NYPD Directed Not to divulge Information About Low-Flying Plane Over Staten Island and Harbor

[tekisui]

Source: silive.com

People Evacuated in Panic


The Police Department is referring inquiries about the flight that invoked terror fears in New York this morning to the Federal Aviation Administration, claiming the federal agency directed local authorities not to disclose details about it.

"The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the FAA Air Traffic Security Coordinator," read a message sent to the media by the NYPD..

A low-flying plane, closely escorted by two fighter jets, was spotted over Staten Island's North Shore and New York Harbor just before 10 a.m. The plane, which resembled Air Force One, was a "pre-planned" military flight taking photos of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Several buildings in Manhattan's Financial District were evacuated until it could be determined that there was no emergency. Some Staten Islanders were among those who evacuated.

The flight created near-panic conditions on Staten Island and in Manhattan. Many borough residents called the Advance asking if the plane -- which appeared to be a commercial jetliner -- was hijacked. The incident invoked memories of Sept. 11, 2001 when two hijacked commercial airliners flew into the World Trade Center towers.

"It is pre-planned, pre-coordinated with everyone involved," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters, pointing out that city and state officials were notified in advance. "It's a military flight over New York to take photos."

more: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nypd_directed_not_to_divulge_i.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. "the plane, which resembled Air Force One..." What on earth is up with that? Not many planes...

"resemble Air Force One."

[tekisui]

2. It was a back-up Air Force One

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7439287&page=1

[Captain Hilts]

4. Just flyin' low over lower Manhattan on a lark? People should have been told and...

they'd of had their cameras out.

[tekisui]

6. The FAA and NYPD supposedly knew, but were told no to

tell the public. Very bizarre.

[Captain Hilts]

7. Folks would have loved to have seen that. nt

[shraby]

3. Who in the hell dreamed up this stunt ?

And why was an Air Force One used???

[tekisui]

5. I have no idea, but it is about the dumbest thing I have seen in

a while. Was it a test? A drill?

[CJCRANE]

12. Unless they wanted pics of AF1 near the Statue of Liberty.

But it came across as the perfect neocon psyop. I think we can imagine what the freepers are saying. I'd like to know who came up with the idea.

[jsamuel]

8. Why would they say to not tell anyone unless this was some sort of test?

[tekisui]

9. That what it seems to me, a drill or a test.

But testing what? How quickly people will notice and evacuate?

And, why do they feel the need to test?

[jsamuel]

10. The other possibility being that someone just made a bad mistake in saying that they shouldn't tell

anyone.

[oviedodem]

11. This smells like someones wet dream to plant the seeds of terror in our minds

probably one of Dick Cheney's moles.

[bdamomma]

28. oh Dick must be grinning ear to ear, the scars of bush brainwashing

is still open like a wound.

[hedgehog]

13. Here's the really scary part: whoever classified this thought

that it would remain a secret, that no one would notice a 747 circling Manhattan with a military escort!

[Muttocracy]

48. that's what I don't get - in NYC, after 9/11 and the Hudson crash?! nt

[jenmito]

14. Carlos Watson (MSNBC) just reported it, showed video of it, said it was

"a military aerial photo mission." He described it as an "Airforce One look-alike plane accompanied by two jet fighters."

[tekisui]

15. Strange.

[jenmito]

16. And Gibbs was just asked about it. The reporter said Bloomberg was furious

about it. :shrug:

[tekisui]

17. The Mayor didn't know!

:wow:

Was this all on the DoD and the FAA???

[jenmito]

18. According to this article...

"We made the notifications to the city so they were aware that the flight would take place between 10 and 10:30 this morning," FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090427/us_nm/us_newyork_plane

[tekisui]

19. Interesting,

some businesses were told. Seems Bloomberg knew as well, from that article.

[jenmito]

20. He claimed he was surprised and angry and was NOT told...

and Schumer just held a press conference saying HE was furious, too.

[tekisui]

21. Nobody knows nothing.

DoD and FAA just do whatever whenever they want? It just doesn't add up.

[jenmito]

23. I know!

:D But really, did Obama know about it since it was LIKE Airforce One? Hmmm. This is getting a lot ofr negative coverage.

[high density]

22. Well I see the Bushco-era fear of big planes remains

This is pretty sad.

[Beacool]

24. I got one word for them: ASSHOLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People were evacuating buildings because they didn't know about it. My building alerted us at the last minute. Some people still went out, but not me. Been there, done that. I was in the North Tower on 9/11. Nothing can compare to that morning.

Whoever came up with this "photo op" should be summarily chastised. Don't they realize how traumatized people around here still are over 9/11?????

Jerks..........

:grr:

[Dorian Gray]

32. Ditto

It's horrifying and it brought back a lot of pushed down feelings from 9-11.

The brainiacs who came up with the plan should be fired.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. This has to be one of the most callous and ill-conceived ideas I've ever heard of.

According to this updated WSJ article, city officials had been told about the exercise, but had been told that they could not convey the info to the public.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090427-714247.html

I can't imagine the fears of people in the area of this flight who witnessed the 9/11 attacks. I would have been a wreck.

[KoKo]

26. K&R

[WinkyDink]

27. Because they've FORGOTTEN ALL ABOUT 9/11 in MANHATTAN!! NOT!!

SOMEBODY'S HEAD should ROLL!!

[Beacool]

29. OBAMA PLANE PHOTO OP STARTLES NEW YORKERS

A jumbo jet being chased by a F-16 fighter jets buzzed Lower Manhattan this morning, panicking New Yorkers, many of whom were forced to evacuate their office buildings.

It was not a terrorist attack, however, but a photo opportunity for Air Force One, sources told the Post.

President Obama was in Washington at the time, but the low-flying 747 circling the Statue of Liberty was one of the planes used as Air Force One, sources said.

The NYPD and the city were notified of the planned flight, but did not share that information with Mayor Bloomberg and other New Yorkers, many of whom said they were terrified.

Hours after the incident, a furious Bloomberg called the photo-op "insensitive."

"First thing is I'm annoyed - furious is a better word - that I wasn't told," he said. "Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center catastrophe defies imagination. Poor judgment would be a nice ways to phrase."

Bloomberg said federal officials notified the NYPD and another city official, whom he declined to identify, of the flight plan.

"Had I known about it I would have called them right away and asked them not to," he said. "The good news is it was nothing more than an ill considered, badly conceived, insensitive photo op - with the taxpayers' money."

Dominick Caglioti, who works at the Mercantile Exchange, thought the worst as he saw the jets hurtle toward his window just after 10:30 a.m. After learning it was all a photo op, he was furious.

"It's so stupid because they tell you about every fire drill, but they didn't tell us about this," he said.

The planes flew over the Verrazano Bridge, buzzed the left ear Lady Liberty and then continued up the Hudson past Jersey City and then circling back toward Staten Island, federal sources told the Post.

Thousands flooded the streets downtown as buildings called evacuations.

"There is situation outside. We don't have any further information," went one announcement at the Embassy Suites downtown.

After hearing it was all planned, many of those in the streets complained New Yorkers should have been warned.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04272009/news/regionalnews/obama_plane_photo_op_startles_new_yorker_166470.htm

Nobody notified Bloomberg?????????

:wow:

[soccermomforobama]

30. so a city official knew and did not think to tell Bloomberg.

This story is getting stranger and stranger

[Beacool]

35. I'm still at work,

but can't wait to get home to listen to the local news. I want to see what they report.

There's something fishy about the whole thing.

:(

[a la izquierda]

31. This is complete bullshit (sorry for the language)...

Did those "in the know" have any idea what could have happened to people? I saw the clip on the news, knew what had happened, and felt like vomiting. My poor dad, who survived 9/11, might have had a damned heart attack!!!:mad: Thousands of other people could have had really horrible reactions and god knows what could have happened.
F'in jackasses! Oh, I'm so peeved right now.

[jenmito]

33. The Director of the White House Military Office just apologized for this.

He said he approved of the mission last week and takes full responsibility for the problems/trouble/etc. it caused.

[tekisui]

34. Time for him to exit stage left.

At least we know who gave to ok.

[Beacool]

36. He approved it, but whose idea was it?

Also, was a photo op the real reason that they did it? Even my non tin foil coworkers thought that the photo op explanation was just BS.

x(

[jenmito]

37. HE took full responsibility for it. HE must've been the one who told the FAA not to

tell the NYC officials about it. Do you want it to have been Obama's idea?

[Beacool]

38. No, I don't think that it was Obama's idea.

But I wonder whose idea it was to fly that plane so low, scaring so many people.

[B2G]

39. I want to know who requested the photo too

And why everyone was supposedly informed but Obama.

[jenmito]

40. who said everyone was supposedly informed but Obama? n/t

[Better Believe It]

41. AFOne and two jet fighters sent up for photo op. Sure. Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

Let's see the picture they took.

And who took it?

Couldn't have been anyone in Air Force One backup or one of the jet fighter pilots.

Someone on the ground?

Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

A pretty weak cover story for some sort of military mission.

[B2G]

42. If you read the White House release

'Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. 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. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.'
The mission on Monday, officials said, was set up to create an iconic shot of Air Force One, similar to one that was taken in recent years over the Grand Canyon.
When President Obama learned of the episode on Monday afternoon, aides said, he, too, was furious. Senior administration officials conveyed the president’s anger in a meeting with Mr. Caldera on Monday afternoon.'

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/air-force-one-backup-rattles-new-york-nerve

[jenmito]

43. I'm glad Obama wasn't the one who ordered this. But I don't see where everyone BUT him knew about it

I'm glad Faux won't be able to blame HIM for it.

[Better Believe It]

45. Interesting. President Obama in his brief statement doesn't state what the mission was.

"'Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. 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. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.'

Is that the complete text of President Obama's statement?

If so, it seems very possible that the "photo op" story given by others is just a cover story for a serious military mission.

It obvious that the alleged pictures showing the Statue of Liberty behind the backup Air Force One were not taken by anyone aboard the 747.

And it appears implausible that pilots on the two F-16 were taking pretty pictures during their leisurely flights behind or above Air Force One.

[jenmito]

46. Obama didn't make that statement. Louis E. Caldera did. n/t

[Beacool]

47. Even if true, why do we need a @#&*%$* "iconic" photo of Air Force One over NY,

buzzing the Statue of Liberty and scaring the daylights out of the citizenry of both states????????

Screw them!!!

x(

BTW, Exchange Place is where I work. I saw my building on the CNN video clip (it's neither of these two).


A reader, Jim Brown, took this photograph from 10 Exchange Place in Jersey City, looking toward 77 Hudson Street and the Statue of Liberty. In the photo, the plane appears closer than it actually was.

[crimsonblue]

44. ahh...

nothing like a little mass hysteria to get your week started.