Terror works like a musical composition， so many instruments， all in tune， playing perfectly together to create their desired effect. It was ， of course， a perfect day 70 deg and flawless skies， perfect for a nervous pilot who has stolen a huge jet and intends to turn it into a missile. It was a Boeing 767 from Boston， American Airlines Flight 11 bound for Los Angeles with 81 passengers， that first got the attention of air traffic controllers. The plane took off at 7：59 a.m. and headed west， over the Adirondacks， before taking a sudden turn south and diving down toward the heart of New York City. Meanwhile American Flight 757 had left Dulles； United Flight 175 left Boston at 7：58， and United Flight 93 left Newark three minutes later， bound for San Francisco. All climbed into beautiful clear skies， all four planes on transcontinental flights， plump with fuel， ripe to explode. "They couldn't carry anything-other than an atom bomb-that could be as bad as what they were flying，" observed a veteran investigator.（174 words）
　　恐怖运转起来犹如一部乐章，那么多的乐器演奏出一种完美和谐音调，共同创造出预期的效果。第一架飞机正好吸引了我们的注意力。
　　这当然是一个理想的日子，气温华氏 70度，晴空万里。这种天气对于一个偷窃巨型喷气式客机并打算将其转变成一枚导弹的神经紧张的飞行员来说，这简直太美妙了。这是一架美国航空公司11班机的波音767，从波士顿开往洛杉矶，机上有 8 1名乘客。首先引起空中交通管制员注意的就是这架飞机。该飞机上午7：59起飞。朝西飞行、在阿迪朗达克山上空，它没有调头南下，而是一头冲向纽约市的市心。与此同时，美国757航班已经离开了杜勒斯国际机场；联合班机175在7：58离开波士顿，并且三分钟以后联合班机93起飞离开纽瓦克开往旧金山。（5）所有这 4架飞机都爬高进入朗朗晴空全，全都上了洲际航线，机上装满了燃料，一触即炸。"他们飞机上所携带的东西，除了原子弹以外，没有什么可能会更糟的了。"一个老资格的调查人员说。