On Sept. 11, 2011, photographer Norman Kent and nine members of Team Fastrax released 10 American flags at 10:28 a.m. local time, to coincide with the time the second World Trade Center tower collapsed ten years before. The jump was carried out in Middletown, Ohio, where the team is based, after they were barred from using airspace over New York due to terror threats. At least 10,000 people attended the event.
The largest flag measured a massive 7,800 square feet – larger than the surface of two tennis courts.
Following the jump, Mr Kent said: “It was such an emotional moment. The purpose of the jump was to honor all of the people whose lives were lost during 9/11, and all of those whose lives were affected by it – which, in different ways, includes most of the people in the world. Some of the jumpers are ex-military who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, so it was particularly poignant for them. There were tears as we landed. We wanted it to be a beautiful tribute.”
