Ben Sliney
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Ben Sliney was the FAA Director of Operations on Sept. 11, 2001. That day was his first day on the job. After evaluating the situation and after two planes had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, he ordered the full landing of the roughly 4,200 airplanes in the air at the time, an unprecedented judgment call which the 9/11 Commission later denoted as an important and decisive act in the chaos of that morning.
Sliney was initially involved in the 2006 movie "United 93" in an advisory role before being cast in a small role as an air traffic controller. Later, the film's writer and director, Paul Greengrass, offered him the opportunity to play himself.
