Steve Scheibner was scheduled to fly as the first officer on American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, 2011.
But then Scheibner was bumped by a more senior pilot — Tom McGuiness — who ended up being in the seat he was supposed to have occupied that fateful day when Flight 11 became the first of two passenger airplanes to be flown into the World Trade Center.
Scheibner who authored the book “In My Seat” about the events of that day is in Manteca Friday to speak at the Evening of Honor. The 6 p.m. event that includes dinner, program and an auction at the Place of Refuge on Button Avenue is a fundraiser for the upcoming Not Forgotten Memorial Day event at Woodward Park on May 25 that is atypically attended by 30,000 people from throughout Northern California.
For information on Friday’s Evening of Honor and to secure tickets email Shelli Prosser at sprosser@placeofrefuge.com or call 209.239.1371.
On tap for the May 25 events are:
• The Christopher Braley Wounded Wars 5K run.
• A flyover by a Korean War vintage T-6 trainer.
• Flag raising ceremony and taps.
• A breakfast sponsored by Nulaid Eggs.
• Helicopters including the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s patrol chopper and a Vietnam Huey gunship.
• Car and motorcycle show.
• Gold Star Family Brunch.
• Kids Zone featuring the Silly Ricky Show, bounce houses and slides, mechanical bull, laser tag, zip line, and train.
• Busy Bee Dog Shop.
• Community memorial service for the fallen including a 21-gun salute.
• The Traveling Tribute to the Fallen in the Global War on Terror along with more than 7,000 crosses representing each of those that gave their lives for America.
• The firing up of the dragster known as “The Beast.”
• Entrainment featuring The Advocates, Victorious All Stars, We Are Family, The Deadlines, The High Voltage Band, Air Force Band Mobility, and Tahoe Fire Dancers.
• Aerial fireworks.
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About Friday’s speaker at the Evening of Honor
Scheibner is a retired U.S. Navy Commander and now serves in the naval reserves. He recently retired as Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Topsham in Maine. He is currently president of Characterhealth Corporation; a non-profit conference ministry aimed at equipping parents to train the next generation of character-healthy leaders.
Scheibner currently flies Boeing 757s and 767s out of Boston’s Logan Airport usually on flying routes that take him to the West Coast. His total flight time is well over 12,000 hours.
Scheibner joined the U.S. Navy and was commissioned and trained as a pilot after graduating from West Chester University with a Bachelors of Science in Economics. He was deployed three times in four years flying the P3 Orion. Scheibner left active duty in 1991 and was hired by American Airlines the same year.
