scary time for our friends in NY

[Bella_Vixen]

http://news.aol.com/article/low-flyi...panic%2F447862

Someone decided that having a low-flying 747 (aka Air Force One) near Ground Zero was a good idea...

[lordlundar]

I like the FSA's response:

"We made sure to notify law enforcement."

Yeah, the last time a plane was this low, there was full scale panic, and the city didn't know what the results were going to be. Now they equate low flying plane to an attack. Gee, I have an idea, let's start a false Anthrax scare. We'll let law enforcement know. Should have the same effect.

[One-Fang]

That is just unbelievable. How could they possibly not realise the panic that would cause? Yes, it's nearly eight years later, but some people still work there. Some people working in that district this week were working there eight years ago, and in the hearts and minds of all New Yorkers especially (and probably all Americans) low-flying 747s over skyscrapers = lots of death.

It was monumentally stupid. I cannot comprehend how this stunt went through so many layers of people knowing about it without anybody saying "Hey, d'you guys really think that's a good idea?"

[draggar]

This will go down as one of the dumbest decisions of the year.

[AccountingDrone]

To be honest, they would have gotten a huge POSITIVE reaction if they came out and announced in all the media

Photo of AF1 and the Statue of Liberty being taken - come and see a piece of history in action

They would have gotten a bunch of people in the streets watching, but it would have been plain that they would be there with AF1, and a fighter jet [hell, get the AF or Navy jet acts out to do the fly bys at the same time, it would have looked fantastic. Imagine AF1 and the Blue Angels with the angels doing their famous half immelman roll or precision smokework ]

[Gost2036]

Anyone else think this is just a huge waste of money. They are flying a 747 circling the Statue of Liberty to just update some old stock photos. Our taxes put to great use right there.

[KiaKat]

I didn't see it happen, although I did hear about it later, from a number of customers that were at work in Lower Manhattan/Financial District. Apparently the feeling of 'OH SHIT' permeated the entire neighbourhood, and people were trying their best to get the hell out of the area.

How someone who works in PR can look at this and sign off on it as a good idea has obviously never lived or worked in or near NYC. 9/11 is still a fact of life here, people still bring up 'where I was on 9/11' constantly, and the whole city is living in a sort of PTSD haze, where anything that could resemble a terror attack is immediately followed by panic and hopes/prayers that it isn't happening again.

/rant

[Broomjockey]

Actually, they didn't just inform "law enforcement," they informed the mayor's office. They didn't see fit to pass it along.

A senior administration official said that an F.A.A. official notified Mayor Bloomberg’s office last week about the flyover. She said that Marc Mugnos, the director of operations in the office of citywide event coordination and management, was the official notified about the Air Force operation.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ew-york-nerve/ for the whole article.

So they got in touch with exactly who they should have. Mayor's office dropped the ball, and screwed up what could have been a beautiful moment.

[Titi]

This should explain why it wasn't reported to the public. It seems the FAA called for us NOT to be told.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/air.for....2.996457.html

[tropicsgoddess]

What the fuck were they thinking?!!

[PepperElf]

Anyone else think this is just a huge waste of money. They are flying a 747 circling the Statue of Liberty to just update some old stock photos. Our taxes put to great use right there.

I'd comment about that but... I wouldn't be able to keep it out of fratching territory.


Though I have heard that even the media has said that "photoshop would have been cheaper"

[lordlundar]

Though I have heard that even the media has said that "photoshop would have been cheaper"

Cheaper, easier, less panic inducing, safer, etc.