# You idiots buzzed WHAT in NYC? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 28, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585 "2009-04-28T03:26:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/141 "2009-04-29T03:20:30Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > \ > > No, it’s not “ordinary”. Yes, I have lived in places where B-52 bombers and fighter jets flew over at low altitudes. None of them were painted like AF1, though. > > Here’s the thing. You can claim it’s fine to panic, and I can claim it’s a silly response because it’s irrational to panic about such a tiny event. I’m not going to change my mind, and I suspect neither are you. > > But hey, that’s ok. It’s still a tempest in a teapot, though. I don’t think anyone was actually panicking, though. Some buildings evacuated; people didn’t flee the city. I really think it was more of an ‘Oh _shit_, what’s going on _now_?’ type of reaction than an ‘ohgodohgodohgodrunnnnnn!!’ reaction. At the risk of sounding like an absolute tool for even bringing it up, I have a friend now living in Manhattan who was _seriously_ unamused by yesterday’s photo op. Panicked, no, but significantly displeased. Her mom worked on one of the top floors of the north WTC tower. When my friend was sixteen she spent about twelve hours not knowing if her mother had just gotten to her desk and then gotten hit by a plane. Mom, it turned out, was waiting for an elevator in the lobby and escaped with a sprained ankle. Friend, quite understandably, found that day rather traumatic, and thus did not feel terribly comforted by the aesthetic similarities presented yesterday. And seriously - fine, do a damn photoshoot if you must, but _tell people_ in advance, for fuck’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/142 "2009-04-29T03:45:06Z")
> [@](#): > > As it is I am probably going to Canada > [@](#): > > Please don’t. Fair’s fair, you guys lost the coin toss. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/143 "2009-04-29T04:55:44Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And seriously - fine, do a damn photoshoot if you must, but _tell people_ in advance, for fuck’s sake. The secrecy decree I am not getting. If this were a photo-op and you wanted spontaneity: At 5AM on monday morning telix/fax/email/dial-up the radio and tv outlets in the tri-state and tell them Air Force One (not really without The President aboard) will be circling around New York Harbor, nigh to the Statue of Liberty. Oh, and followed by F-16’s. { With super-hi-res trillion pixel cameras that can resolve your molecules SSSSH } So when can we see those photos? There’ll be nobody waving from the crown (I assume) as Lady Liberty is closed. After 9-11. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/144 "2009-04-29T05:33:09Z")
> [@Joey\_Tightlips](#): > > A few years ago we had a jet buzz Richmond at supersonic speed, evidently to hype some show (already a dumb idea). I don’t know whether they had approval from the city or not, but the general working population had no idea it was coming. It’s the middle of the work day and I’m half asleep staring at spreadsheets on my computer (okay, maybe I was reading the Dope). All of a sudden the building starts shaking, there is a sudden huge gust of wind and sonic boom, which stands as the deepest, loudest sound I’ve ever heard. People were scared out of their minds. We quickly figured out what happened, but discussing it with co-workers afterwards, we all were thinking at the time it was some kind of bomb. Even though we didn’t evacuate buildings or anything, nobody could concentrate on work for the rest of the day. I did read the whole post, and I want a cite that it was supersonic. AFAIK, no aircraft are permitted to fly supersonic over populated areas of the US for any reason. I suspect that the plane in question may have been one of the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, or some other jet team, rehearsing for or promoting an airshow. It might have been unexpected and honking loud, but I’m 99.9% sure that there has been no sonic boom over Richmond, VA, in the past few years. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/145 "2009-04-29T05:41:51Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > And can’t we all focus a bit more on the fact that this is the most hilarious news story of the year so far? Cock-ups on this scale don’t come along very often, we should cherish them. Hear, hear. I’m thinking of this right now (watch the video – even though Snopes calls it false, it still comes to my mind). > **[Is 'The Front Fell Off' Video Real?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-front-fell-off/)** > > Video clip shows an Australian politician being interviewed about an oil tanker spill? Oh, I’m also thinking of the Far Side now, too, thanks to BrainGlutton. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/146 "2009-04-29T06:00:45Z")
I just have one thing to ask: Haven’t these assholes heard of Photoshop? “Photo op” my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/147 "2009-04-29T07:14:34Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I just have one thing to ask: > > Haven’t these assholes heard of Photoshop? > > “Photo op” my ass. Maybe they wanted a backdrop of people running for their lives ? It’s a strong international message, after all : “Don’t fuck with Obama. He scares even New Yorkers shitless !” 😃 > [@](#): > > I did read the whole post, and I want a cite that it was supersonic. AFAIK, no aircraft are permitted to fly supersonic over populated areas of the US for any reason. I suspect that the plane in question may have been one of the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, or some other jet team, rehearsing for or promoting an airshow. It might have been unexpected and honking loud, but I’m 99.9% sure that there has been no sonic boom over Richmond, VA, in the past few years. I’m kind of skeptical as well. Wouldn’t a supersonic, low-flying aircraft bust every window along its path ? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/148 "2009-04-29T09:02:21Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > A 9/11 style attack won’t happen again, because the only reason it worked the first time was surprise. You might even say it would be… _surprising_… if it worked again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/149 "2009-04-29T10:38:31Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I did read the whole post, and I want a cite that it was supersonic. AFAIK, no aircraft are permitted to fly supersonic over populated areas of the US for any reason. As a general rule, no, supersonic flight is not allowed over inhabited areas. You can apply for a waiver, but you need explain your reasons for making the boom. Flight involving supersonic booms is done over sparsely or non-inhabited areas and, at least for civilians, requires advance permission from the authorities. (The military has airspace where they can pretty much do what they want and that where they do testing and training.) The exception would be _emergencies_ - presumably if the nation was under attack the military would go supersonic if that was required to deal with the problem. Oh, and the space shuttle does generate a boom when landing until is slows down under the speed of sound. They try to arrange a flight path to minimize the impact on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/150 "2009-04-29T11:28:51Z")
Anyone want to contribute to the Angry Wanker emigration fund? I will donate 20 minutes of my salary to putting him on a plane to… sorry Canada, you don’t get the benefit. Let’s send him to Tristan da Cunha. I agree, btw, about the chavs, political correctness, government intrusion, etc. over here. Just not that we’re “fucked”. Relatively speaking, we’re still just about OK, and these are but annoyances. BTW I used to live in Farnborough, and at the time of the annual RAF Airshow we got all sorts of mad crap going on - USAF Tomcats going over about 200 feet above - noisy as shit - and some kind of supersonic bastards too a bit higher up - bloody loud, but no windows smashed to my knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_Tightlips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Joey\_Tightlips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_Tightlips)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/151 "2009-04-29T12:18:42Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I did read the whole post, and I want a cite that it was supersonic. AFAIK, no aircraft are permitted to fly supersonic over populated areas of the US for any reason. I suspect that the plane in question may have been one of the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, or some other jet team, rehearsing for or promoting an airshow. It might have been unexpected and honking loud, but I’m 99.9% sure that there has been no sonic boom over Richmond, VA, in the past few years. Unlike certain others in this thread I am perfectly willing to admit I have no cite and may be entirely wrong about the plane in my anecdote being supersonic. I remember it being a sound unlike anything I’d ever heard, and afterwards two guys on my floor who are aviation nuts saying it had to be supersonic (they go to air shows and seem to know their stuff so I had no reason to doubt them). I did take a look for a cite of the incident just for my own information, but I suspect even if it did make the news it’s gone now. It definitely wasn’t in the past few years, probably 2000 or 2001 (pre- 9/11). Sorry for the hijack, my only point was that planes buzzing cities is scary and moronic regardless of location/speed/reason. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_Tightlips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Joey\_Tightlips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_Tightlips)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/152 "2009-04-29T13:18:19Z")
I was way off on the year, but I found a [blog](http://vimaln.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_vimaln_archive.html) that has some more info. This was definitely the incident I remember. Damn you Carrot Top!! > [@](#): > > Wednesday, October 27, 2004 > The jet thunder over Richmond yesterday afternoon was comedian Carrot Top in an F-16 fighter jet. Carrot Top, who was performing last night in Richmond, took an afternoon “familiarization flight” with a Virginia Air National Guard pilot, said 1st Lt. Mark Widener, a Guard spokesman. > The noise startled a number of Richmonders as the jet passed swiftly over the city about 2:15 p.m. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/153 "2009-04-29T13:26:01Z")
It’s entirely possible that the phrase “comedian Carrot Top in an F-16 fighter jet” is one of the most frightening things I have ever read in my life. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/154 "2009-04-29T14:59:51Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > As a general rule, no, supersonic flight is not allowed over inhabited areas. [snip] Thanks for the more authoritative post, **Broomstick**. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/155 "2009-04-29T15:03:34Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > Yes, impossible is the wrong word. Impractical is a better word. > > For example, certainly here the flight deck door is usually open before rollback, which certainly has the aircraft in a position for someone to go in and get it into the air - reverse thrust from gate, wander to runway and in 2 minutes flying time from LCY Big Ben is toast\* - how I’d do it if I were an Islamic extremist - but the fact is that these hijacks are going to be far harder than pre 9/11. > > Much better idea to go, Spanish Inquisition style, where no one expects you… > > \*I’m aware most a/c that use LCY don’t actually have reverse thrust, but then they can turn from where they’re parked. I’m using dramatic licence etc True, I guess. When one target is “hardened”, that sometimes means attention has lapsed somewhere else. There are so many potential targets, so many ways to “deliver” a bomb or poison, or whatever, that nothing can be 100 percent safe. That, and we still tend to think wrong. Most security, most enforcement still assumes the person wants to get out of it alive. When you are dealing with people who don’t care one way or the other, or people who want to die, the same rules and methods don’t apply. Besides. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition. Ever. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/156 "2009-04-29T15:09:40Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > The one I feel sorry for is the mayoral aide. He got reprimanded for not telling Bloomberg what was going on, but he was told he could face federal sanctions if he told!! > > [Link.](http://wcbstv.com/topstories/air.force.one.2.996457.html) That sucks. He’s between the rock and the hard place, because eomeone else was stupid. Maybe he should just find another job and tell them all to fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/157 "2009-04-29T15:27:28Z")
> [@Joey\_Tightlips](#): > > Unlike certain others in this thread I am perfectly willing to admit I have no cite and may be entirely wrong about the plane in my anecdote being supersonic. I remember it being a sound unlike anything I’d ever heard, and afterwards two guys on my floor who are aviation nuts saying it had to be supersonic (they go to air shows and seem to know their stuff so I had no reason to doubt them). I did take a look for a cite of the incident just for my own information, but I suspect even if it did make the news it’s gone now. It definitely wasn’t in the past few years, probably 2000 or 2001 (pre- 9/11). Sorry for the hijack, my only point was that planes buzzing cities is scary and moronic regardless of location/speed/reason. Sorry, I missed this post (and your followups) when I posted my last message, **Joey**. Thanks for being reasonable (however out of place it may be in the Pit) and please be assured that I wasn’t impugning your character or denying that such a flyby can be extremely startling and unnerving. I’ve been to dozens of airshows, and one of the Angels’ and Thunderbirds’ favorite maneuvers is the “sneak pass:” as the crowd is watching two planes finish one maneuver off to the left, another plane will suddenly, and \*\*very \*\*loudly, zoom past from the right with no warning. As an airshow regular, I knew to expect them, and it was always fun to watch the whole crowd jump out of its socks! > [@Sauron](#): > > It’s entirely possible that the phrase “comedian Carrot Top in an F-16 fighter jet” is one of the most frightening things I have ever read in my life. Even more than [“Tyrannosaurs in F-14s!”](http://iconicionic.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/tyrannosaurus_in_f-14s.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/158 "2009-04-29T16:46:52Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > In truth, that’s not what the article says. It says he neglected to tell the mayor. The AP article I read today in the print edition of the Omaha World-Herald says the same thing. From the linked article (bolding mine) > [@](#): > > In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD, the Federal Aviation Administration’s James Johnston said the agency was aware of “the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes” in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor’s office and **threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out.** Now, if I’m some peon in the mayor’s office and a couple of men in black suits and dark sunglasses tell me that I could get in big trouble with the federal gov’t…well, I’d be having a couple of sleepless nights over the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/159 "2009-04-29T16:57:43Z")
Well, yeah, I don’t dispute that. What I’m saying is that the press is reporting that the aide _neglected_ to tell the mayor (their word). That indicates to me that the reason Bloomberg himself didn’t know wasn’t because he was barred from knowing, but that his aide made an collosal error and forgot or whatever. From your article: > [@](#): > > The mayoral aide who **neglected** to tell Mayor Michael Bloomberg about it was reprimanded. Bolding mine. It’s still fucked up that Bloomberg didn’t know, but in a way that is a cluster-fuck onto its own. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585/160 "2009-04-29T16:59:37Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > I also saw us Brits are getting extremely afraid as well, indeed there was a survey less than a week ago showing that. I was thinking of emigrating to the US had the pubs stayed in power in fact. As it is I am probably going to Canada (emigration is a certainty, they have just raised income tax here to over 50%, the country is disintegrating under a tide of political correctness, chavs, crime and a brain drain; no point in hanging around; I am actually close to being close to tears typing this and could ramble on for paragraphs about what has happened, but the UK is completely fucked) Speak for yourself sonny as to who is getting afraid, I certainly am not. Income tax has only been raised to 50% for the megarich, not the likes of us plebs. I’m sure Canada will welcome you with open arms:rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-buzzed-what-in-nyc/494585.md?page=9)