This really is the most extraordinary cock-up. The Pentagon takes Air Force One for an unannounced zip around downtown New York, scaring the hell out of New Yorkers. People run screaming out of buildings, and even the markets take a dip. All for a 'photo opportunity'. The mayor is on the war path. Bloomy versus Gates? Tough call.
In Jersey City, construction workers were evacuated from a condominium tower under construction at 77 Hudson Street.
The workers, who were on the 32nd floor of the construction site, said the plane circled three times past the Goldman Sachs tower, the tallest building in New Jersey. On the second pass, they said, the jet appeared to be only a few dozen feet from the building — close enough to clip the side of the skyscraper. A fighter followed right behind, mirroring its moves.
The construction site as were other buildings in downtown Jersey City, including offices in the Exchange Place financial complex.
Carlina Rivera, 25, who works at an educational services company on the 22nd floor of 1 Liberty Plaza, said her co-workers were spooked in part because their offices are so close to the site of the 9/11 attack. “As soon as someone saw how close it got to the buildings, people literally ran out,” she said. “Probably about 80 percent of my office left within two minutes of seeing how close it got to our building.”
It's amazing how much inaccuracy is in this post.
-"extraordinary cock-up" - Not according to Federal Aviation Regulations.
-"Air Force One" - No, it was not "Air Force One", not in any way. Do real research and you'll find out real facts. "Air Force One" is a call-sign, it applies to any US Air Force aircraft which has the President on board. President Obama was NOT on board.
-"the jet appeared to be only a few dozen feet from the building — close enough to clip the side of the skyscraper. " - I don't even know where to begin here. One thing is for sure, the witness appears to have a depth perception problem. Has the witness ever been under a 747? Does the witness have one eyeball? The witness obviously can't tell the difference between 2000+ft and 20ft.
-"The construction site as were other buildings in downtown Jersey City, including offices in the Exchange Place financial complex. " - Huh? Well said.
Don't get me wrong, there should have been more public notice, but throwing around baseless comments doesn't help in a world full of sensationalist media.
Posted by: eh, no one | May 03, 2009 at 07:56 AM