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The 747 flyover of Lower Manhattan yesterday that caused thousands of panicked office workers to evacuate to the streets turned out to be a planned photo op that's since become a big embarrassment to the White House. And The Wall Street Journal reports today that it wasn't the only such event originally scheduled: 
Image courtesy Gothamist
The White House had scheduled a follow-up session on May 5 or May 6 in Washington, D.C., according to two government officials. The D.C. flyover has now been canceled, a government official said.The D.C. photo op should be canceled in the wake of all this, but we'd also venture that had it happened here first, it probably would not have been as big of a problem. Certainly Washington residents have their own terrible memories of low flying planes from Sept. 11, 2001, but we're a little more accustomed to having presidential aircraft in our skies. Of course, we're not at all accustomed to having jet airplanes fly right over the center of the city, but generally, any exemptions to the restricted airspace over the District are announced, even when military in nature. We'd like to think the same would have been done in this case, although given how it all went down in New York, maybe that view is overly trusting.
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It is tough to get over my anger at this story as I lived in NYC during 911. Even now, when I am in NYC and hear a loud plane I find myself glancing up to the sky. I remember about a year later that one low plane caused people on the street to stop and look.
IMHO this fubar was the result of military/bureaucratic thinking. The military doesn't think about this stuff. And everyone else just checked off their part of the process. Nobody thought it was their job to say "Uh, this is really, really, stupid."
The thing is, if they announced it and publicized it, it would have been a pretty cool thing. AF1 is a very powerful symbol. Obama wasn't on the plane, so what were they scared of? Oh, that's right. It is "against policy" to announce this stuff.
The camera phone video of people running in the streets brought back some nasty flashbacks.
BTW-the only people lower than those aholes who sell 911 trinkets at ground zero are the aholes who buy the stuff.
I think we can add Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, to the District's unemployment statistics later today.
Well, he's already "taken full responsibility" which means nothing is going to happen to him.
And WTF is "a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot?" More importantly, were Maxim cover girls and Thai hookers in tubs of pudding involved?
We had a week of warnings about a tiny little fireball in the Potomac for that TV show, and NYC doesn't get any notice for a f-ing plane flying through the city? That's just ridiculous.
That's exactly what I thought yesterday (re:fireball!). Insanity.
I liked this movie better when it had Charleton Heston, Karen Black, and Larry Storch in it.
To be fair to the White House Military Office:
The White House DID notify public safety officials in both New York and New Jersey before conducting the flight. NYC officials then notified the 911 dispatchers so that they could inform any callers not to panic.
For some reason, Mayor Bloomberg was not notified by his own public safety advisors. That is on them, and not the White House.
Sorry, the White House Military order also said that the public were not to be notified.
F that!! If I see a plane coming at me, I'm not calling 911. Also, the order contained instructions not to notify the public in advance.
Yup, sorry -- NewHCE is right. There were specific instructions from government officials to NOT notify the public in advance. I am absolutely perplexed as to how they can do this. All for a "photo op." These idiots couldn't just hire someone who's really good at Photoshop to drop in a Manhattan background? Awful. Just awful.
I'd like to know where you got this so called information about these "specific instructions" about not alerting the public... Otherwise I'm throwing my bullshit flag on that one...
From the WSJ story on this, quoting from the FAA memo received by Port Authority
"Information in this document shall not be released to the public or media," the memo instructed. "Public affairs posture for this effort is passive."
I'd like to know where you got this so called information about the "specific instructions" about not revealing any of this to the public... Otherwise I'm throwing my bullshit flag on that one...
How long until we hear about a planned photo op flyover of the Shanksville memorial?
Hopefully, its a photo op of AF1 dumping all known copies of United 93 out a window.
Another candidate for "It seemed like a good idea at the time!" I would totally freak if I saw a 747 flying 100 feet over the Pentagon.
The comments on the Gothamist article are unbelievable. New Yorkers are being called pussies and whiners for rightfully being scared by something that resembles the actions that devastated that city, and the rest of the country. Just looking at the photo posted above made my heart beat a little faster. I think anyone would shit their pants if they saw such a large plane flying so low over DC, as well. I know I would.
Dissenting view here, I love aircraft and think a low flyover would be cool to watch, and would make for a good photo op. I'm one of these people who wishes the jets taking off from DCA would pass even lower over Gravelly Point. It's very disappointing that they've canceled the DC flyover, I would have been there with my telephoto lens...
Agreed. But only if said planes were loaded with napalm and strafing the Malcolm X Park drum circles.
Leslie Nielsen would have accomplished the same thing with laundry detergent.
You need to head to St. Maarten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfQwDizpRo
Hey, if I was TOLD that there was going to be an AF1 flyby, I'd turn out. It would be cool.
This is so frustrating and absolutely RETARDED. Who would think this is a good idea on any level? My roommate arrived in NYC the moment Air Force One flew over the city and was scared horribly- only to arrive in her office to see blood on the stairs where a woman fell down and cut herself when she was fleeing the building. A man in the building next door to them had a heart attack when he saw the plane and remembered his wife who was killed in 9/11.
Another high five for America's idiots...
I'm calling shenanigans on that last part, at least until some proof is shown. This was an incredibly boneheaded move (as was LFMARSHALL's unfortunate use of "retarded") but we all know that in addition to the many legitimately terrified people, 1,000 more stories will come out -- "Well I heard that my sister's husband's coworker's mom is in a full body cast after flinging herself down the stairwell to escape."
Has anyone considered that this was an elaborate way to further intimidate and antagonize the Rangers prior to tonight's game seven? There are a lot of Caps fans at the Pentagon, you know.
(J/K NY - this sucked and was the height of dumbassedness.)
“Manhattan, New York, USA. In any discussion of contemporary America and how its people live, we must inevitably start with Manhattan, New York City, USA. Manhattan, glistening modern giant of concrete and steel reaching to the heavens and cradling in its arms seven million, seven million happy beneficiaries of the advantages and comforts this great metropolis has to offer. Its fine, wide boulevards facilitate the New Yorkers' carefree, orderly existence.”
Does anyone know what the actual photo op WAS? I keep hearing "oh they did this photo op thing"... well, was it for a brochure? A safety video? For a recording to be used as a domestic torture device?
I don't give a poop whose fault it is, I just want to know what they were going to use it for.
Yes, it was a promo shot like they have on the White House web site.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air_force_one/
If the "Defense" Department tries to keep obvious shit like this secret, what else are they hiding that we DON'T know about?
Well in this picture, the plane is headed toward Jersey City. And Lord knows there's nothing in Jersey City worth flying a 747 into.
Yes, it was a promo shot like they have on the White House web site.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air_force_one/
Yes, it was a promo shot like they have on the White House web site.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air_force_one/
So if I understand what you're saying, it was a promo shot? (just watch, this piece of minor smartassery will be followed by my post publishing 3 times.)
Anyway, the AP has a write up on this.
I just enjoy how Caldera keeps describing it as a "mission" as if people will think this has something to do with public safety or, you know, actual defense.
Also, how often do these promo shots happen? From my soap box, I'll intone: it's not very green to waste jet fuel on photos few people ever care to look at.
Has anyone thought about this being New York's fault?? Why wasn't the Mayor informed? The White House had this authorized but why weren't local authorities allowed to disclose information? This should have been broadcast to residents and those who work in the city so everyone was aware of what would be happening. I understand this should not have been done and NY is still sensitive to 9/11 (as we all should be) but I wouldn't put all the blame on the White House, as NY authorities did not communicate well.
According to a news report, a mayor's aide had the info but failed to relay it to Hizzoner. He's been scolded.
So this is one of those very rare occasions where a witch hunt actually seems wholly in order. No one (or likely a whole group of folks) has been fired or drastically demoted for the colossal lack of judgement?
Yes . . . given the lack of communication about the event I thought I'd make up for it ;)
I agree it seems like rather a waste to fly the plane all the way to NYC for a photo shoot. Of course, it's probably no more wasteful than every B2 or F16 flyover at various sporting events.
Clearly, the terrorists won.
People need to get a damn grip. 9/11 was only possible in a world where people people assumed a hijacking would end in a unscheduled trip to Cuba, Iran, or Libya. To take over a plane now you would have to kill or restrain every able-bodied man and woman in the passenger compartment--and you'd have to do it quick enough to prevent the pilots on the other side of the reinforced door from making an emergency landing of one sort or another.
Another large-scale terrorist attack is possible, but the plane trick wasn't even viable by the afternoon of 9/11, as demonstrated by Shanksville. The waste argument is entirely separate and much more valid, but this Toby-Keith-paranoia bullshit just proves how little critical thinking anyone has put into terrorism.