SANTA ROSA, Calif. – In an unprecedented opportunity The Pacific Coast Air Museum has been awarded the honor of providing the home for a historic national treasure – the very first aircraft to respond on the scene to the World Trade Center twin towers attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. Currently en-route, the F-15 “First Responder” will be fully restored and the centerpiece of an interactive, educational exhibit. A press conference with Thomas C. Reed, former Secretary of the US Air Force, Ernesto Olivares, Mayor of Santa Rosa and other VIPs is set for the dramatic arrival Tuesday, December 14th at 10:00a.m. at the museum at The Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport 2230 Becker Blvd. Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

The aircraft has been officially awarded to the museum by the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Now, an aggressive fund-raising effort to build a befitting exhibit is under way to raise $250,000.00. The exhibit will honor those who perished and those who responded in a valiant effort to save lives, as well as educate visitors and tell the untold story of heroism in the skies and on the ground that day. The museum is proud to be the West Coast destination for the public to learn about what many call our generation’s Pearl Harbor.

On September 11th 2001, two U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles from the 101st Fighter Squadron, 102nd Fighter Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) Massachusetts were scrambled by NORAD in response to commercial airliners being hijacked and used as weapons to attack the World Trade Center in New York City. Accounts of that moment convey the relief and sense of security citizens felt when they looked up to see and hear fighters circling the air space – there to protect.