Posted on 04/27/2009 7:30:01 AM PDT by LottieDah
FAA says low-flying plane over Staten Island is 'pre-planned' flight to take photos by Staten Island Advance Monday April 27, 2009, 10:03 AM
A plane, that appears to be a commercial jet tailed by fighter jets, is a "pre-planned" military flight taking photos of the Statue of Liberty, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Reports indicate it may be Air Force One.
"It is pre-planned, pre-coordinated with everyone involved," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. "It's a military flight over New York to take photos."
Peters, who stressed it is not an emergency, said the flight is circling the Statue of Liberty and New York City to take photos.
Peters said city officials as well as state government agencies in New York and New Jersey were briefed on the flight in advance.
Just got this from an F-16 pilot I know..
“I’m assuming they used 2-seat F-16’s and put a photographer in the back seat. We used to do that all the time at Edwards to take both still shots and videos of some of the flight tests we did. We even had a career field for professional airborne photographers.”
So it appears that they could have used Hand Held cameras from the F-16, but they would have to be 2 seater versions, something that should be verifiable from the videos that were shot.
The other point is that the military does a LOT of airborne photography, missile tests, flight tests, etc. So they would be more than likely to keep the job “in house” since they have professional aviation photographers.
That is exactly what I thought. Who in the SAM hell allowed that? And why weren't fighter jets scrambled ASAP?
My common sense has stood me well in making accurate appraisals. For example, it told me in the early days of the primaries, when most here were certain that Hillary would be the nominee, that indeed Hillary was far from guaranteed. I warned folks not to fall for the "Hillary" bogeyman, and I was proven right. My common sense told me in the early breaking hours of the Cptn. Phillips rescue, when FReepers totally bought news reports that he'd jumped a second time and thereby initiated the rescue, was bogus -- and I was right.
My common sense tells me now that the "photo op" angle is a ruse, and I bet I'm right about that, too, though it may be a long time or maybe never that we find out the truth. But common sense says this is bogus: why prohibit it from being announced in advance, when people would have welcomed the sight? The pres wasn't on board and therefore it was no threat to national security to announce it. Why the close flybys as seen in bystander videos? Why the timing on a workday Monday morning? Why only fighter escorts, and no reassuring photog planes? Why do it when the skies are hazy?
As I've said, I don't have any ideas as to what it WAS, only what it wasn't. However, two things come to mind. 1: It couldn't be announced in advance because it entailed something secret, or 2. It couldn't be announced in advance because no one knew it was going to happen -- that something really screwy and scary happened and there was a royal hustle to cover ass entailing a lame "photo op" scenario.
So much for the test of the new Air Force One cloaking device.
...I believe you are on the right track, and the fighter 'escorts' weren't just escorts, they were up there to make sure the irrational idiot who ordered the flight was brought back to land - I would love to hear the communication between the fighters and the aircraft.
BBTTT.
Exactly. They chose the approximate time of day that the WTC towers were coming down, on a blue-skied day, over the financial district. They practically reconstructed 9-11.
To terrify and control New York.
Obama must be impeached.
You are right. This action was psychopathic and sadistic.
An “apology” is not enough.
Heads should roll.
I’d love to see 0 impeached. There’s that tricky little thing with the current crop in the House though...Argh! The only hope we have is a turnover in 2010. Until then, it’s BOHICA everyday it seems.
I'll tell you what, I'll put my 28 years in the USAF (4 with F-16s) and personal work with Combat Camera folks against your knowledgeable "someone" any day.
Thought I’d give you a little info on this. I don’t have the inner workings of the white house down, but I will tell you there was a government agency on a boat in the harbor taking pictures. So....the event was planned, apparently the NYPD didn’t tell anyone about it. I’m not so sure they were forbidden to...they often keep all info to themselves, even when they should be sharing it.
Obama is in full campaign mode still and will be for the next 4 yrs. Heck, he’s buying up the unions with the bailout.
Obama sending a signal to his “homies” that flying planes over NYC is cool.
and how fn crass and thoughtless of him. I s he toying with the mindset of New Yorkers?
LOL!
I like the way you think.
Narcissist-in-chief jealous of true-hero Captain Sully.
“Absolutely tone deaf. Wow.”
BUT BUT!! I thought we got Obama because he has better “judgement” than W!!!
I thought it was time to bring back thoughtful leadership into DC!
And Obama is brilliant! And he’s kind, and he will heal our souls.....LOL!
Gibbs contempt for Americans is astounding. We are expected to believe the White House was "unaware" of the flyover plan. Barbarino-Gibbs does not know that a lot of high-level people have to sign-off in order to take an Air Force plane on a joyride around Manhattan?
Did fall guy Louis Caldera---- Director of the White House Military office----- dupe other high officials to pulloff this stunt? Did Caldera forge official documents to get the OK?
Why was this done in the first place? Probably for a propaganda piece on our "fearless leader"---Obama----to build up his bona fides around the world.
The Obama admin evidences a stunning incompetence------the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
“Its probably a propaganda film about Obama landing Air Force One in the Hudson and saving everyone aboard.”
Obama could probably get away with that. The population is well trained in “reality control”.
He can mock Americans as much as he wants. Almost half are too dumb to realize it.
Probably testing the residents of NYC in order to gauge the right time to help kill them. There was a time that this would sound like overreaching. At this point, I wouldn’t hold anything past the great Zero.
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