Forum: Air Force Life

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Ah, adult supervision.

Hardy-har-har

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what were we talking about?

Contrary to media reporting, the F-16s that escorted the VC-25 were from the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama ANG, based at Danelly Field in Montgomery. Some of the wing's F-16s are painted in a "red-tail" scheme to honor the Tuskegee Airmen.

http://www.almont.ang.af.mil/

And for what it's worth, a friend of mine at ACC HQ confired that the jets belong to the 187th, not the D.C. Guard. She was very quick to point out that the Vipers belong to the ANG, not ACC.

Beagle79 wrote:

The flyby was largely deemed as inappropriate and <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/obama-orders-review-of-ny-jet-flyover/?hp">an investigation is underway</a>.

With the nation keen-deep in two wars and our economy in a slump, what did USAF try to achieve via the photo-op?

Has anyone mentioned this yet? Fly overs by the Statue of Liberty are ROUTINE. T Birds, the NY ANG and SAM are just a few. This is more , the Obama Administration not knowing what to do and jumping into the now familiar panic mode rather than any failure to plan on the USAF's part.

SwampFox80 wrote:

what were we talking about?

Air Force Life
The F-16.net watering hole - this is the place the place to exchange stories, favourite aviation bar locations and military-grade cocktail recipies (sic)!

Margaritas?

OL

Does anyone else have pictures of someone flying over Lady Liberty?

Beer Margaritas

Cheers

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 fluid ounces tequila
12 fluid ounces water
12 fluid ounces beer
ice
1 lime, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS
Pour limeade, tequila, water, and beer into a large pitcher. Stir until well-blended, and limeade has melted. Add plenty of ice, and garnish with lime wedges. Adjust with additional water, if needed. Serves six.

Or just Parrothead.

"Shaka Zulu".

Nicely done.

Salute

OL

Thank you outlaw....want one?

Here's an AF One story that'll frost your pumpkin a tad--it frosted mine. In the summer of 2003 we in the VaANG were tasked to go up to the DCANG at Andrews and catch 18 of their jets coming back from OIF, download the Litening II pods and ship them to the next unit. DC's people were still deployed and they didn't have the manpower to do this task. We sent 8-10 people (including me) up there to do this. All went well with the first 12 jets. As I recall, they were a rainbow of six DC jets, six AL jets, and six CO jets.

By and by the last six jets enter the overhead from Moron AB and land. After a while, I noticed they'd been at EOR for a while. I looked around and here come the three Marine One helos carrying W to AAFB for some trip on AF One. Those poor bastards in those six Vipers who'd been in the cockpits in their jets for EIGHT HOURS already (not to mention they'd just fought in a war) had to sit at EOR for 45 minutes while the president departed.

I understand the need to shut down operations when AF1 comes around. I think it's pretty shitty of the 89th AW, the Secret Service, and the FAA to hold those six jets at EOR while W left. I also would bet a paycheck that old W had no clue that those jets were sitting there. I lost a bit of respect for the whole presidential aviation operation that day.

Although these types of flights have been flown countless times in the past, this really is nothing new. The only thing that apparently is new was the lack of proper communication within the New York City Police Department, FAA and the mayors Office. From what I read in the past couple of weeks, the White House had coordinated the event but for some reason, many folks controlling “operations and such events” in New York decided to keep the public quiet about this photo shoot.

Being from New York myself, I can understand that some folks are a bit “gun shy” about large aircraft (they did not recognize) flying around their city (after the events of 911). Maybe some are too sensitive (that might be justified, in any event, I do understand that on their behalf). However, the USAF is not at fault here, many opinions (including my own) come into play here but in a nutshell, a series of miss-communications took place, maybe some money was wasted but this is not a perfect world, things happen and many will always find fault with such events and people will be people (mistakes often made).

I think it is a lesson well learned by all involved and I feel certain, the next event will be published and widely known, I am willing to accept is was a comedy of minor errors blown out of proportion and fed upon by all involved (for both good and bad reasons).

In any event keeping the pictures “secret” does make me wonder, what the hell that is all about!

Oh well, time to press on....

maddog2840 wrote:

Does anyone else have pictures of someone flying over Lady Liberty?

You'd have a point had the Thunderchickens, Blues or a dude in a P-51 hit the WTC. Your average Ney Yorker can't tell and F-16 from and F-18, but they damned sure know a big-assed jumbo jet when they see one.

I'm just sayin'......

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_ ... ying_plane

From yahoo.news.

White House aide resigns over NYC flyover

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 32 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The White House official who authorized a $328,835 photo-op of Air Force One soaring above New York City resigned Friday just weeks after the flyover sparked panicked workers to rush into the streets and flashbacks to Sept. 11.

Louis Caldera said the controversy had "made it impossible for me to effectively lead the White House Military Office," which is responsible for presidential aircraft. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera wrote in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama.

An internal White House investigation found missed messages and portrayed an out-of-the-loop Caldera, clearly the administration's fall guy.

The former Army secretary in the Clinton administration said he didn't know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet during the April 27 photo shoot that had been planned for weeks. He also failed to read an e-mail message describing the operation and seemed unaware of the potential for public fear, according to the seven-page White House report.

Without an advance public notice the morning of April 27, the sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying near the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan's financial district terrified New Yorkers, reminding them of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which jets brought down the two towers of the World Trade Center.

Last month, Obama called the White House embarrassment a "mistake" and vowed it would not be repeated. Obama had no statement Friday; White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president had accepted Caldera's resignation.

Caldera's office approved the photo-op, which cost $35,000 in fuel alone for the plane and two jet fighter escorts. The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835.

White House officials said the purpose of the flight was to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard. In releasing its report and the resignation letter, the White House also released a photo of the blue-and-white plane high above the Statue of Liberty, with New Jersey in the background.

The White House report, which did not address officials' conduct outside the White House, portrayed Caldera as deaf to concerns. After the flight, Caldera met with top administration officials and was asked if the White House had been notified. "The director responded yes, someone had mentioned it to him," according to the report.

Later in the meeting, a White House official presented Caldera a letter accepting responsibility. He made some edits and took responsibility because he thought it was the "stand-up thing to do."

The White House report also indicated the operation was packed with potential opportunities for administration officials to call it off.

Deputy military director George Mulligan said he first told Caldera about the proposed photo shoot on April 20 — a week before it was scheduled to take place. The same aide also said Caldera should notify deputy chief of staff Jim Messina because it was an unusual move.

Caldera told officials he didn't recall the conversation. Ultimately, Caldera didn't tell Messina or Gibbs. "When asked why he failed to do so, he did not offer a coherent explanation," according to the report.

Caldera also told officials that he didn't read an e-mail detailing the flyover plans until it was over. Mulligan, Caldera's second-in-command, sent him an e-mail message on April 24 advising him again to tell Messina and Gibbs about the photo shoot.

Caldera said he hadn't seen the e-mail because he has two official accounts. He also said he was suffering from severe muscle aches and had been prescribed pain medication.

The FAA told local officials in advance of the flight, but asked them not to disclose it to the public. The White House report says that ultimately statements about the flight were prepared for the FAA's New York regional office and for the Air Force in Washington to release if anyone called to ask about the flight.

The report said Mulligan believed "the breakdown was the lack of public notification." Col. Scott Turner, head of the White House military office's presidential airlift group, said "the FAA had taken the lead on public affairs and coordination," according to the report.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown declined to comment.

Friday's release is hardly the end of the matter for the White House. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a review at the Pentagon; the Air Force is conducting its own review as well.

In a May 5 letter to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Gates apologized for the incident, saying "we deeply regret the anxiety and alarm that resulted from this mission."

McCain posted the letter on his Web site Friday.

"I am concerned that this highly public and visible mission did not include an appropriate review and approval by senior Air Force and (Department of Defense) officials," Gates wrote.

Gibbs said Obama has ordered a review of how the White House Military Office is set up, and how it reports to the White House and the Air Force.

That review, to be conducted by Messina and Gates, will also offer recommendations to Obama designed to ensure that such an incident will not happen again, Gibbs said.

When Obama appointed Caldera to the job during the presidential transition, the then president-elect said: "I know he'll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post."

Caldera's resignation takes effect May 22, but he is done at the White House Military Office. He said he will use the two weeks of his employment to complete the necessary steps to leave the White House.

Associated Press Writer Michael J. Sniffen contributed to this report.

I guess with a little public/media pressure, we do get to see the photos.

They better get lots of copies made so that they don't waste the $300K+ "we" spent Laughing

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

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They better get lots of copies made so that they don't waste the $300K+ "we" spent Laughing

At least it's a good picture--but isn't that Jersey?--doesn't seem to have enough skyscrapers to qualify as Manhattan--You'd THINK they'd want a picture with the -25. Lady Liberty, and the WTC site all in the same pic.

And couldn't they have scheduled it on a CLEAR day? If Lady Liberty wasn't in the pic, I'd say that was Beijing. (all the smog)

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Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

Just not so low over NYC next time w/o warning... Cheers

Forum: Air Force Life

NYC fly over photo-op