Airline Ride Across America Reaches D.C.
ALPA Donates $12,000 to Cause

Joined by more than 40 friends, colleagues and supporters, five determined cyclists reached Washington, DC, on May 9 in their successful quest to honor the 33 airline crewmembers who died in the 9/11 attacks. The journey began 33 days and 3,500 miles earlier in Los Angeles.

On the way to the ride's end at the Pentagon, the bicyclists stopped at ALPA's DC headquarters, where Capt. Duane Woerth presented a $12,000 check on behalf of the Association to help in constructing memorials in New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA, the sites of the 9/11 crashes.

“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Capt. Woerth said to the cyclists. “We’re proud of you. Thanks for letting us be a part of this. We will never forget.”

Airline Ride Across America was conceived by Capt. Tom Heidenberger (US Airways) to honor the crewmembers who died on 9/11 and to raise funds for the three memorials. His wife, Michele, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 77 when it hit the Pentagon.

The other riders were Capt. Rob Zettel (United), Capt. Paul Guttenberg (American), First Officer Mark Clark (American), and US Airways passenger agent Robert McGee. Driving the support vehicle was American flight attendant Sheri Burlingame, whose husband, Charles, or Chic, was the captain on Flight 77. Each leg of the ride was dedicated to the memory of one of the crewmembers who died on 9/11.

The group has currently raised $81,000 of its $300,000 goal.