A bit of history from Florida on two of the 9/11 hijackers

From 9/11 hijackers practiced here by Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times 03/30/06:

Mohammed Atta and a second 9/11 hijacker who piloted planes into the World Trade Center practiced takeoffs and landings at a tiny Clearwater airstrip after it closed for the night, said a flight instructor who later confronted the men.

Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi landed a single-engine plane at least twice at the Clearwater Airpark one night in January or February 2001, according to Daniel Pursell, chief instructor for a Venice flight school that rented planes to the pair.

The two men, likely sharing controls, practiced in nighttime conditions for 30 minutes or more, eventually drawing the attention of a Clearwater police aide who worked as a night watchman and copied the plane's information, Pursell told the St. Petersburg Times .

Why the two men chose the small Clearwater airpark 75 miles north of Venice remains a mystery.

The incident, however, is another example of how closer scrutiny of Atta and the other 9/11 hijackers might have averted the 2001 disasters.

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