Yes John you are correct, they were off course and out of contact, but still being tracked by radar.........normally, NORAD would scramble jets to intercept an aircraft after it has been reported off course and out of contact - normal response time is about 15 minutes apparently, as in golfer Payne Stewarts doomed flight in 1998, I think it was - in this instance, 40 minutes elapsed, with some 35 USAF bases within range of interception;
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/110903usafbases.html
Also,
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/guilty_for_911_bush_rumsfeld_myers
There is another excellent link that shows the flight path of the doomed aircraft superimposed over the location of several USAF bases.........I was reading it a couple of days ago, but it will take time to find it if you are interested........
More questions that should be asked loudly is why certain Pentagon officials and members of the administration were warned not to fly on Sept 10/11.......why the investigation has been hindered by Bush, despite the desperate attempts and pleadings of bereaved family members........why warnings from intelligence communities from as many as 11 separate countries were largely ignored.
Please take the time to read the following link;
http://www.911dossier.co.uk/
Scroll down to 'The main problems with the official story' if you haven't the patience to read the whole thing.......