[X3pilot]

Soooo, you want an updated pic of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty, next thing you know, panic in the streets of Manhattan.

Major gaffe by the DOD or are New Yorkers just too jumpy 8 years later?

It was supposed to be a photo opportunity, a showcase of Air Force One alongside the sweep of New York City skyline.

But as the low-flying Boeing 747 speeded in the shadows of skyscrapers, trailed by two fighter jets, the sight instead awakened barely dormant fears of a terrorist attack, causing a momentary panic that sent workers pouring out of buildings on both sides of the Hudson River.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/nyregion/28plane.html

 

[splat]

Thats a good use of Tax payer money and a PR disaster.

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

Photo op ?

 

[RUFUS]

Practice for the next conspiracy...I mean terrorist attack.

 

[jasride]

That was a test put out by the Obama administration to see if we really do feel safer with him in command. guess not.

 

[Westy]

People thought our islamic terrorist president took over the cockpit...


Something like that is a common sight around here. All the executive airplanes do practice touch and go landings at our local airport sans POTUS or VPOTUS.

 

[I Are Baboon]

The gubment is just trying to keep those uppity New Yorkers honest.

 

[dan-o]

New Yorkers have become softer than the Yankees bullpen.

 

[stevew]

Practice for the next conspiracy...I mean terrorist attack.

renegaderick blew his wad......mt st helens like eruption....when the story broke.

 

[IH8Rice]

nice $300,000 photo op...those shots better come out good

 

[MMike]

of course now they can't even use the photos due to the stigma attached to them

 

[splat]

of course now they can't even use the photos due to the stigma attached to them

what do you mean ?

 

[manimal]

Thats a good use of Tax payer money and a PR disaster.

kind of like the 9,000+ gallons of fuel expended to fly the pres to indiana to give an Earth Day speech

 

[1453]

kind of like the 9,000+ gallons of fuel expended to fly the pres to indiana to give an Earth Day speech

does it really take 9k gallons of fuel to fly there? I don't know much about the milage on the prez express.

if so that is truly worthy. He could have at least taken an Amtrak to that event.

 

[manimal]

does it really take 9k gallons of fuel to fly there? I don't know much about the milage on the prez express.

if so that is truly worthy. He could have at least taken an Amtrak to that event.

i'm not sure of the exact numbers because the news radio station i was listening to could not get the exact flight time/fuel consumption of AF1 from the white house but...they just did an estimate based off of a similar aircraft's fuel consumption. the AF1 flight alone was 9k gallons not including the HMX-1 helo flight to and from the actual event or the fuel consumed by the escort fighters.

 

[X3pilot]

does it really take 9k gallons of fuel to fly there? I don't know much about the milage on the prez express.

if so that is truly worthy. He could have at least taken an Amtrak to that event.

Figure roughly 747-400 burn rate avgs. about 2300 gals per hour, then yeah, 9K of fuel sounds right.

 

[MMike]

It's about a gallon per second.....

 

[ohio]

kind of like the 9,000+ gallons of fuel expended to fly the pres to indiana to give an Earth Day speech

It's a fun fact to toss out and all, but what do you propose as an alternative that is safe, secure, and makes efficient use of his time? And yes, the president's time is more valuable than yours.

Also the fuel consumption starts to look more reasonable when you consider it's not one person. It's an entire team of people and equipment.

 

[MMike]

It's a fun fact to toss out and all, but what do you propose as an alternative that is safe, secure, and makes efficient use of his time? And yes, the president's time is more valuable than yours.

Also the fuel consumption starts to look more reasonable when you consider it's not one person. It's an entire team of people and equipment.

Quiet you!!

 

[manimal]

It's a fun fact to toss out and all, but what do you propose as an alternative that is safe, secure, and makes efficient use of his time? And yes, the president's time is more valuable than yours.

Also the fuel consumption starts to look more reasonable when you consider it's not one person. It's an entire team of people and equipment.

i don't really have an alternative, i just find it amusing and ironic that every earth day the president (not just current one) goes somewhere to give a "save the earth" speech and, in the process, uses a lot of resources when he could just as easily do it from the white house lawn to lead by example.

maybe they'll come out with an up-armored prius or something

 

[ohio]

he could just as easily do it from the white house lawn to lead by example.

Actually, I stand corrected. That is a very reasonable alternative.

Assuming it's broadcast versus in front of a live audience. Depending on the number of people that would fly into DC specifically to see it (as long as his audience size is over the 400 person capacity of a 747), it makes sense for him to come TO the audience.

 

[IH8Rice]

all that hooplah for this?

 

[ohio]

Aide resigns. How is Louis Calderra ever going to land another job?

 

[IH8Rice]

Aide resigns. How is Louis Calderra ever going to land another job?

that article is hilarious.
the white house "report" basically ostracized the guy and basically said he was a moron.
awesome

 

[jonKranked]

Sheesh, you'd think with all the new technology Obama brought to the White House someone would have snuck in a copy of Photoshop.

 

[IH8Rice]

Sheesh, you'd think with all the new technology Obama brought to the White House someone would have snuck in a copy of Photoshop.

yeah, w/ a cost of $5000 probably.

 

[sanjuro]

that article is hilarious.
the white house "report" basically ostracized the guy and basically said he was a moron.
awesome

I feel bad for Caldera. USMA graduate, gets a MBA/JD from Harvard, impressive career, then he hurts his back, doesn't check his email, and forgets to tell the White House Press Secretary, which would have been his CYA card.

But it was a screw-up, and someone deserved to go down for it. Too bad Caldera was the last one standing when the music stopped.

I can only imagine when he talked with Rahm Emmanuel a hour after the fly-over. I can picture tears...

 

[IH8Rice]

I feel bad for Caldera. USMA graduate, gets a MBA/JD from Harvard, impressive career, then he hurts his back, doesn't check his email, and forgets to tell the White House Press Secretary, which would have been his CYA card.

But it was a screw-up, and someone deserved to go down for it. Too bad Caldera was the last one standing when the music stopped.

"When asked why he failed to do so, he did not offer a coherent explanation," according to the report.

i bet that report point the finger solely at him so they can push this P.R. nightmare under the rug.

 

[jonKranked]

yeah, w/ a cost of $5000 probably.

And the $295,000 it would have saved for this photoshoot would have more than paid for it.

 

[Westy]

all that hooplah for this?

Someone needs to photo shop some bombs droppin'

 

[Westy]

 

[sanjuro]

i bet that report point the finger solely at him so they can push this P.R. nightmare under the rug.

There is only one cover-up people care about:

"Hey Louis, what's up?"

"Everything's cool, Mr. President."

"So what's up the AF1 flyover. I think it will be sweet to have a cool picture with the Statue of Liberty."

"No problem, Mr. President. We're keeping it a secret too so those Fox News aholes won't complain."

 

[IH8Rice]

And the $295,000 it would have saved for this photoshoot would have more than paid for it.

that doesnt sound like government work to me though.
why spend $5000 when you can spend $300k and do it right!

 

[jonKranked]

that doesnt sound like government work to me though.
why spend $5000 when you can spend $300k and do it right!

Why have AF1 fly over the statue of liberty, when it could be flying over the Pyramids? Or the Grand Canyon? Or Mount Rushmore? Or be posing with Britney Spears?

 

[IH8Rice]

hey, at least they got NJ in the pic!

 

[MMike]

Why have AF1 fly over the statue of liberty, when it could be flying over the Pyramids? Or the Grand Canyon? Or Mount Rushmore? Or be posing with Britney Spears?

Or on the red carpet of the Oscars with a space shuttle as its date?

 

[ohio]

Or on the red carpet of the Oscars with a space shuttle as its date?

Dude, AF1 would never been seen with the shuttle, that thing is so old and has been launched way too many times. Now Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo... that's exactly the sexy young symbol of American (British) capitalism AF1 wants to be associated with.

 

[IH8Rice]

Now Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo... that's exactly the sexy young symbol of American (British) capitalism AF1 wants to be associated with.

why are all the hot ones so much damn money?

 

[X3pilot]

Boring but important. One of my old squadrons in Brunswick ME, requested to fly a P3 Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft down the Hudson for a retirement "last flight" for one of the crew. Denied. This incident was cited. Despite the flight plan is over a heavily flown route, NYC was peeved at this attempt.

They need new ballsacks in Gotham.

The P-3 Orion reconnaissance plane from the U.S. Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, was to have flown past the city, then head back north, sometime around 10:30 a.m.

FAA officials said the four-engine, turboprop admittedly had a low probability of attracting attention. It was to have flown no lower than 3,000 feet, well above New York's tallest skyscrapers, in an air corridor where planes of a similar size are a common sight.

Bloomberg said it was his understanding that the flight was for "some Navy guy who was retiring after many years of service, and they wanted him to take one last flyby."

A Navy spokeswoman, Cmdr. Pauline Storum, said at least 25 such P-3 flights have been flown through New York City's airspace since
2001.

link

AND, before someone yelps about the money, these flights are done in conjunction with regular, scheduled training flights.

 

[DaveW]

Boring but important. One of my old squadrons in Brunswick ME, requested to fly a P3 Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft down the Hudson for a retirement "last flight" for one of the crew. Denied. This incident was cited. Despite the flight plan is over a heavily flown route, NYC was peeved at this attempt.

They need new ballsacks in Gotham.

Negative ghostrider, the pattern is full.


Full of empty ballsacks........ NYC Harden the F*ck up!