747, F-16s over lower NYC causes panic.

[cosmicalstorm]

NEW YORK - A federal government exercise Monday involving low-flying planes created a panic in New York City and parts of New Jersey.

Two fighter jets escorted a low-flying Boeing 747 over lower Manhattan as part of a photo shoot.

That's the same part of the city where hijacked passenger jets crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

John Leitner, a trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange building, said people began running outside when they saw the planes around 10 a.m. ET.

About 1,000 workers gathered along the Hudson River until a security officer told them it was a planned exercise.

Workers got no official advance notice, Leitner said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had advance notice of the event and had notified local officials ahead of time.

"They were making two, maybe three passes," FAA spokesman Jim Peters told NBC affiliate WNBC. "The DOD (Department of Defense) and the FAA worked this all out in advance."

Peters said the 747 was "the back-up aircraft for Air Force One."

After the incident, New York City released an advisory that the flyover was "part of an approved federal activity."

The incident also caused a panic in Jersey City.

Stan Eason of the Jersey City Police Department told WNBC that "thousands" panicked and that buildings were evacuated because residents were unaware what was going on.

Wow, thats a pretty stupid photo op. Who the fuck would OK something like this?



Video of panic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aE-7BWoC7U

More video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbDXgVXHp4U

[Kodiak]

I'm guessing the White House is helping someone make a movie and loaned out federal assets for the picture. I believe it's a fairly common practice to help Hollywood make films that show the government in a positive light.

[Crossroads Inc.]

No it was for a Photo-op.. a really really stupid photo-op.. Im not sure what to be more upset about, that this was done in the first place, or that it was kept secret

[Count Chocula]

And now, the White House has apologized. Here are a few choice excerpts from the report:

The director of the White House military office, Louis Caldera, took the blame a few hours later. One of the planes was a 747 that is called Air Force One when used by the president.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera said. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

An administration official...said the White House military office told the Federal Aviation Administration that it was updating file photos of Air Force One near national landmarks, such as the statute in the New York harbor and the Grand Canyon.

The FAA notified the New York Police Department of the flyover, telling them photos of the Air Force One jet would be taken about 1,500 feet above the Statue of Liberty around 10 a.m. Monday. It had a classified footnote that said "information in this document shall not be released to the public or the media."

What the fuck? The FAA told the NYPD (and the Mayor's office) that an airliner would be flying around lower Manhattan accompanied by a fighter, then said don't tell anyone? Wow, that's the MOABF (Mother Of All Brain Farts)! Did the FAA idiots not realize that people in New York would oh, I don't know, look up or look out their windows?

[MKSheppard]

Remember, the adults are in charge!

An administration official...said the White House military office told the Federal Aviation Administration that it was updating file photos of Air Force One near national landmarks, such as the statute in the New York harbor and the Grand Canyon.

Um, there's no need to do that; the VC-25 has been around for what, 20 years by now.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Remember, the adults are in charge!

An administration official...said the White House military office told the Federal Aviation Administration that it was updating file photos of Air Force One near national landmarks, such as the statute in the New York harbor and the Grand Canyon.

Um, there's no need to do that; the VC-25 has been around for what, 20 years by now.

I obviously does not have anything to do with how long the plane has been around but rather how old the current photographs are involving the VC-25 around landmarks...duh.

That being said this idea was stupid. How could someone not know this wouldn't cause alarm and possibily even panic among the residents?

[MKSheppard]

I obviously does not have anything to do with how long the plane has been around but rather how old the current photographs are involving the VC-25 around landmarks...duh.

The VC-25 hasn't changed substantitvely since it was introduced in Bush I's term; so any publicity shots of it and landmarks don't need to be reshot.



I mean, unless we replace air force one with an A-380 or Boeing 2707, we don't need to reshoot that scene for example.

[Count Chocula]

The VC-25 hasn't changed substantitvely since it was introduced in Bush I's term; so any publicity shots of it and landmarks don't need to be reshot.

Look closer: it wasn't the background that changed!

Spoiler

Yes, it's a PhotoChop

[Mr Bean]

Look closer: it wasn't the background that changed!

How do I know that's a fake? Because Obama's letters are the same size as the other ones AND because their not rainbow colored.

For the record good idea to update the photographs, Photograph has advanced quite a bit in 20 years and ultra-high resolution pictures would be nice(Kind of like the Obama inauguration shots were breathtaking)

However doing it in New York in the exact same area? Not a great idea, not a smart idea, and damn if they should not have advertised two weeks ahead of time because people quite reasonably were flipping out.

[Broomstick]

The FAA notified the New York Police Department of the flyover, telling them photos of the Air Force One jet would be taken about 1,500 feet above the Statue of Liberty around 10 a.m. Monday. It had a classified footnote that said "information in this document shall not be released to the public or the media."

What the fuck? The FAA told the NYPD (and the Mayor's office) that an airliner would be flying around lower Manhattan accompanied by a fighter, then said don't tell anyone? Wow, that's the MOABF (Mother Of All Brain Farts)! Did the FAA idiots not realize that people in New York would oh, I don't know, look up or look out their windows?

What kind of a fucking moron thinks that a low-flying 747 over Manhattan is going to be kept SECRET?

You know, every year in Chicago we have an air show involving military jets that really do fly low in between the tall buildings. Not only has this be going on for decades but they mention it in advance on all the various media outlets for a week or two, let people know the day(s) of the formation practice, and also hype the airshow itself. We still get people having meltdowns over it from time to time.

Now, some jackass thinks that you're going to have a photo-op over Manhattan where two airplanes caused several thousands deaths by colliding with two tall buildings, etc., etc., without advance notice and there WON'T be panic and disorder?

Makes me wish for the days when we'd put people in stocks and leave them to public ridicule. Yep - how about ride next to that ginormous hole that is still in NYC, just chain the asshats who thought this was a good idea to the fence and let the New Yorkers express their feelings for a bit, hmm?

[fgalkin]

Um...Shep?

The old photos of the NYC skyline have certain features that are not there anymore. THAT is what needs to be updated.

Which makes this doubly stupid, and makes me wonder if there is anything else going on that we're not being told about.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[tim31]

I know there were no VIPs onboard but is security classification of flight plan the standard procedure for 28000 and 29000 anyway, regardless of payload?

[Broomstick]

No!

Look, every time Obama decides to spend a day or two in Chicago I get an e-mail notice days in advance telling me there's going to be a Temporary Flight Restriction ('cause I'm a pilot, dontchya know). Even when the PotUS is on board the rough location of Air Force One (or its variants/alternates/whatever) is not normally classified.

What I think happened is that someone up in the chain of calamity said "let's do the photo-op, but keep it as low key as possible" and this eventually trickled down to "classify it". It's the only explanation that makes any sense at all.

[tim31]

Thanks for the clarity. Chinese whispers does sound like the most plausible explanation.

[Cecelia5578]

Remember, the adults are in charge!

An administration official...said the White House military office told the Federal Aviation Administration that it was updating file photos of Air Force One near national landmarks, such as the statute in the New York harbor and the Grand Canyon.

Um, there's no need to do that; the VC-25 has been around for what, 20 years by now.

Yeah, because the flyover fiasco is soooo much the equivalent of invading another country on false pretenses, legalizing torture, not giving a shit that a major American city got wiped out by floods, and illegally spying on American citizens?

I thought conservatives, the American tough guy version at least, were supposed to be against moral equivalence? Someone resurrect Scoop Jackson and the Cold War ASAP!

[Uraniun235]

I was listening to talk radio in the car this morning and some right-wing blowhard was going on and on about how this sort of thing just does not happen and obviously they must be up to something but of course never offering any explanations for what that could be. Oh yeah and also "well maybe it was some military guy who was trying to make a protest, to show that he thought this country is in distress".