New Yorkers Just 'Plane' Panicked After Fighter Jet Photo Shoot
How far would you go to get the perfect shot?
Sounds like the tag line for Beyoncé's next trashy thriller, but it's a question the U.S. Department of Defense ought to be asking itself after scaring the pants off regularly unflappable New Yorkers this morning in search of the perfect photo.
Local news channels and social media were flooded with reports of a low-flying plane over the Hudson that approached the World Financial Center and flew around the Statue of Liberty and causing evacuations in the Financial District and near the PATH train in Jersey City. Witnesses reported spotting a commercial jet being followed by a few fighter jets around 10AM.
Turns out the FAA authorized the plane, a 747 look-alike of Air Force One, to fly low for a photo opportunity (President Obama was not on board at the time, being at home in Washington for the day.) An FAA spokesperson described the flight as "pre-coordinated with everyone involved," which is definitely news to the thousands of New Yorkers who didn't hear about it before it happened.
It takes a lot to rattle Big Apple residents, but after January's heroic Hudson landing residents are on high alert for unusual plane activity. According to the New York Times, local business were notified of the flyover -- just not civilians who might be near or in those buildings. In the words of @StrictlyCircus: "Military planes & a Boeing over NYC & expect no one to freak?" Jaunted's own JetSetCD reported a fighter jet followed by a plane and more jets, got out the binoculars for Obama and was inevitably disappointed.
Related Stories:
· Low-Flying Plane Over Manhattan Was a 'Photo Op' [WSJ]
· Military Jets Flying Over NYC Part Of Photo Shoot [WCBS]
[Photo: Yumi Nishiyama, submitted to WSJ]
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