Photo Op

[Cheeseburger_in_paradise]

Will the Obama team please stop campaigning. Buy Photo Shop, instead of flying your new toys over the stature of Liberty, and panicking the city of New York. Mission accomplished!

[DC Tom]

Will the Obama team please stop campaigning. Buy Photo Shop, instead of flying your new toys over the stature of Liberty, and panicking the city of New York. Mission accomplished!

 

Probably didn't come from the White House. The Air Force owns and runs the presidential aircraft...they can fly them without the president's presence or permission.

 

Plus...a bonehead PR move like that could only come from the Pentagon.

[bills_fan]

This story did not make much of a national ripple today (to my knowledge), but someone's head really needs to roll here. Not a very good idea to have a low flying jumbo jet across lower manhattan that looks like it is being chased by an F-16....no, not a good idea at all.

 

The video of it...

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/first-video...ne-video-2009-4

[Jim in Anchorage]

Probably didn't come from the White House. The Air Force owns and runs the presidential aircraft...they can fly them without the president's presence or permission.

 

Plus...a bonehead PR move like that could only come from the Pentagon.

So who had the final OK? The DOD ad agency? This only has two answers

 

The White house knew,and let it happen[bad]

 

The White house didn't know[bad]

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Will the Obama team please stop campaigning. Buy Photo Shop, instead of flying your new toys over the stature of Liberty, and panicking the city of New York. Mission accomplished!

 

did you steal that from the Daily show?

 

The FAA was notified. Who should have notified the public? The FAA or the WH?

And why was it referred to as a "look alike" ??

[RkFast]

Probably didn't come from the White House. The Air Force owns and runs the presidential aircraft...they can fly them without the president's presence or permission.

 

Plus...a bonehead PR move like that could only come from the Pentagon.

 

Arent a good portion of flight ops for the AF and Navy "photo ops" where they just go up with a few cameras and shoot?

 

One more thing....this is New York. There are not one...but TWO major airports where jumbos fly in and out of all day and all night long. A 747 flying low and slow overhead is as commonplace in this area as anything.

 

And there is a huge....HUGE difference between a few military jets flying slow and low and stable and a commercial 767 doing 400 knots at full throttle, flying erratically, and pointed right at a building.

 

Oh...this "reminded" people of 9/11? Oh...the fire trucks people see all day long in Lower Manhatten with the names of the dead painted on the sides and that huge pit outside World Financial dont clue you in on a daily?

 

People are !@#$ing dumb.....and the typical media just fed them all another bowl of "stupid" with a side of "hand wringing."

[IDBillzFan]

Oh...this "reminded" people of 9/11? Oh...the fire trucks people see all day long in Lower Manhatten with the names of the dead painted on the sides and that huge pit outside World Financial dont clue you in on a daily?

Are you honestly trying to argue that an airplane flying low and slow next to a NYC skyscraper shouldn't provide a unique reminder of 9/11 because fire trucks already do?

 

If this is so "commonplace," then why all the panic?

 

Or am you imitating Keith Olbermann and I'm just missing it?

[RkFast]

Are you honestly trying to argue that an airplane flying low and slow next to a NYC skyscraper shouldn't provide a unique reminder of 9/11 because fire trucks already do?

 

If this is so "commonplace," then why all the panic?

 

Or am you imitating Keith Olbermann and I'm just missing it?

 

Youre missing it.

 

This ops are indeed commonplace for the Statue of Liberty. Done all the time and I know for a fact that are at least three scheduled (or were) for Memorial Day weekend. Also, the Hudson corriodr is a major pattern route for Laguardia. So in fact, yes......aircraft do fly this pattern all the time. The overly dramatic way people act...and the way the press feeds into the hysteria.

 

All that said, this was a unique event. Sure, it would reaise concern. But what is ticking me off here is coverage. Go read the NYDaily News and NY Post coverage. You would think the planes were do loops ten feet from the tops of buildings. THATS what I cant stand about these events.

 

And yeah...I think people are being a bit dramatic. I understand the immediate concern and even a bit of panic. But one guy stated the planes were so close "he could clearly see the markings" on it. So he could do that...but the American flags and the huge words "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE" plastered on the thing didnt clue you off that this is all Kosher and no reason to run out of your office screaming and pulling your hair out? Idiot.

[bills_fan]

So who had the final OK? The DOD ad agency? This only has two answers

 

The White house knew,and let it happen[bad]

 

The White house didn't know[bad]

 

 

It was authorized by the WH. Specifically, the WH Military Officer Louis Caldera. His statement...

 

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

 

Of course, this is the same Louis Caldera who served board of directors for IndyMac Bank from 2002 until its failure and subsequent seizure by the government in July 2008. In other words, he was there for the entire housing bubble while the bank destroyed itself.

 

Apparently, the problem was that the WH informed certain agencies in the city and told the city if they made it public it would be a Federal crime. Working in Lower Manhattan for a large company, we get email messages all the time about various government operations/mass transit etc. If this email had been disseminated prior to 10 AM, noone would have cared or jumped. As it is, below is a copy of the email I received (note the time, after the flyover)...

 

There were several reports of a low flying aircraft this morning. We have confirmed from NYPD that this was an authorized flyover and at no time was lower Manhattan under any threat or danger from this flight.

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: CTSHIELD [mailto:xxxxxxxxxx]

Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 10:18 AM

Subject: Authorized Flyover

 

 

Please be advised that the US Air force conducted an authorized photo flyover the downtown Manhattan area this morning.

 

 

Here's a link to the Post story about what happened. Big communication fumble here.

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04282009/news/...city_166544.htm

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

People are !@#$ing dumb.....and the typical media just fed them all another bowl of "stupid" with a side of "hand wringing."

 

WOW we might actually agree on something.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Youre missing it.

 

This ops are indeed commonplace for the Statue of Liberty. Done all the time and I know for a fact that are at least three scheduled (or were) for Memorial Day weekend. Also, the Hudson corriodr is a major pattern route for Laguardia. So in fact, yes......aircraft do fly this pattern all the time. The overly dramatic way people act...and the way the press feeds into the hysteria.

 

All that said, this was a unique event. Sure, it would reaise concern. But what is ticking me off here is coverage. Go read the NYDaily News and NY Post coverage. You would think the planes were do loops ten feet from the tops of buildings. THATS what I cant stand about these events.

 

And yeah...I think people are being a bit dramatic. I understand the immediate concern and even a bit of panic. But one guy stated the planes were so close "he could clearly see the markings" on it. So he could do that...but the American flags and the huge words "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE" plastered on the thing didnt clue you off that this is all Kosher and no reason to run out of your office screaming and pulling your hair out? Idiot.

 

How dare you argue with the expert(s)... They know EVERYTHING!!!

[GG]

Youre missing it.

 

This ops are indeed commonplace for the Statue of Liberty. Done all the time and I know for a fact that are at least three scheduled (or were) for Memorial Day weekend. Also, the Hudson corriodr is a major pattern route for Laguardia. So in fact, yes......aircraft do fly this pattern all the time. The overly dramatic way people act...and the way the press feeds into the hysteria.

 

The regular ops usually involve military planes and when they occur around the holidays, people generally associate the events. Yesterday was neither. Plus, the usual fly patterns to LGA do not go over that part of the Hudson, nor fly that low. Plus, plus, 747s do not fly into LGA, much less with F-16 escort. Plus, plus, plus, the escorted 747s don't take a hard bank into NJ on their way to LGA. There were so many anomalies with that fly-over that I'm surprised it didn't cause a bigger panic than it did.

 

And yeah...I think people are being a bit dramatic. I understand the immediate concern and even a bit of panic. But one guy stated the planes were so close "he could clearly see the markings" on it. So he could do that...but the American flags and the huge words "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE" plastered on the thing didnt clue you off that this is all Kosher and no reason to run out of your office screaming and pulling your hair out? Idiot.

 

To be honest, if I'm on the 40th floor of a building and I witness a flight pattern that I haven't seen in 8 yrs, I don't stick around long enough to figure out the markings on a plane.

[rockpile]

And to those who do not know, GG worked in the Trade Center and luckily was not there on 9/11.

 

The regular ops usually involve military planes and when they occur around the holidays, people generally associate the events. Yesterday was neither. Plus, the usual fly patterns to LGA do not go over that part of the Hudson, nor fly that low. Plus, plus, 747s do not fly into LGA, much less with F-16 escort. Plus, plus, plus, the escorted 747s don't take a hard bank into NJ on their way to LGA. There were so many anomalies with that fly-over that I'm surprised it didn't cause a bigger panic than it did.

 

 

 

To be honest, if I'm on the 40th floor of a building and I witness a flight pattern that I haven't seen in 8 yrs, I don't stick around long enough to figure out the markings on a plane.

[BillsNYC]

Youre missing it.

 

This ops are indeed commonplace for the Statue of Liberty. Done all the time and I know for a fact that are at least three scheduled (or were) for Memorial Day weekend. Also, the Hudson corriodr is a major pattern route for Laguardia. So in fact, yes......aircraft do fly this pattern all the time. The overly dramatic way people act...and the way the press feeds into the hysteria.

 

All that said, this was a unique event. Sure, it would reaise concern. But what is ticking me off here is coverage. Go read the NYDaily News and NY Post coverage. You would think the planes were do loops ten feet from the tops of buildings. THATS what I cant stand about these events.

 

And yeah...I think people are being a bit dramatic. I understand the immediate concern and even a bit of panic. But one guy stated the planes were so close "he could clearly see the markings" on it. So he could do that...but the American flags and the huge words "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE" plastered on the thing didnt clue you off that this is all Kosher and no reason to run out of your office screaming and pulling your hair out? Idiot.

 

I first heard about this at a park by Coney Island yesterday afternoon, an older woman said somebody flew a plane near downtown and scared everybody, she was infuriated that a publicity stunt like that would be allowed. Then my brother in London told me about it, he said all the traders on Wall Street he deals with were angry about it. It obviously scared the crap out of enough people to be "news worthy".

 

Planes fly near there all the time, but not at that altitude and direction, and not with a fighter jet chasing it. My heart still skips a beat when I see planes near Manhattan, I saw the mushroom cloud rise from the 2nd plane hit on 9-11 from my LIRR train into the city. I can't imagine what the folks who worked down there then and work there now were thinking when they saw this yesterday. I'm sure outrage and they have every right to feel that, especially for this publicity stunt, and the media has every right to report the outrage.

 

Part of me thinks that the White House giving permission for this shows a Pre 9-11 thought process, something most New Yorkers don't have, except for a few folks in Bloomberg's office obviously. The wounds are still healing here.

 

Its also a stupid waste of money in a recession.

[Wacka]

This was also probably for background video for the 2012 campaign.

[DC Tom]

This was also probably for background video for the 2012 campaign.

 

Probably not.

 

But if it were, it would be pretty funny, as it would benefit their opponents FAR more now...

[Cheeseburger_in_paradise]

did you steal that from the Daily show?

 

The FAA was notified. Who should have notified the public? The FAA or the WH?

And why was it referred to as a "look alike" ??

 

You mean I'm funny enough to go on the Daily Show? I doubt it. I think I saw it reported on Fox. They showed people running and said some people evacuated buildings. Obama was not on board. There are several planes that can serve as Air Force One. They are basically identical, if that's your question, as to why it might have been referred to as a look alike.

[IDBillzFan]

You mean I'm funny enough to go on the Daily Show? I doubt it. I think I saw it reported on Fox. They showed people running and said some people evacuated buildings. Obama was not on board. There are several planes that can serve as Air Force One. They are basically identical, if that's your question, as to why it might have been referred to as a look alike.

I saw this clip this morning. I don't mind admitting, watching the people scatter, and then hearing the plane over heard, is a little freaky.

[RkFast]

The regular ops usually involve military planes and when they occur around the holidays, people generally associate the events. Yesterday was neither. Plus, the usual fly patterns to LGA do not go over that part of the Hudson, nor fly that low. Plus, plus, 747s do not fly into LGA, much less with F-16 escort. Plus, plus, plus, the escorted 747s don't take a hard bank into NJ on their way to LGA. There were so many anomalies with that fly-over that I'm surprised it didn't cause a bigger panic than it did.

 

 

 

To be honest, if I'm on the 40th floor of a building and I witness a flight pattern that I haven't seen in 8 yrs, I don't stick around long enough to figure out the markings on a plane.

 

I cannot argue with any of this.

[erynthered]

$328,835.00