Air Force One Photo-Op Scares the Crap Out of Manhattan

Good one, FAA. Thousands of workers in Lower Manhattan today went into total panic when a Boeing 747 presidential aircraft— officially known by the call sign Air Force One, when President Obama is actually on board—flew low over New York harbor this morning. The massive blue and white plane, escorted by a pair of fighter jets, was apparently circling Lower Manhattan so that Air Force photogs could get pictures of Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty. The Staten Island Advance has posted several photos here, while the Wall Street Journal has some eerie video posted here, showing how the plane took almost the same flight path as those hijacked jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Yikes. Although the Federal Aviation Administration says it made local and state authorities aware of the photo-op, no one bothered to tell the public. In fact, the NYPD claims the FAA specifically asked for the mission to be kept secret—so secret that even New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he didn’t know about it, which he’s not exactly pleased about. "I'm annoyed--furious is a better word," Bloomberg said, telling reporters that he would have gone to White House to make the info public had he known.

Now the finger-pointing has begun. The FAA is directing questions to the Air Force, who is in turn directing questions to the White House. The only problem: The White House apparently doesn’t know anything either. Asked at the press briefing this afternoon if the White House owes the citizens of New York City an apology, Gibbs said he’d seen some news reports but knew zilch about it. He’s checking with the White House military office, which helps plan Air Force One logistics for details. We’ll bet that the White House is fielding some tense phone calls this afternoon from New York lawmakers. Sen. Chuck Schumer is trashing incompetence at the FAA for the flub. “This was a photo shoot. There was no need for surprise,” Schumer told reporters this afternoon. “There was no need to scare thousand of New Yorkers who still have the vivid memory of 9/11.”

***UPDATE***: The White House is sorry. Here's a statement just sent out from the press office:

Statement from Louis Caldera, Director White House Military Office, on Air Force One flight over New York

“Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it’s clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.”