Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New Way to Fly

On September 11, 2001, local country singer Ronny Corbin was a pilot for United Airlines.

"The morning started with the 90-mile drive from my then--San Marcos home to LAX. My captain and I had been reassigned to leave around 7:00 a.m. for a nonstop to Boston. [Two of the hijacked planes were out of Boston, one bound for L.A.]. We had an onboard computer problem that was being resolved, causing a delay. For some reason, I felt the need to turn on my cell phone while we waited. Immediately, to my surprise, it rang -- a call from an old friend and former intern pilot. She was noticeably rattled and wanted to know my whereabouts. I told her and asked why. She told me that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center...."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Corbin says after he heard reports of "multiple hijackings in effect...we immediately deplaned our passengers and had the jet pushed out onto the ramp where it would be secure. As time progressed, we had little to go on but what we could get from local ops on radio.... Flights were on the ground, and within a short time the skies were empty. Very eerie. Most of [my family] knew I was headed to the East Coast early, and I knew they would be worried....

"By early evening I had made it back home.... My older daughter said, 'Dad, do your best and remember if the bad guys come after you, just go out fighting.' Her younger sister said, 'Daddy, you can play your guitar and sing people songs and do other jobs....'

"I haven't flown professionally since December 2002. I injured my back while lifting our 50-pound flight bags and was furloughed from UAL in January 2003. While battling the medical issue, I just went back to what I've always believed in, music. A little of me giving up [piloting] was because of 9/11. It was once a great life, but now most pilots work twice as many days for half the money."

Corbin released his debut CD, New Way to Fly, a few years ago. He plays solo shows and with his band Pirate Radio. What does he say about the state of the local country scene?

"KSON and US 95.7 have laid some claim to promoting local music. All I can say is that's totally bullshit! KSON had the road show, and for a while it worked. Now they claim Hill Country as their band! What? Steve Hill...plays only cover tunes."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts
Next Article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks

On September 11, 2001, local country singer Ronny Corbin was a pilot for United Airlines.

"The morning started with the 90-mile drive from my then--San Marcos home to LAX. My captain and I had been reassigned to leave around 7:00 a.m. for a nonstop to Boston. [Two of the hijacked planes were out of Boston, one bound for L.A.]. We had an onboard computer problem that was being resolved, causing a delay. For some reason, I felt the need to turn on my cell phone while we waited. Immediately, to my surprise, it rang -- a call from an old friend and former intern pilot. She was noticeably rattled and wanted to know my whereabouts. I told her and asked why. She told me that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center...."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Corbin says after he heard reports of "multiple hijackings in effect...we immediately deplaned our passengers and had the jet pushed out onto the ramp where it would be secure. As time progressed, we had little to go on but what we could get from local ops on radio.... Flights were on the ground, and within a short time the skies were empty. Very eerie. Most of [my family] knew I was headed to the East Coast early, and I knew they would be worried....

"By early evening I had made it back home.... My older daughter said, 'Dad, do your best and remember if the bad guys come after you, just go out fighting.' Her younger sister said, 'Daddy, you can play your guitar and sing people songs and do other jobs....'

"I haven't flown professionally since December 2002. I injured my back while lifting our 50-pound flight bags and was furloughed from UAL in January 2003. While battling the medical issue, I just went back to what I've always believed in, music. A little of me giving up [piloting] was because of 9/11. It was once a great life, but now most pilots work twice as many days for half the money."

Corbin released his debut CD, New Way to Fly, a few years ago. He plays solo shows and with his band Pirate Radio. What does he say about the state of the local country scene?

"KSON and US 95.7 have laid some claim to promoting local music. All I can say is that's totally bullshit! KSON had the road show, and for a while it worked. Now they claim Hill Country as their band! What? Steve Hill...plays only cover tunes."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.