Posts Tagged ‘rattle the runway’

Rattle the Runway 2015 – Motorcycle Charity Ride for 9/11

Posted: September 7, 2015 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides
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It was a great day for a motorcycle ride like this, a cool but not crisp morning. Large puffy clouds in the blue sky and large passenger jets taking off and landing at Dulles Airport serving as a poignant reminder to why we were gathering. An awesome day to Rattle the Runway. 

It was a morning, not to unlike this, that terrorist commandeered Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon. There were a couple of men I knew killed that day in the Pentagon. 

This ride indirectly follows the flight path of Flight 77 from the airport to the side of the Pentagon impacted by the airliner. It stages behind the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum and runs down to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Proceeds from the memorabilia sold at the staging area (the ride is free) is given to the Pentagon Memorial fund. 

This year the turnout was quite low in comparison to previous years. Normally there is five to six thousands bikes lined up eight across for hundreds of yards. I would guess that this year there might have been half or less than normal. The ride coinciding with the National Labor Day holiday most likely affected the turnout. 

As usual, the ride itself was broken into groups with a few minutes between each. This is an unescorted ride once you leave the airport police jurisdiction. The groups, of about 200 bikes, is an attempt to alleviate the traffic issues that a ride of thousands would engender in one of the most congested cites in America.

Overall, I had a good time and would gladly recommend that you ride in this event if you are able.

9/11 Rattle the Runway Motorcycle Ride – Pre-party and Bike Show

Posted: September 6, 2015 in Motorcycle Rides, Rally
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ijustwant2ride.com

The Rattle the Runway motorcycle ride indirectly follows the path of Flight 77.  That airliner was the one that that the terrorist flew into the Pentagon on 9/11. Proceeds from the event go to the Pentagon Memorial fund. More on that in the next post.

This year, Patriot Harley Davidson held a pre-ride party at their location in Fairfax, VA. The event had a band, food trucks, a bike show and all around good time. I was a bit disappointed in the turn out but it was a major holiday weekend and I don’t think it was well publicized. 

My Army Bike won 1st place in its category (Best Harley). The prize was a $100 gift certificate from the dealership. As I don’t get by this way very often I thought it best to spend the money while I was there. My wife got a nice new shirt and I now have a new pocket knife, the total came to $99.60. I guess that is about as close to $100 as I could get.

Rattle The Runway Ride 2013

Posted: August 25, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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rattle the runway

 

The “Rattle The Runway Ride”, which began in 2003, commemorates the events of September 11th. In particular it honors the memory of Flight 77 which began at Dulles International Airport and ended when it crashed into the Pentagon.

This year’s event will be held on the 8th of September, with the ride staging at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. If the event holds to form, the museum will open for about an hour before the run begins. To me, this is one of the best parts of this event, you get to view the museum with a, relatively, small group.

Once the opening ceremonies, which begin at 9AM, are completed the ride will pass in front of the Dulles Main Terminal, move onto VA 267 and end at the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial. There are no registrations or fees involved with this event. Any donations and money from the sales of event memorabilia goes to the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

The event draws about 1000 bikes each year. You can expect the standard accordion affects during the ride as you would with any group of this size. Debbie and I have participated in this event in the past and plan to do so again this year.