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Air Force One Flyby Causes Brief Panic In NYC

pdclarry writes "A Boeing 747 that serves as an Air Force One backup and two F-16 fighters escorting it caused a brief panic among office workers at the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan this morning, as large numbers evacuated the buildings. The incident was also spurred evacuations in Jersey City across the Hudson River from Manhattan."

29 of 898 comments (clear)

  1. Look Boss by Phoenixhawk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Da Plane, Da Plane...

  2. Interesting by FredFredrickson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I won't lie, I irrationally freak out every time I see a plane flying low. Although it's never anything- just some sight-seeing tourist plane. Still freaks me out. I don't live in the city though, I live in central NH. I can imagine why it freaks out New Yorkers. So before everybody goes on the whole "everybody's just over-reacting" thing, why don't we instead consider other options:

    -Building tall buildings underground, instead of above.
    -Requiring high altitudes for all planes, military or civilian, and producing auto-shoot auto-aim turrets around the ciy with no warning shots.
    - Include parashoots as standard emergency materials for skyscrapers?

    --
    Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
    1. Re:Interesting by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 4, Funny

      -Building tall buildings underground, instead of above.

      Great idea, then everyone can be basement dwellers.

      (chants) One of us! One of us!

      --
      Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
    2. Re:Interesting by FredFredrickson · · Score: 2, Funny

      I forgot the IRONY tags. My bad.

      --
      Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
  3. Re:We are a bunch by nametaken · · Score: 5, Funny

    Alert. Unafraid citizen. Sanitize... SANITIZE!

  4. Re:We are a bunch by s0litaire · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe it was a plan to stimulate the cleaning, underwear and toilet paper industries... I'm sure there will be a load of undies needing cleaned tonight.....

    --
    Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
  5. Re:Wow.... by Nimey · · Score: 5, Funny

    I fear authoritarians, opportunistic politicians, and bad financial planning. Also stupid people.

    Since this is Slashdot, sometimes I fear reading the article.

    --
    Hail Eris, full of mischief...

    E pluribus sanguinem
  6. Performance art by Nimey · · Score: 3, Funny

    This was performance art by the Obama administration, the better to show people what paranoid idiots they are.

    --
    Hail Eris, full of mischief...

    E pluribus sanguinem
  7. Re:Wow.... by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's pretty terrible that we as a nation are this scared by such events.

          Yes, everyone knows that the real threat is from Mooninites attempting to blow up highway overpasses around Boston...

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  8. Re:We are a bunch by Entropy98 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe some of those people just wanted some extra time off with pay!

  9. Re:We are a bunch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's one of the first weeks of 80+ degree weather in New York. Everyone just needed an excuse to go outside. End of story.

  10. Re:What an irresponsible move! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This reminds me of how an obscure book about hitchhiking in the galaxy began...

  11. Re:We are a bunch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The last time a jetliner flew very low, didn't it end up in the Hudson? Didn't ferry service stop immediately?

  12. Re:We are a bunch by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 3, Funny

    Next time that shit happens, I'm first in line at the ferry (excepting the elderly, the very young, and the preggers).

    Note to self:

    Bribe someone to do a flyby.
    Target the ferry.

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    Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
  13. Re:We are a bunch by Red+Flayer · · Score: 4, Funny

    The last time a jetliner flew very low, didn't it end up in the Hudson? Didn't ferry service stop immediately?

    Aw crap. Forgot about that one.

    s/last time/second-to-last time

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  14. Re:We are a bunch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I'd like to stimulate her pussy if you know what I mean!

  15. Re:Wow.... by tompaulco · · Score: 4, Funny

    Statiscially speaking you're just as likely to be eaten by a shark while in a tall building.
    2500 people have been eaten by sharks while in a tall building? Do you have a source for that?

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  16. Re:We are a bunch by White+Yeti · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's hard to imagine myself in that situation, but I think my first thought be "Even the military is afraid of that jet." It might not make sense in retrospect, but there it is. Some hardened types would trust the fighter escort for cues, others wouldn't.

  17. Re:Wow.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    . . . and snakes -- don't forget the snakes!

  18. Re:Wow.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    By the time you can tell that it is/isn't Air Force One, it's probably too late.

    They should paint the following on all airplanes:
    If you can read this, you are next to 64,000 gallons of jet fuel.

  19. Re:We are a bunch by Nutria · · Score: 4, Funny

    747s don't fly at that altitude, in circles, around lower Manhattan. Ever.

    Evidence shows, though, that it does happen.

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  20. Re:We are a bunch by brainproxy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Obviously text messages are harder to send than voice calls, otherwise why would my phone company charge me $0.10 per message?

  21. Re:We are a bunch by X0563511 · · Score: 5, Funny

    F-16s, not F-15s. Why does this matter so much?

    We've sold F-16s to just about everyone. There's no guarantee they are ours.

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  22. Re:We are a bunch by AaxelB · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's like when you walk into a Tube station and see ten of the Met's finest standing there. In theory you ought to feel safer, but in practice you wonder what's happening that you don't know about.

    See, I had this image of a bunch of guys dressed like the Three Tenors standing around in a subway, and couldn't figure out why that would make someone feel safe...

    I guess the Met makes more sense than the Met.

  23. Re:We are a bunch by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Couldn't you have walked?

    A ferry is a boat, it's used to cross water.

    Last time I checked, I wasn't Jesus, so I don't think I could have walked home. :)

    FYI, the tunnels were closed too, and I'd have needed to walk about 20 miles out of my way to cross using a bridge.

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  24. Re:We are a bunch by morcego · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ok, so you have seconds to react.
    I can only imagine one single way for you to evacuate a building in seconds. And I don't think you would survive it.

    --
    morcego
  25. Re:We are a bunch by interkin3tic · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're still more likely to be eaten by a shark than you are to die in another plane crashing into a building.

    My god, you're right, sharks could crash planes into buildings and then eat us!

  26. Land of the Brave... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Brave Sir Robin, that is...

    "When danger reared its ugly head,
    He bravely turned around and fled,
    Brave, brave brave, brave Sir Robin"

  27. Re:Wow.... by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 2, Funny

    WTF? How quickly people forget! The 747 was the plane Saddam Hussein was piloting.

    --
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