Staged Flyover Stirs Curiosity, F-16 Fighters, Promotional Photo Shoot

[diamond14]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54923-2004Apr6.html

Staged Flyover Stirs Curiosity
F-16 Fighters Part of Promotional Photo Shoot
By Liz Seymour
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 6, 2004; 6:46 PM


Some of the tourists and office workers enjoying a sunny lunchtime in Washington today were startled to see two fighter jets flying escort-style near two passenger planes, but it turned out to be an aerial photo shoot staged by the D.C. Air National Guard.

William Shumann, an FAA spokesman, confirmed that the flight and photo shoot was coordinated in advance and received permission for five passes in the vicinity of the Mall.

Washington, crowded with tourists who have come for the annual cherry blossom festival or to visit the monuments, is across the Potomac River from the Pentagon, where a passenger jet piloted by terrorists crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

... Mary Lou Gordon, who like many was unaware of the Guard unit's plans, looked out her office window on Connecticut and M streets NW and worried about seeing fighter jets. "You'd think if they were gonna do something like this, they would let people know," said Gordon, who works for a consulting firm. "This is just really weird."

WTOP Radio received about 100 telephone calls and 30 e-mails between noon and 12:15 from listeners wondering what was going on....


(note: part of the bush* minions 'reign of terror and fear', here in OUR Nation's Capital...)

[jimshoes]

1. Sounds like a cover story

and a pretty lame one. Or they might be telling the truth. Hard to tell these days. :shrug:

[Cooley Hurd]

2. But did they HAVE to include a 737????

Was this an aerial display or fucking Psy-ops??? :grr:

[yella_dawg]

3. Backdrop footage

for the next round of Shrub campaign ads.

[rabbit2484]

10. Maybe Dick came out of hiding

to dress up like GI Joe and play co-pilot for a day.

[Earth_First]

4. Need to know basis...

and the public doesnt NEED to know.

[PragMantisT]

5. Was Saddam Hussein on the 737?

They have removed him from Iraq. He has to be somewhere. Why rule a desert country when you can live in peace and prosperity in the US when you got friends like Rummy.

[Eye and Monkey]

6. I suppose that they've never heard of PhotoShop.

It's a whole lot less expensive than a real flyover. And alot less worrisome to the general public.

[rabbit2484]

7. Another 9/11 plug

to remind us of what will happen if we don't get those terrorists. Whatever!

[kysrsoze]

8. Get used to it.

I'm sure there will be more episodes like this.

[NeoConsSuck]

9. It was a promotion to RECRUIT

maybe they should also come up with a cute slogan: "Come fly with us, come die with us."

From CNN:

Local radio and television stations reported getting worried calls from residents asking about the jets, which were part of a military publicity and recruitment campaign.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/04/06/dc.flyover/index.html.

[leesa]

11. So WHERE were they on 9-11? Who ordered them to stand down?

If I were them, I wouldn't make the contrast between fact and fiction so obvious.

[nodehopper]

12. It's like when they did a "victory flyover" over manhattan

Last year. Everyone freaked, obviously, because there were planes flying extremely close to the skyscrapers. People called 9/11. Even Bloomberg ripped the FCC a new one.

They just don't care about what harm they do.

Anything for a photo-op.

[NaderIsMyHero]

13. This is outregeous....in these times,not to notify the public

before hand is absolutely irresponsible....but of course no one will be fired....will cite security conserns...like some one else already mentioned, this could have been done using computer similation.