Low flying AF-1 over Manhattan

[barelypure]

At around 10 a.m. EDT, a Boeing 747 was seen accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet flying low over the southern tip of Manhattan and at one point seen circling the Goldman Sachs Tower in nearby Jersey City, N.J.

The "aerial photo mission," conducted by the Air Force's Presidential Airlift Group, was supposed to be in the area of lower Manhattan and New Jersey for around 30 minutes.

The New York City Police Department said Monday that the flight was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity "with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it," according to an email advisory from Paul J. Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department.

"You would have to ask the White House the specifics on the mission," said Vicki Stein, an Air Force spokeswoman.

The low-flying 747 sent workers worried about a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks fleeing their offices in the New York City area.
Link

Why would the White House order a flyover like this and not tell anyone? Heck I bet he's next planning to send some fertilizer trucks to Oklahoma City. Or, maybe he's going to be a speaker at Columbine HS.

 

[Guido]

How friggin stupid do you have to be in order to be a part of this administration?

Of all places..............downtown Manhattan.

 

[Mopardh9]

Just goes to show you if that had been a Republican sponsored event all hell would of broken loose. But in this case it is ok because it is "The Man...Obama" , savior of the socialist world.

 

[SlowNeasy]

Louis Caldera, a former Secretary of the Army who runs the White House Military Office, took the blame. "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," he said. "I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

Mr. Caldera met Monday afternoon with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina "to hear the president's displeasure," an official said.

wonder if he will keep his job long?

 

[Digger]

wonder if he will keep his job long?

If he was truly sorry, he would've resigned already.

I hope Mr. Obama fires him. Total crock what they did, not informing the people. Did he think at all?

And, of all places, Manhattan!

Not only should Mr. Caldera be fired, they should water board him and then throw him off an airplane and in to the Hudson River.

 

[SST55]

Stupid.

Especially today with PhotoShop. A "nerd" at a computer could have produced the same thing, if not better, in a hour without the expense of firing up a 747, F-16's, crews, etc.

 

[buckaroo]

Just to correct one thing...Air Force One is not the name of a plane, but it's the designation of the plane that the president is on. If he is not aboard, that plane is not AF1, even with the presidential logo. That being said, what happened is still very stupid. But my guess is that the person who orchestrated it won't be punished at all.