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TheEnnis

TheEnnis

Chicago, IL
March 2008

APR 27, 2009 05:10 PM

Source

White House apologizes for Obama plane's NY flyover

2 hrs 13 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) � The White House apologized Monday after one of Barack Obama's presidential planes flew alarmingly low over New York city, sending residents into a panic and triggering fears of a new 9/11.

"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," said Louis Caldera, director of the White House military office.

"I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused," he said in a statement, adding that he approved the mission over New York -- described by other officials as a photo opportunity -- last week.

"I take responsibility for that decision," he added.

The mea culpa could be seen as extraordinary, given the infrequency of public statements by the White House military office and the bluntness of the apology over the bungle.

Caldera described it as an "Air Force One flight over New York," although that designation is strictly used to describe the specific plane on which the US president is flying.

The White House said Obama was not on the flight.

The jumbo, escorted by low-flying fighter jets, roared over southern Manhattan and the Hudson River for about 30 minutes, prompting panicked New Yorkers to evacuate office buildings.

A livid New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he had not been warned and called the lack of notice "ridiculous and poor judgment."

Stunned office workers who failed to spot the presidential markings feared facing a repeat of the September 11, 2001, attacks in which two hijacked airliners smashed into the World Trade Center, killing almost 3,000 people.



I don't live in NYC. But I could imagine what went through people's minds.

zoom image

Rivera

Rivera

USA
June 2008

APR 27, 2009 05:57 PM

yeah, nice way to start a panic.

i wouldnt be suprised if someone planned this just to gather intel on the public response.

go go, conspiracy theories.

cabaretic

cabaretic

Birmingham, AL
March 2005

APR 27, 2009 06:09 PM

How stupid could you be?

IDGAS

IDGAS

Jackson Heights, NY
March 2004

APR 27, 2009 07:26 PM

This was not the first time and it will not be the last time as long as common sense is lacking. The first time it was the pilot of a transport returning home members of the military who had been deployed over seas. This time it is the director of the White House military office. surreal

SergeantPsycho

SergeantPsycho

USA
January 2007

APR 27, 2009 07:27 PM

I don't know what's worse,
1) Flying the jet around and wasting fuel (and therefore, tax payer money), on a god damn photo op.
2) Flying the jet around and dumping carbon into the atmosphere for a god damn photo op after going on and on about Green this and Global Warming that.
3) Causing the Good Citizens of New York City to drop a brick in their pants for your god damn photo op.

Actually, I'm pretty sure it's #3. Good fucking grief.

Locum

Locum

Chicago, IL
September 2004

APR 27, 2009 08:49 PM

Oh man. Not fucking funny. Not funny at all.

That is some bad form right there.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

APR 27, 2009 08:53 PM

Locum said:
Oh man. Not fucking funny. Not funny at all.

That is some bad form right there.



From what I heard, it was a clusterfuck all around.

The Military advisor to the White House told the FAA about it. The FAA told the local cops, but told them not to tell anybody. I'm not sure who had the initial instruction to not tell the people in the buildings, but somebody told the rest.

Coyotemike

Coyotemike

USA
May 2006

APR 27, 2009 09:01 PM



It's the last one. 1:10 in

Shal

Shal

Los Angeles, CA
October 2002

APR 27, 2009 09:48 PM

On 9/11 I was on an Air Force base that was considered a potential high value target, and we were on major lockdown as we watched the towers fall over and over again on TV. I was just out of college and a couple months into my first "real" job.

When I'm driving to work in Los Angeles now, years later, sometimes I see planes banking low over downtown LA (specifically the US Bank Tower), and sometimes I see military aircraft from the nearby bases flying by, and sometimes when I see those things I still get a little twinge of fear, even though I wasn't in New York on that day. My hands might get a little sweaty on the steering wheel, I might breathe a little faster for a second or two, and I might turn to a local talk news station to see what they're talking about. Even though I wasn't in New York on that day, and even though these sights have occasionally happened for years.

This was stupid on the part of everyone involved. Really, really stupid.

silversoul7

silversoul7

Portland, OR
January 2008

APR 28, 2009 12:01 AM

I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?

DevilsReject

DevilsReject

Cleveland, OH
February 2007

APR 28, 2009 12:20 AM

Shalome said:
On 9/11 I was on an Air Force base that was considered a potential high value target, and we were on major lockdown as we watched the towers fall over and over again on TV. I was just out of college and a couple months into my first "real" job.

When I'm driving to work in Los Angeles now, years later, sometimes I see planes banking low over downtown LA (specifically the US Bank Tower), and sometimes I see military aircraft from the nearby bases flying by, and sometimes when I see those things I still get a little twinge of fear, even though I wasn't in New York on that day. My hands might get a little sweaty on the steering wheel, I might breathe a little faster for a second or two, and I might turn to a local talk news station to see what they're talking about. Even though I wasn't in New York on that day, and even though these sights have occasionally happened for years.

This was stupid on the part of everyone involved. Really, really stupid.



You're not alone.

I live by Cleveland Hopkins. When they start getting busy, they start stacking jets. The "wait" pattern ( i don't know the term for it) happens to be over my area. There are times i can look up in the sky and count a dozen planes all circling.

Every once in a while you catch one that is rather low, or at least lower than normal and my paranoia kicks in especially since you see a military jet/plane headed to/from Wright Patterson in the mix.

SomethingStupid

SomethingStupid

North Hollywood, CA
March 2004

APR 28, 2009 01:39 AM

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



I dunno. What's the alternative here? I question maybe whether or not the mission didn't go higher than the man taking responsibility for it, but I can't think of any ulterior motive for this.

Homme

Homme

Los Angeles, CA
January 2009

APR 28, 2009 01:49 AM

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



Yes -- I do, for one. The Air Force takes advantage of these staged photo ops all the time. The pictures make for an excellent recruitment tool.

If you've ever lived near an Air Force base with a flightline, it's likely that you're acclimated to low-flying aircraft performing maneuvers. If I had happen to find myself in New York today and witnessed what happened, I probably would have shrugged it off. Can't say I blame New Yorkers for their nervous reaction though. It was really a stupid fucking mistake.

Shal

Shal

Los Angeles, CA
October 2002

APR 28, 2009 01:55 AM

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



Out of morbid curiosity, what the fuck else could it have been?

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

APR 28, 2009 04:00 AM

Homme said:

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



Yes -- I do, for one. The Air Force takes advantage of these staged photo ops all the time. The pictures make for an excellent recruitment tool.

If you've ever lived near an Air Force base with a flightline, it's likely that you're acclimated to low-flying aircraft performing maneuvers. If I had happen to find myself in New York today and witnessed what happened, I probably would have shrugged it off. Can't say I blame New Yorkers for their nervous reaction though. It was really a stupid fucking mistake.



same here. the cargo planes from CAFB are always flying extremely low and making hard banks over the freeway and my house. hell, we even had one of those bulky 787 prototypes pull the same act.

sugarnips

sugarnips

HOPEFUL

I'm lost

APR 28, 2009 04:25 AM

im not from the US, but i can understand how this would give people the fear.
in the uK we get low flying planes allll the time. i guess i thought it was normal.

fountainofdreams

fountainofdreams

Batavia, IL
January 2005

APR 28, 2009 05:07 AM

truth21 said:
im not from the US, but i can understand how this would give people the fear.
in the uK we get low flying planes allll the time. i guess i thought it was normal.



You're not alone. I live near Chicago, and we see low-flying planes regularly. I think where I live is right underneath the approach to either Midway or O'Hare, so we see airplanes all the time.

Vermin

Vermin

United Kingdom
July 2007

APR 28, 2009 11:10 AM

This almost deserves a Jean-Luc Picard.

silversoul7

silversoul7

Portland, OR
January 2008

APR 28, 2009 11:13 AM

Shalome said:

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



Out of morbid curiosity, what the fuck else could it have been?


I'm really not sure. I can't really think of any explanation that makes sense, including the official story. Basically, I'm saying none of this makes sense to me whatsoever.

Tallboy66

Tallboy66

Chicago, IL
January 2005

APR 28, 2009 11:49 AM

fountainofdreams said:

truth21 said:
im not from the US, but i can understand how this would give people the fear.
in the uK we get low flying planes allll the time. i guess i thought it was normal.



You're not alone. I live near Chicago, and we see low-flying planes regularly. I think where I live is right underneath the approach to either Midway or O'Hare, so we see airplanes all the time.



I'm now on a flight path as well to O'Hare and it seems the sound of the approach tends to just drop out of the sky sometimes.
NYC was hit and I'm sure some panic is justified but... you can tell it's the Presidential plane and you can see fighter jets escorting it even in a crappy video.
And I thought Al Queda had some sort of list of other cities and buildings they wanted to hit as well, it happened in NYC but I'd be more worried living in other cities that haven't been hit.


SPOILERS! (Click to view)

And not to turn this into "I remember where I was thread" but I lived in Detroit,a scary enough place already, in a mid rise apt. in site of the Ren Cen and the busiest international border crossing between Canada and the U.S. that was shut down by National Guard and no people or traffic was allowed downtown not to mention the continuous helicopters.

Homme

Homme

Los Angeles, CA
January 2009

APR 28, 2009 11:57 AM

silversoul7 said:

Shalome said:

silversoul7 said:
I'm not necessarily given to conspiracy theories, but do you really think this was just a photo op?



Out of morbid curiosity, what the fuck else could it have been?


I'm really not sure. I can't really think of any explanation that makes sense, including the official story. Basically, I'm saying none of this makes sense to me whatsoever.



A photo op. It was a photo op! http://www.af.mil/photos/ There are thousand of these as they go back years.

DJForce

DJForce

Summerville, SC
November 2008

APR 28, 2009 11:59 AM

Photo-op?

No one in the government ever heard of Photoshop?

SomethingStupid

SomethingStupid

North Hollywood, CA
March 2004

APR 28, 2009 12:00 PM

DJForce said:
Photo-op?

No one in the government ever heard of Photoshop?



That joke is so last night's Daily Show.

DJForce

DJForce

Summerville, SC
November 2008

APR 28, 2009 12:09 PM

SomethingStupid said:

DJForce said:
Photo-op?

No one in the government ever heard of Photoshop?



That joke is so last night's Daily Show.



My bad, I never watch the Daily Show. Jon Stewart makes me ill, no where near as entertaining as Craig Kilborn.

SomethingStupid

SomethingStupid

North Hollywood, CA
March 2004

APR 28, 2009 12:13 PM

DJForce said:

SomethingStupid said:

DJForce said:
Photo-op?

No one in the government ever heard of Photoshop?



That joke is so last night's Daily Show.



My bad, I never watch the Daily Show. Jon Stewart makes me ill, no where near as entertaining as Craig Kilborn.



The shock in my living room right now is palpable.

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