[JYO] Leesburg man stars in 'United 93'

     (http://www.timescommunity.com/)       05/02/2006  Leesburg  man stars 
in 'United 93'   By  Jennifer Fulcher 

A five-year Leesburg resident stars  as himself in âUnited 93,â which 
opened 
last Friday in movie  theaters across the country.

Rich Sullivan, the national  traffic management officer at the FAA's Air 
Traffic Control System  Command Center in Herndon, instantly remembers Sept. 
11, 
2001.  
He didn't go into work that day until noon. Ben Sliney,  Sullivan's 
supervisor at the time, was responsible for ordering all  airplanes in the 
country 
grounded. 

Sullivan's co-workers,  Tony Smith and Toby Miller, who deal with flight 
problems at the  major U.S. airports, as well as Sliney also star in the movie 
as  
themselves. 

Sullivan said the four were recruited for the  cast because a good portion of 
the film focuses on air traffic  control, particularly at what took place at 
the center in Herndon.  The men acted without a script, he said.

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 âThe 
director, Paul Greengrass,  was amazing," Sullivan said. "He had done his 
homework." Sullivan  was amazed at the director's understanding of the 
technical 
details  at the air traffic control station, he said. 

Sullivan also  was impressed with Greengrass' focus on the families of those  
involved in the crash, as he tried to be sensitive to their wishes  and get 
their stories as accurate as possible. 

âHe had been  working with them all along,â Sullivan said. âHe's trying 
to 
show  people what he thought about the bravery of the passengers.â  
Greengrass 
also avoided any political undertones, Sullivan said.  

Viewing the movie for the first time was an emotional roller  coaster, 
Sullivan said. While he was excited at seeing himself on  the big screen, he 
said 
the the film is "very tense, very gripping  and kind of draining.â 

âIt puts you right back to September  11. It gives you that creepy feeling, 
the hair rising on the back of  your neck,â he said. 

Sullivan recalls the aftermath of the  tragedy, when the U.S. Air Force took 
control of the country's  entire air space. A few days after 9/11, only 
military, law  enforcement and lifeguard flights were allowed. 

During the  ban on air traffic, individuals asking for permission to fly  
included a race car driver who wanted to go to Europe for a race, a  man going 
to 
Alaska to drop off supplies for hunters and a man  wanting to spray for boll 
weevils. 

âUnited 93â was filmed  outside London. Sullivan took a week of vacation 
time to appear in  the movie. He had no time to sightsee because he was on the 
set 12  to 13 hours a day. 

âPeople say it's too soon, but I don't  think so,â Sullivan concluded. He 
said he believes the movie will  remind us that there is a reason for increased 
security and delays  at airports.

"Maybe we need to be reminded that there's a  good reason for the 
inconvenience.â



Contact the  reporter at _jfulcher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
(mailto:jfulcher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) 


 
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  ÂTimes Community Newspapers 2006

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