Lady Liberty a No-Fly Zone For July 4th

Low-flying aircraft have been banned from the area around the Statue of Liberty to guard against a Fourth of July terrorist attack, federal officials said yesterday.

The temporary airspace restrictions — which also apply to Gateway Arch in St. Louis and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota — were enacted at the request of the National Park Service. The agency worries that holiday crowds will be inviting targets for terrorists.

"Basically, all flying is banned within a short distance of these locations," said William Shumann, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Statue of Liberty restriction — which bars aircraft flying under 1,500 feet from coming within about 1 mile of Lady Liberty's torch — went into effect Tuesday and will last until at least Sept. 30, Shumann said.

Pilots who enter the restricted areas face penalties ranging from a letter of reprimand to license revocation.

Park Service spokesman David Barna insisted that the request for the no-fly zones was not the result of new terrorism threats.

But police recently detained two security employees at Iran's United Nations mission after they were seen casing the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and entrances to tunnels leading into Manhattan.

The two men — who have diplomatic immunity — were not arrested. But U.S. officials plan to expel them from the country, ABC News reported last night.

Officials also told ABC that the Pentagon will dramatically increase its combat air patrols above about a dozen U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, during the Independence Day holiday.

John Kjekstad, president of Air/Helicopter Tours in Manhattan, said he's bracing for a 10% to 30% drop in business because of the ban.

"The Statue of Liberty is one of our major attractions," Kjekstad said. "We used to take them right up next to it, about 500 feet. Now we have to take them a mile. That makes a difference, especially when you're taking pictures."

The Mount Rushmore rule bars aircraft flying under 10,000 feet from coming within 4 miles of the landmark. It takes effect at midnight Wednesday and lasts until Thursday.

Planes and helicopters flying lower than 3,000 feet will be barred from flying within 3.4 miles of Gateway Arch on July 4.

Shumann said the FAA would consider similar bans for such landmarks as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge or Seattle's Space Needle if asked by local officials.

Meanwhile, a 2-mile radius ban around Ground Zero for aircraft flying under 8,000 feet was lifted Tuesday "because the recovery operations were finished," Shumann said.

Okay, the Statue of Liberty and Mt. Rushmore, I can understand the threat.

But the arch in St. Louis doesn't seem to me to be a "national landmark."

What am I missing that makes the arch a target?

I really don't think the arch is a target. But these things kinda get carried away. I guess they are figuring any place that has alot of tourists. I still think that Washington and New York are prime targets and I don't think they are going to hit a monument in either city. Washginton will probably be federal buildings and New York will probably be Wall Street. You gotta remember Creepy Bin Laden is after our economy. He wants the "Rich" United States to be distroyed. I think this monument stuff is a big bluff on their part.

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