In response to the flyover of New York City, which was reportedly a photo op and an attempt to update photos of Air Force One near the Statue of Liberty, I have one word for you:
Photoshop.
Any one of the nice folks at Photoshop Disasters would be able to photoshop Air Force One in front of any national monument you choose. I am Photoshop-Stupid, and I could probably do it. In fact, I bet the nice folks at Adobe would do it for you for free if you asked nicely. Surely one of your highly-paid media reps would have been able to figure out the cutting and pasting.
This shouldn’t have been that difficult.
Love,
Me (because I’m having trouble not believing a random pilot went on a bender and thought this would be a good idea, and is now going to sober up at his leisure in a federal prison somewhere.)
I just can’t picture anyone with a straight face saying, “Let’s keep this top secret. No one will notice.”
Everyone knows that New Yorkers walk with their heads tucked down, staring at the pavement. The plane would have to be pretty low to be noticed under those circumstances. **eyeroll**
But what of the tourists who walk around staring straight up, slack-jawed?
All the aviation sites have summed it up with the following four words: “What were they thinking?”
I must confess to mild amusement. I can appreciate New Yorkers’ anxiety although that said… if someone means ill, by the time you spot the plane, it’s too late to do anything about it.
Depends where you are. I saw both planes hit, and ample people fleeing. I know one woman who fled the second building, and one man who was rescued from the first. Too late to stop it? Sure. Too late to get to New York’s omnipresent bomb shelter (aka the subway) not at all.
Scary story. A woman who worked on the 67th floor of the second tower was late to work because of morning sickness, and it was the only time in her entire pregnancy she experienced morning sickness.
This stunt just goes to show how insensitive the FAA and The Powers That Be are to the “little people” when they want to stage some kind of public relations event. The excuse was “they needed to update photos of Air Force One.”. Oh pleeeeeze. PhotoShop the photo-op!
I live 30 minutes from where the 4th plane went down in PA. You know, Flight 93. I guess I am a little sensitive to this issue. I go there often to pray for the dead and photograph the tokens left by visitors. I always leave in tears.
I totally understand the panic felt by the people in NYC.
Many people around the world feel trepidation when American planes fly low overhead. How nice that you were able to share the experience.