Nicola Phillips

🌸🌷🌻🌼

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Siblings 🙈💖😍

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@stcyresdofe @CyresYr9 Thankyou Mr B for all your hard work in this !! 👏🏼 Much appreciated

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@StcyresD @StCyresSchool Brilliant night! Such talent 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@StcyresD @StCyresSchool @CityURCCardiff @CAVMSNews An amazing concert. Thankyou 👏🏼

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Beautiful Brecon waterfalls 🥰

[Charlie Hub @TravelsCharlie]

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was on board TWA flight 2, bound for Hawaii with a stop in St. Louis. The wheels of my plane left the runway of JFK airport at 08:45 AM. On the flight with me was my brother Jim at a window seat. Jim witnessed the plane crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center moments after we were airborne.

About forty minutes into our flight, our plane slowed dramatically and lost altitude. The maneuver caused me to rise off my seat an inch or two and bump into the the back of the seat in front of me. Then the fasten seat belt sign came on. The Captain eventually announced we were being diverted to Dayton, Ohio due to a national emergency. That was the only announcement.

A somber flight attendant nodded her head yes in response to my question about whether our diversion was due to what we had witnessed taking off from New York. The flight attendant said she had no other information. Myself, my girlfriend Kate, and brother Jim concluded correctly there had been a terror attack. Now why were we being diverted?

Kate and Jim concluded all planes in flight must be landing - a notion I dismissed. I am a bit of a flight buff and knew there would be thousands of planes in flight early on a Tuesday morning. In fact, Jim and Kate were correct. It was a bold and courageous decision by Ben Sliney, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Operations Manager. And it was Ben’s first day on the job. Well done Ben!

However, I believed our plane must have some connection to the terrorist activity we witnessed upon take off. I thought very likely there could be a bomb on our plane. When Jim and Kate asked me what I thought was going on, I simply said I did not know. Sometimes the better part of valor is to remain quiet. I then sat quietly and reflected.

I was fifty-two. My two daughters were grown and successful. My affairs were in order: I had no debt, some money in the bank and life insurance. I had lived a very productive life full of adventure and contribution. My only option at that point was to care for the people I was with. I turned to Jim and Kate and made small talk. I was not happy, but I was at peace. It was an extraordinary experience I think about often.

After we landed in Dayton we discovered the reason for our dramatic maneuver while airborne was our pilot was avoiding a mid-air collision with flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania that day. Flight 93 took off from Newark airport following an east to west air corridor. Our flight fell in behind flight 93 which turned back toward us after being hijacked.

The ultimate irony here is I had just ended my twenty year career as a Firefighter and Lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department. I had been an officer in charge of Engine Company 5 in Manhattan’s East Village and September 11, 2001 would have been my next work day had I not chosen to retire. The officer that replaced me was among my 343 colleagues killed that day.

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@BrushettSuzanne Is that Chloe at the end??

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@stcyresdofe Well done everyone! Teachers included!! 🤩🤩

[St Cyres DofE @stcyresdofe]

Massive well done to this group of Yr9s who completed their Bronze Expedition today, along the Wye Valley Walk. Great effort by all 👍🏻👏🏻💪🏻#dofewales #stcyreschat

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@WelshWestEnd Wonderful evening watching this talented bunch at #dinaspowysmusicfestival
Bendigedig 👏🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@CyresSki Yay!!

[St Cyres Ski Trip @CyresSki]

Teletubbies on tour. 🎿👍🏻

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@CyresSki Thanks for the updates 😊

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Well done Emily! ❤️Competing with the Synchro Caerdydd beginners team #teamcalon at The Steel City Trophy 2023! @stcyrespe @CyresYr8 @StCyresSchool

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Fabulous first half 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🎭🎭🎭#cyresmatilda

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Book recommendation #hiroarikawa

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

☀️☀️☀️

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

🥰

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

Happy Friday ☀️☀️#cheekypuppy #15weeks https://t.co/8sg9ttAWWq

[Nicola Phillips @nlphillips123]

@Angela_Griffin @HM_Passport Same thing happened with my daughters. This number takes you straight to the people who expedite it. There’s no onhold voice saying how many minutes but you have to listen to endless music. Eventually they picked up after leaving phone on hold for 2hours and we got it expedited!