received the Emerging Voice Award from the Purdue University College of Liberal Arts and the Purdue Alumni Association.[6] She was given the 2017 Outstanding Aviator Award from The Wings Club Foundation and the International Aviation Women's Association.[15]

References
  1. Penney, Heather (September 13, 2013). "Heather Penney, the 9/11 fighter pilot, says celebrating normalcy is a way to honor heroes". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. Hendrix, Steve (September 8, 2011). "F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11". Washington Post.
  3. Gorman, Ryan (September 11, 2014). "On 9/11, this fighter pilot was sent on a kamikaze mission to possibly kill her father". aol.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  4. "CAF Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Acquire Aircraft, Produce Film to Inspire Youth and Honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots". WarbirdsNews. November 1, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  5. Culver, Christine (May 11, 2015). "The 9/11 Takedown That Never Happened". Air & Space/Smithsonian. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  6. "Heather Penney: 2012 Emerging Voice Award Recipient". Purdue University. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  7. The 9/11 Commission Report (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office (Report). ISBN 0-16-072304-3. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. Yang, Allie (September 10, 2021). "Fighter pilot reflects on would-be 9/11 suicide mission". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
  9. Cummings, Tommy (November 6, 2015). "Air Force pilot ordered to take down Flight 93 to speak at Rep. Johnson's veterans ceremony". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  10. "Leadership Conference: Major Heather "Lucky" Penney, ANG". United States Naval Academy. 2014.
  11. "9/11 Perspectives". National Air and Space Museum. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  12. "Fighter pilot, a Purdue alumna, was prepared to sacrifice her life on 9/11". Purdue University. September 9, 2021.
  13. Snyder, Susan (May 7, 2018). "On 9/11, this Air Force pilot faced a suicide mission. Everyone needs a 'courage muscle,' she now tells students". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  14. https://vimeo.com/182252198
  15. "The Wings Club Foundation Announces Heather Penney As 2017 Outstanding Aviator Award Recipient". The Wings Club Foundation (Press release). March 9, 2017 – via PR Newswire.
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