Pentagon Research

On the pros and cons page we have seen various options for what hit the Pentagon. The remote control or replacement aircraft theory was most like the plans for Operation Northwoods. Since 9/11 was used to justify the invasion of the Middle East like Operation Northwoods was intended to justify the invasion of Cuba, we will give credence to the idea of a plane repainting, plane swapping, remote control concept. In no way does the following article imply any involvement by anybody quoted below. This is just to show that there is a possible replacement aircraft.

"An aircraft at Eglin AFB would be painted and numbered as an exact duplicate for a civil registered aircraft belonging to a CIA proprietary organization in the Miami area. At a designated time the duplicate would be substituted for the actual civil aircraft and would be loaded with the selected passengers, all boarded under carefully prepared aliases. The actual registered aircraft would be converted to a drone.

"Take off times of the drone aircraft and the actual aircraft will be scheduled to allow a rendezvous south of Florida. From the rendezvous point the passenger-carrying aircraft will descend to minimum altitude and go directly into an auxiliary field at Eglin AFB where arrangements will have been made to evacuate the passengers and return the aircraft to its original status. The drone aircraft meanwhile will continue to fly the filed flight plan. When over Cuba the drone will being transmitting on the international distress frequency a 'MAY DAY' message stating he is under attack by Cuban MIG aircraft. The transmission will be interrupted by destruction of the aircraft which will be triggered by radio signal."
(Searchable text version of Operation Northwoods.)

"Boeing built four 757-200s to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging fleet of four-engine Boeing VC-137 executive transports, which had been in service since the late 1950s. Designated C-32A, the modified airplanes carry the U.S. vice president, members of the U.S. cabinet and congress, and other government officials traveling on government business. The first two C-32As entered operational service in June 1998, the final two entered service in early 1999. The C-32A fleet is based at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and operated by the 89th Airlift Wing." (Source)

The suspicious mind would notice that these aircraft were received at about the same time the construction started on the Pentagon wall to renovate it for blast protection.

"The combined government/Boeing team received the Vice President's Hammer Award for significantly reinventing the way the government buys and supports airplanes. The process used to purchase the aircraft enabled the Air Force to have airplanes in operational service in less than two years.....The Air Force purchased the C-32A much as any commercial airline customer would buy a 757. This new way of doing business has delivered significant cost savings for the taxpayer and a number of benefits for both the Air Force and Boeing." (Same source as above.)

"'We are using the same painting process as any other Boeing aircraft', said Jim Warren, chief engineer for the C-32 project at Aeronautical Systems Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. 'In the past we used specific criteria developed just for the military. We had to describe the thickness of the paint, and even specify the type of paint to be used. We didn't do that this time.' The entire painting process took four days, including preparations, application of the primer coat, inspections and application of the paint.

"'First, the protective acrylic that coated the aircraft during production was chemically removed. Workers then cleaned the entire aircraft with solvent and cheesecloth and abraded the painting surface to prepare it for painting', said Mike Meyers, paint hangar supervisor at Boeing. Once they masked areas of the aircraft not to be painted, they applied each coat of paint, which was heat cured. 'Each successive shift applied another coat', Meyers said.

"The fuselage and tail of the aircraft took three coats of white paint. Each additional color required an additional three coats of paint. The finished scheme is similar to other 89 AW aircraft; a white body, with light blue running the length of the lower fuselage to the cockpit, and a light blue splash on the tail. The white and blue colors are separated with a band of black and gold.

"Just 85 gallons of paint were used on the C-32A. 'We employ the latest high-transfer painting equipment,' Meyers explained. This means that 85 to 90 percent of the paint sprayed is actually applied to the aircraft.

"'The quality of the paint job is as good or better than any other military [specified] paint job,' Warren said. 'The commercial process is very mature. That's the big advantage. There is no large learning curve to overcome.'

"'The painted C-32A is actually the second C-32A aircraft slated to come into the inventory. When the aircraft is delivered to Andrews, it will bear the tail number 80002; 80001 is scheduled to enter the paint hangar Feb. 16.'" (Source)

The truly suspicious mind would wonder how far Wright Patterson AFB is from the Ohio/Kentucky border. The answer would be about 100 miles from where Flight 77 was last seen on transponder.

"The biggest change in the move to the C-32A is the elimination of navigators and flight engineers. 'The 137s are 1950s-era aircraft,' said Capt. Pete Klavik, coordinator for C-32 pilot training. 'Back then all the systems-- the pneumatics systems, the fuel system, the hydraulics all had to be operated and monitored manually by the engineers. With the technology on the C-32, all of those systems have been automated.' Similarly, advanced technology on the C-32A, such as dual Global Positioning Service receivers will eliminate the need for navigators.

"Technology and automation in the new aircraft will make the pilot's job very different, and enhance the squadron's ability to provide safe, reliable and comfortable transportation for the nation's leadership, Klavik said. 'When we program the computer to take the airplane to a certain altitude or fly a certain distance it automatically establishes the optimum decent rates, climb rates or speeds and level-offs.' If the pilot directs the aircraft to level off immediately, the computer will level off the aircraft very smoothly, he said. 'The autopilot will fly the airplane and we will function as systems managers making sure the systems work.'" (Source)

"Built around a standard 757-200 airframe, the internal configuration is quite different. The forward section includes a communications center with facilities for up to 10 passengers. Satellite and radio telephone equipment, television/video, and secure voice and data transmission facilities allow communication worldwide. For the main passenger(s) a fully enclosed stateroom with private facilities including a bed are in the second compartment. The third section contains an eight seat conference and staff facility. To the rear are 32 business class seats with associated facilities. The aircraft typically carries up to 45 passengers (compared with up to 231 on a standard 757-200) and 16 crew. Up front, as well as the standard airliner electronics, the aircraft is fitted with TACAN, IFF, TCAS, and military radio equipment. The first C-32A airframe served as a testbed for the Future Air Navigation system (FANS) ." (Source)

So we do have a military asset 757-200 ordered prior to 9/11, with a first-time streamlined purchasing program, that gets its repainting done 100 miles from the Ohio/Kentucky border, with a new civil airlines painting process, that has avionics that the pilot just programs and monitors, that eliminated the flight engineer and navigator, and is maintained by a "special" Boeing/United Airlines crew for the first time, while the passenger crew receives its training at American Airlines. One of the cons to this theory was that it would require Boeing and American Airlines to be involved. But with this aircraft we have Boeing, American Airlines, United Airlines, the FAA (testing FANS) and the Military all working together. Just like the day of 9/11?