Lady Liberty Fly-By?

[Lauren8211]

Link

It wasn''t even a drill. It was a photo op.

An Air Force One lookalike and two F-16s buzzed the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor this morning, halting work on nearby construction sites, causing resident and office workers to flee their high-rises and giving thousands of people in downtown Manhattan and New Jersey a major fright. At least two people were treated for minor injuries at Jersey City Medical Center after falling during the rush to exit their high-rises.

"Everybody panicked," said Daisy Cooper, a Merrill Lynch worker in Jersey City, who lost a nephew on 9/11. "Everybody was screaming and we all ran downstairs. I''m devastated. ..Everybody was running, we didn''t know why we were running. We just knew it was a plane, there we go, 9/11 again."

The Air Force One lookalike is a back up plane for the one used by the president. The plane is designated by the Defense Department as a VC-25 but is recognizable to the public as a Boeing 747.

The Federal Aviation Administration said there was no reason for alarm, even thousands of people saw the two fighter jets circle the statue, along with a VC-25, and immediately thought the worst.

"They were making two, maybe three passes," FAA spokesman Jim Peters told News 4 New York. "The (Department of Defense) and the FAA worked this all out in advance."

A Pentagon official confirmed that while the Presidential Airlift Group, which is based out of Andrews Air Force Base, did inform the FAA and New York City officials about this morning''s aerial photo op. But they also told both agencies not to inform the public about it. The NYPD confirmed this.

"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," said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

The FAA said it would issue a statement this afternoon as scared residents and workers fumed at the unnecessary flight fright.

"It''s completely asinine after 9/11 to do that," said Keith Mercantine, who witnessed the chaos in Jersey City. "I saw ambulances out here with pregnant women."

No word on where the photo op will show up.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s-at-Lady-Liberty-Put-City-on-Edge.html

 

[meresal]

I would have been scared too, ESPECIALLY if they were making 3 passes... That would be even more alarming.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 4/27/2009 3:41:21 PM
Author:elledizzy5



Link

It wasn't even a drill. It was a photo op.

An Air Force One lookalike and two F-16s buzzed the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor this morning, halting work on nearby construction sites, causing resident and office workers to flee their high-rises and giving thousands of people in downtown Manhattan and New Jersey a major fright. At least two people were treated for minor injuries at Jersey City Medical Center after falling during the rush to exit their high-rises.

'Everybody panicked,' said Daisy Cooper, a Merrill Lynch worker in Jersey City, who lost a nephew on 9/11. 'Everybody was screaming and we all ran downstairs. I'm devastated. ..Everybody was running, we didn't know why we were running. We just knew it was a plane, there we go, 9/11 again.'

The Air Force One lookalike is a back up plane for the one used by the president. The plane is designated by the Defense Department as a VC-25 but is recognizable to the public as a Boeing 747.

The Federal Aviation Administration said there was no reason for alarm, even thousands of people saw the two fighter jets circle the statue, along with a VC-25, and immediately thought the worst.

'They were making two, maybe three passes,' FAA spokesman Jim Peters told News 4 New York. 'The (Department of Defense) and the FAA worked this all out in advance.'

A Pentagon official confirmed that while the Presidential Airlift Group, which is based out of Andrews Air Force Base, did inform the FAA and New York City officials about this morning's aerial photo op. But they also told both agencies not to inform the public about it. The NYPD confirmed this.

'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,' said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

The FAA said it would issue a statement this afternoon as scared residents and workers fumed at the unnecessary flight fright.

'It's completely asinine after 9/11 to do that,' said Keith Mercantine, who witnessed the chaos in Jersey City. 'I saw ambulances out here with pregnant women.'

No word on where the photo op will show up.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s-at-Lady-Liberty-Put-City-on-Edge.html

My husband works on Wall. He said that they were told it was an exercise by the government and not to panic.

When I got home, (i live in downtown manhattan) my neighbors told me people were pouring out of the building as well as the world financial center. Some were crying, others were running. No one told them what was going on.

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/28/2009 10:54:04 AM
Author: elle_chris

Date: 4/27/2009 3:41:21 PM
Author:elledizzy5




Link

It wasn''t even a drill. It was a photo op.

An Air Force One lookalike and two F-16s buzzed the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor this morning, halting work on nearby construction sites, causing resident and office workers to flee their high-rises and giving thousands of people in downtown Manhattan and New Jersey a major fright. At least two people were treated for minor injuries at Jersey City Medical Center after falling during the rush to exit their high-rises.

''Everybody panicked,'' said Daisy Cooper, a Merrill Lynch worker in Jersey City, who lost a nephew on 9/11. ''Everybody was screaming and we all ran downstairs. I''m devastated. ..Everybody was running, we didn''t know why we were running. We just knew it was a plane, there we go, 9/11 again.''

The Air Force One lookalike is a back up plane for the one used by the president. The plane is designated by the Defense Department as a VC-25 but is recognizable to the public as a Boeing 747.

The Federal Aviation Administration said there was no reason for alarm, even thousands of people saw the two fighter jets circle the statue, along with a VC-25, and immediately thought the worst.

''They were making two, maybe three passes,'' FAA spokesman Jim Peters told News 4 New York. ''The (Department of Defense) and the FAA worked this all out in advance.''

A Pentagon official confirmed that while the Presidential Airlift Group, which is based out of Andrews Air Force Base, did inform the FAA and New York City officials about this morning''s aerial photo op. But they also told both agencies not to inform the public about it. The NYPD confirmed this.

''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,'' said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

The FAA said it would issue a statement this afternoon as scared residents and workers fumed at the unnecessary flight fright.

''It''s completely asinine after 9/11 to do that,'' said Keith Mercantine, who witnessed the chaos in Jersey City. ''I saw ambulances out here with pregnant women.''

No word on where the photo op will show up.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s-at-Lady-Liberty-Put-City-on-Edge.html

My husband works on Wall. He said that they were told it was an exercise by the government and not to panic.

When I got home, (i live in downtown manhattan) my neighbors told me people were pouring out of the building as well as the world financial center. Some were crying, others were running. No one told them what was going on.

That''s what the NPR report said.

Seriously, I want to know what kind of idiot authorizes that? And especially without taking steps to make sure that the information can get to people.

Good luck using those photos for anything the general public will see now...I can''t imagine anybody will have anything good to say about the shots.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I want to see that flight''s manifest. Who was along for the joyride??

 

[Ara Ann]

To me, this is the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater, only on a HUGE scale...senseless and ridiculous to cause panic for so many people. This was a photo op? Haven't they heard of PHOTOSHOP?!?!?

 

[dragonfly411]

Although I do think whoever approved this wasn''t thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it''s been years..... YEARS. It isn''t going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don''t mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can''t live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn't thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it's been years..... YEARS. It isn't going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don't mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can't live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

No offense, but I think that's easy to say if you don't live in Manhattan and didn't experience 9/11. For some people who were around ground zero on 9/11 or may have even been in the WTC and got out before both towers collapsed, it's probably an instinctive response driven by the trauma they experienced. A PTSD sort of reaction. Does that mean that some people didn't overreact? Of course not. But the act was horribly insensitive and just plain stupid. And why not use the same tactic? It worked the first time, on FOUR SEPARATE planes. My "trust" of the government is wearing thin these days and an act like this doesn't help. I don't know that our government could stop another attack like 9/11. I think they try and I think they generally do a good job. But I'm not naive enough to think it couldn't and won't happen again.

And don't even get me started on what a waste of tax payer dollars it was....

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn''t thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it''s been years..... YEARS. It isn''t going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don''t mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can''t live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

No, you can''t let fear run your life. But for people who lived through it to see a situation that looks like it''s going to be exactly the same to panic a little at the thought is totally understandable. These people don''t run at the sight of any plane. But a low-flying passenger plane being chased by a fighter jet? Even if they thought the jet was trying to shoot it down, there''s a chance it would come down on their heads.

Have you ever lived through a scary situation? I mean the kind of thing where you really thought you were going to die? Or have you ever known that somebody was planning on killing you or blowing up a building you were in every day? Those people have. I have. It''s a horrible thing to go through, and to think it may be happening a second time just when you''ve started feeling safe again would be terrible. It''d be like a kid from Columbine putting off going to college because they''re scared to be in a situation that could end the way high school did, finally deciding to go 6 or 7 years later, and ending up at Virginia Tech just in time for the shootings there. Absolutely horrifying, and with crazy odds against it....but possible.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:31:24 AM
Author: princesss

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM

Author: dragonfly411

Although I do think whoever approved this wasn''t thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it''s been years..... YEARS. It isn''t going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don''t mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can''t live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

No, you can''t let fear run your life. But for people who lived through it to see a situation that looks like it''s going to be exactly the same to panic a little at the thought is totally understandable. These people don''t run at the sight of any plane. But a low-flying passenger plane being chased by a fighter jet? Even if they thought the jet was trying to shoot it down, there''s a chance it would come down on their heads.


Have you ever lived through a scary situation? I mean the kind of thing where you really thought you were going to die? Or have you ever known that somebody was planning on killing you or blowing up a building you were in every day? Those people have. I have. It''s a horrible thing to go through, and to think it may be happening a second time just when you''ve started feeling safe again would be terrible. It''d be like a kid from Columbine putting off going to college because they''re scared to be in a situation that could end the way high school did, finally deciding to go 6 or 7 years later, and ending up at Virginia Tech just in time for the shootings there. Absolutely horrifying, and with crazy odds against it....but possible.

Not to mention, there are ''no fly zones'' around cities and buildings..to see "Airforce One" in an area isn''t not supposed to be in, while flying erratically, with a fighter jet pursuing it, would make me frightened, even if 9-11 hadn''t happened! Planes have accidentally flown into buildings or crashed as well! There was no telling what the heck was going on and anyone that panicked from seeing this stunt had every right to do so. It LOOKED like a dangerous situation and no one can be faulted for reacting the way they did. Period. If someone held you up at gun point with a toy gun that looked real, you would panic just as much as if it were real.

 

[elle_chris]

I take it you never saw a plane hit the building directly across the street from you. Been evacuated from your home, lose everything and need to start your life all over.

Well, that's EXACTLY what happened to the residents there.
I know, I was one of them. Only thing is, i was lucky enough to be across the country when it happened.
Still lost everything.

So, if i was there that morning I doubt I would have panicked, but yep, damn straight it would have elicited some negative emotional responses in me as it did my neighbors and those that work in the area.

Before you're so quick to judge the people that WERE there, perhaps put yourself in their shoes and remind yourself what they lost in 2001.
Then when they see a low flying Boeing with fighter planes on it's tail- you can telll them, "get over it."

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:39:02 AM
Author: elle_chris
I take it you never saw a plane hit the building directly across the street from you. Been evacuated from your home, lose everything and need to start your life all over.

Well, that''s EXACTLY what happened to the residents there.
I know, I was one of them. Only thing is, i was lucky enough to be across the country when it happened.
Still lost everything.

So, if i was there that morning I doubt I would have panicked, but yep, damn straight it would have elicited some negative emotional responses in me as it did my neighbors and those that work in the area.

Before you''re so quick to judge the people that WERE there, perhaps put yourself in their shoes and remind yourself what they lost in 2001.
Then when they see a low flying Boeing with fighter planes on it''s tail- you can telll them, ''get over it.''

Elle, I''m sorry to hear that you had to go through that. Even from across the country...I can''t imagine.

 

[PaulaW]

What astounds me about the whole situation is that they say NYC officials were notified. WHO was notified, because the mayor certainly wasn''t. There was NO need to keep this quiet, at all. It was a stupid and insensitive thing to do, especially for a photo-op. Use photoshop and add Lady Liberty in later!
dragonfly, I''m sorry but 9-11 is not something one just gets over. I''m very glad that you are so confident in our government to think that we''ll be protected and it will never happen again. If the government is so all mighty and powerful, why did it happen in the first place? Getting over it and moving on, to me, would make us complacent and think we''re untouchable like we were in the past. Never forgetting and remembering that we lost thousands of people because of the actions of a handful is not something to take lightly. I personally would rather our government remember that and act proactively, not reactively with our guard down.

 

[elle_chris]

Thanks Princess.
To keep it simple- it sucked. But as it is our home, we eventually came back to the neighborhood.

I didn't want to mention the loss of life in my post because that's something people will never get over.

I also won't go into the nightmare of having to pick up the pieces of your life when you're pretty much left with nothing.

I know dragonfly said she didn't mean it in an insensitive way- but to say get over it, well that's pretty harsh.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

 

[Lauren8211]

One of my cousins was working down there, and to this day still suffers from stress, anxiety, and severe nightmares related to 9/11. It''s been 8 years. I can only imagine what seeing a low-flying plane outside of her window would have done to her.

I can''t even imagine how I''d react to something like that after experiencing 9/11 firsthand.

Elle, I''m also sorry to hear about your experience.

 

[HollyS]

It wasn''t a photo op. That ''picture'' can be done with a little photoshopping. A whole lot less expensive that way, too.

And you wouldn''t do that kind of photo from a fighter plane. Moving way too fast, not a clear shot; is there even any room for a photog, or does the pilot have to do it?????

We will never know what the heck was going on.

But once again we have feigned outrage.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:39:02 AM
Author: elle_chris
I take it you never saw a plane hit the building directly across the street from you. Been evacuated from your home, lose everything and need to start your life all over.

Well, that''s EXACTLY what happened to the residents there.
I know, I was one of them. Only thing is, i was lucky enough to be across the country when it happened.
Still lost everything.

So, if i was there that morning I doubt I would have panicked, but yep, damn straight it would have elicited some negative emotional responses in me as it did my neighbors and those that work in the area.

Before you''re so quick to judge the people that WERE there, perhaps put yourself in their shoes and remind yourself what they lost in 2001.
Then when they see a low flying Boeing with fighter planes on it''s tail- you can telll them, ''get over it.''

I am so sorry ele. We lost 2 very good friends on 9/11. I have no words for this photo op... Or what ever it was..

 

[Harriet]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn't thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it's been years..... YEARS. It isn't going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don't mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can't live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

Better safe than sorry, no?
It's been 8 years, not even a generation.
How do you know?
I don't, but memories do linger. I can still conjure up the air force planes patrolling the skies, not knowing what might happen next, watching CNN incessantly, and obsessively reading each NY Times obituary whilst sobbing. And I was one of the lucky ones who didn't lose any friends or family.

 

[m76steve]

HARRIET-just a quickie from me 2 u!-check paraibainternational.com for a quick intro to real paraiba at good prices with certification behind every sale-on every journey one must take the 1st step-in this case-the right direction-my 2 guinneas...

 

[partgypsy]

This whole thing just was so boneheaded, to both do that AND not tell the public. I''m just glad no one got seriously hurt/traumatized in the panic, which was very possible.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 4/29/2009 7:38:36 PM
Author: m76steve
HARRIET-just a quickie from me 2 u!-check paraibainternational.com for a quick intro to real paraiba at good prices with certification behind every sale-on every journey one must take the 1st step-in this case-the right direction-my 2 guinneas...

I''ll reply on my "Who''s Who" thread. This one''s too somber.

 

[elle_chris]

elledizzy. thanks. It''s terrible that your cousin is still suffering from stress and anxiety. I know certain things trigger it in me as well. Seriously, the area looked like those pics your see of Berlin flattened at the end of world war two. Just a war zone.

And Kaleigh, I''m terribly sorry for your loss as well. I understand your pain.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 4/29/2009 7:38:36 PM
Author: m76steve
HARRIET-just a quickie from me 2 u!-check paraibainternational.com for a quick intro to real paraiba at good prices with certification behind every sale-on every journey one must take the 1st step-in this case-the right direction-my 2 guinneas...

Wow, such an inappropriate treadjack...

 

[Harriet]

Date: 4/29/2009 7:13:36 PM
Author: Harriet

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn''t thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it''s been years..... YEARS. It isn''t going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don''t mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can''t live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

Better safe than sorry, no?
It''s been 8 years, not even a generation.
How do you know?
I don''t, but memories do linger. I can still conjure up the air force planes patrolling the skies, not knowing what might happen next, watching CNN incessantly, and obsessively reading each NY Times obituary whilst sobbing. And I was one of the lucky ones who didn''t lose any friends or family.

Measures are being taken so that it doesn''t recur. But, measures can and do fail. Please have some respect to those who were affected. Perhaps it seems like "it''s been years" because you were only around 14 years old then, and I can understand that. But, there were 14 year olds who lost their parents and had to grow up overnight.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn't thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it's been years..... YEARS. It isn't going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don't mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can't live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

Get over this??? Are you kidding me?? Were you there on 9/11, did you live through it?? I have nightmares about it. I didn't fly commercially because of it. It rocked my inner core... Walk in the shoes of those that lost their Mom's and their dad's on that day... Tell them to get over it....

I just want you to have empathy.... as my friends died that day..

My best friend from college lost many many friends on 9/11. Her town was shut down, schools closed... Many kids lost both parents...

I cry every 9/11. I will never forget.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 4/29/2009 10:47:20 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Get over this??? Are you kidding me?? Were you there on 9/11, did you live through it?? I have nightmares about it. I didn''t fly commercially because of it. It rocked my inner core... Walk in the shoes of those that lost their Mom''s and their dad''s on that day... Tell them to get over it....

I just want you to have empathy.... as my friends died that day..

My best friend from college lost many many friends on 9/11. Her town was shut down, schools closed... Many kids lost both parents...

I cry every 9/11. I will never forget.

Nor will I.

 

[meresal]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:05:47 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Although I do think whoever approved this wasn't thinking.... I just think that running and screaming is a bit of an overreaction. I mean..... What kind of force is stupid enough to use the same tactic over again for one? and for another, it's been years..... YEARS. It isn't going to happen again. Everyone needs to get over this and recover already. I don't mean that in a non sensitive way, as I think it was a great tragedy, but it is not happening again. Our government would not let it happen again. You can't live your life in a state of eternal fear that planes will fly into your building.

Umm, just in case you might want to know...

Anyone that works in a high-rise in a metropolitan city, lives with this fear EVERYDAY. When you take an elevator to the 40th floor, heck try the 75th, of a buliding every day, then tell me that each morning you don't wonder what the quickest way down is.

Because those of us that do, do still think about it.

ETA: I wasn't there on 9/11, but I know people that were. I would never expect them to forget what they had to endure the days, weeks, months, and yes, YEARS afterwards. How disrespectful.

 

[dragonfly411]

meresal
I don''t expect them to forget. I do hope you guys don''t think that because no one can forget something like that. I just don''t think it''s healthy to live life in such a state of fear that you panic if a plane flies by. That can lead one to an early stress related death too. I''m sorry if my post sounded in sensitive to those who went through that, because I do feel for them.

 

[meresal]

Dragon, just because you fear, doesn't mean you allow it to run your life. I also fear that another driver will side swipe me while I'm driving over a bridge, but it doesn't keep me from crossing them... nor does 9/11 keep me from taking the elevator to my 40th floor office each morning in the heart of downtown. I just consider myself more prepared for what COULD happen.
To be honest, I bet running a screaming was better than what many people did back in 2001, in NYC. I would imagine that many were frozen with fear, but these people and their companies or housing units now have a plan of where they were running to, albeit they might have been screaming as well.

You fear things because you have experienced them. Whether it be first hand or not, they affect you. That's life. I think you should re-read your post. You may not think you were being disrespectful, but you made it clear that no one should have been reacting the way they did... esphasis on the part where you stated that "YEARS" have passed.

And the part where you stated, "Everyone needs to get over this and recover already." THIS, that you speak of, was one of the biggest and most unexpected devastations to affect our country. You don't just move on or get over it, and I can assure you, there are thousands of people that wish they could "recover already".