This morning, the backup VC-25 (military version of the Boeing 747) for presidential use (during which it has the call-sign Air Force One) flew unusually low over the Hudson River and lower Manhattan being trailed by an F-16 fighter jet, causing fear in and even evacuation from nearby buildings and neighborhoods. One has to ask: what in Heaven's name was the Air Force thinking?
According to the AP, the flight was "part of a government photo opportunity and training mission." The AP further reported,
The Federal Aviation Administration said it notified city law enforcement about the mission.
The NYPD said the flight "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 all inquiries to the FAA."
Local cable news station NY1 has images, and the Wall Street Journal Web site has video, and it certainly resembles in some frightening ways the images of 9/11. Some agencies claim others were notified, but in any event, the public was not given warning.
Of course, the wingnuts are out in force on the WSJ message board and elsewhere, but setting those folks aside (as I gladly do), it still seems just dumb to do something like this, and I would hope that Air Force quickly and effectively offers apologies to the folks in Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the river for this stunt. {ProfJonathan}