Free Republic

DENVER - Thousands of potential FAA air traffic control trainees, with College Initiative Training (CTI) degrees or previous military experience, have been told by the federal agency they are no longer eligible for job interviews. Instead, the FAA has decided to accept less qualified applicants, apparently to satisfy concerns that the agency needs a more diverse workforce. "We were told through the FAA, if you want to be a controller you need to go through one of our CTI-approved programs," said CTI graduate Ryan Meryhew. In the past, Ryan Meryhew would have been considered "highly qualified" for the FAA's air...

MCLEAN, Va. — A top official with the Federal Aviation Administration reassured the public on Wednesday that, despite the fear and paranoia of some, no armed drones will be permitted to fly in U.S. airspace. “We currently have rules in the books that deal with releasing anything from an aircraft, period. Those rules are in place and that would prohibit weapons from being installed on a civil aircraft,” said Jim Williams, head of the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office, in an address to the drone industry’s leading trade group meeting this week in Northern Virginia.

The federal government yesterday moved forward with a controversial proposal that would close weather offices at 20 regional air traffic control centers around the country and instead provide controllers with forecasts from two central units in Maryland and Missouri.

NEW YORK (CBS) ― An F-16 fighter jet trails a larger military aircraft over Lower Manhattan Monday, April 27, 2009, conducting a photo shoot that panicked thousands of New Yorkers who believed the city was in jeopardy for another terrorist attack. A furious President Barack Obama ordered an internal review of Monday's low-flying photo op over the Statue of Liberty. CBS 2 HD has discovered the feds will have plenty to question. Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and a 747 from the presidential fleet to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of...

The FAA knew letting a presidential jumbo jet and an F-16 fighter fly ominously near Ground Zero Monday might cause panic in the streets --but the White House still insisted the photo-op be kept classified, sources said yesterday. A cryptic, classified alert -- obtained by The Post yesterday -- written by James Johnston, a high-ranking Federal Aviation Administration official in Washington, predicted the fear and confusion. "Due to the possibility of public concern regarding DOD [Department of Defense] aircraft flying at low levels, coordination with federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies, emergency-operations centers and aviation units has been accomplished," the...

FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic Threatened Federal Sanctions Against NYPD, Secret Service, FBI & Mayor's Office If Secret Ever Got Out Furious Obama Apologizes: "It Will Never Happen Again" CBS News Interactive: Sept. 11 And Since Reporting Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ― An F-16 fighter jet trails a larger military aircraft over Lower Manhattan Monday, April 27, 2009, conducting a photo shoot that panicked thousands of New Yorkers who believed the city was in jeopardy for another terrorist attack. Dozens of people evacuated outside 17 State Street after military jets were seen escorting a 747...

An airliner and supersonic fighter jet zoomed past the lower Manhattan skyline in a flash just as the work day was beginning Monday. Within minutes, startled financial workers streamed out of their offices, fearing a nightmarish replay of Sept. 11. For a half-hour, the Boeing 747 and F-16 jet circled the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline near the World Trade Center site. Offices evacuated. Dispatchers were inundated with calls. Witnesses thought the planes were flying dangerously low. But the flyover was nothing but a photo op, apparently one of a series of flights to get pictures of...

Sen. Chuck Schumer echoed the mayor's sentiments in a separate news conference Monday afternoon, saying the Federal Aviation Administration should have notified the public to avoid panic.

Of course no one is taking responsibility for this. Who would want their name on this public relations fiasco? Following an astonishing decision to let a Boeing 747 buzz the Manhattan skyline this morning without informing the public, you get what you typically expect from government when a mistake is made: not my fault. 9/11 Bringing back memories of September 11 to New York City residents, entire buildings were evacuated after — what turned out to be one of President Obama’s planes — swooped low over the Statue of Liberty into lower Manhattan on Monday morning. The 747 was escorted...

Large commercial jet seen flying low over Hudson River, appeared to be accompanied by military jet.

A photo shoot involving a 747 used as Air Force One and two fighter jets flying at low altitude led to hundreds of frightened calls from residents and workers in Lower Manhattan this morning, triggering memories of 9-11 as many evacuated their offices... According to officials, the flight -- authorized by the FAA -- came in as low as 1000 feet to 150 feet above the city as it made a large circle over Manhattan, Staten Island, and New Jersey... Other officials noted that they were led to believe the flight would be limited to the area near the...

ONE of President Barack Obama's planes, escorted by two fighter jets, spread panic Monday flying low over New York, triggering office evacuations in the city still scarred by the 9/11 attacks. But the low-flying planes which buzzed parts of southern Manhattan and the Hudson River for about 30 minutes were just out for a Pentagon exercise. "The presidential airlift group conducted an aerial photo in the New York city area today,'' said US Air Force spokesman Major Richard Johnson. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called the maneuver a "photo op.'' "The Defence Department is conducting a photo op that involves...

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.

Whose idea was it to not inform the public when authorizing an extremely low-flying airliner to fly over the Hudson River near lower Manhattan? Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Air Force, New York State or city officials? Or perhaps a better question is, who had responsibility to inform the public, and who dropped the ball? The Wall Street Journal has posted some of the first video of the flight . . .

F-16s Escort A 747 From Air Force One Fleet Near Statue Of Liberty; Defense Dept. Says It Was Just Photo Op

White House Deflects Questions on NYC Plane Incident Susan Davis reports on the White House. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs offered little clarity on this morning’s incident in New York City in which Air Force One—escorted by a military jet—flew over Manhattan this morning for a photo op, prompting evacuations and other concerns. The president was not on board. (For more on the incident, read this Wall Street Journal story.) New York City police said the flight was authorized by the Federal Aviation Authority. The Air Force is directing media inquiries to the White House. But asked at the podium...

Obama's FAA and Air Force scare the s%!t out of New York office workers by flying Air Force One, escorted by an F-16, low over Manhattan in what was described by the the FAA as a "photo-op".

The Federal Aviation Administration is saying “not yet” on the proposed wind farm project for Nantucket Sound, issuing a “Notice of Presumed Hazard” Feb 13. “Initial findings of this study indicate that the structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities,” the FAA notice issued Feb. 13 reads. “Pending resolution of the issues described below, the structure is presumed to be a hazard to air navigation.” As a “presumed” hazard, Cape Wind will have the opportunity to show the project does not exceed FAA thresholds....

Although Duane Woerth, a former president of the Air Line Pilots Association, has long been considered a strong contender to take over as next FAA administrator, Senate aide Robert Herbert seems to be making headway, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Herbert is an advisor to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate majority leader, and specializes in transportation, defense and security issues. Woerth is backed by the AFL-CIO. Senator Reid has sent a letter to the Obama transition team expressing support for Herbert, according to the Post. Also, Herbert met last Thursday with Ray LaHood, on the same day he...