Pentagon Releases New Images of Air Force One Flyover
EmailResponding to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Pentagon has released 146 photographs from the ill-fated April Air Force One flyover over Manhattan that resulted in the resignation of White House Military Office director Louis Caldera in May. Air Force spokesman Andy Bourland tells ABC News that there have been several procedural changes to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, with more approval required for proposed flights, and more public affairs involvement to make sure the public and relevant officials have been informed. The Air Force has also released thousands of pages of supporting documents which can be viewed HERE and HERE. Bourland said that despite complaints that would indicate the contrary, in advance of the controversial flight several key local authorities were notified including the New York City Mayor's office, New York Police Department, all three major New York City area airports, the FAA, US Park Police, the New York City Office of Emergency Management, and several law enforcement and emergency management authorities in neighboring New Jersey.-Jake Tapper and Kirit Radia
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If you zoom in really close, you can see citizens fleeing and stomping on each other.
Posted by: KR | July 31, 2009, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm
Wow. I’m impressed. Can I have my tax money back anyway? I don’t support terrorizing the innocent.
Posted by: Traffic Cop Timmy | July 31, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
They are very pretty pictures. I’m not sure they were worth the cost, but still…very nice shots of AF1.
Posted by: Axey | July 31, 2009, 4:21 pm 4:21 pm
The photo-op of the beerfest was much cheaper.
I liked the photo-op of Obama calling the cops stupid. He was desperately looking at the press for a nod of agreement.
The pictures of AF-1 are nice but I would like a refund–what a waste.
Posted by: max | July 31, 2009, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
For the glory of President Obama!
Posted by: Liu | July 31, 2009, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
With Obamas terrible handling of the economy and Health care crisis I really think we should bring a Bush family member back to fly around in Air Force One.
Posted by: Paula | July 31, 2009, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
Has it been established that there were no major campaign contributors on board as a reward for their support?
Posted by: C. M. | July 31, 2009, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
I’ll take two 5 x 7′s of number 14 and twenty wallet size of number 115. Horse’s patoot.
Posted by: csm | July 31, 2009, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
How scenic. You can’t even tell it’s NYC. I know there are better, more scenic places to take pictures of that plane. Why NYC? And why did we need NEW pics of the plane in the first place?
Posted by: Driefromseattle | July 31, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
On page 11 of the 533 page Friday afternoon document drop from the White House, a quote from an e-mail referring to the Air Force One flyby of lower Manhattan: “3 million New Yorkers did not have a need to know.”
Page 22: “Will probably receive some local press, but WH (White House) shouldn’t catch any questions about it.”
Page 82: “The following press release will be offered when/if press inquiries are made.” Love that “if.” Apparently they thought it was possible no one in the press would ask about it.
Posted by: Mike in Costa Mesa | July 31, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Posted by: KR | Jul 31, 2009 4:01:54 PM
Not really funny after watching people jump to their deaths.
Posted by: CN in NY | July 31, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Since no one in government has yet been able to satisfactorily explain something simple–like the purpose of this flyover and pictures–is it any wonder they can’t explain how something hard, like healthcare reform would work?
Posted by: Croation | July 31, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
I heard that when they went above 96th, they lowered the gear so the folks could check out the new 24″ spinners.
Posted by: Doorgunner | July 31, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
hey jack, who was on the plane?
Posted by: val | July 31, 2009, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
It is obvious Obama was fooled into this by BUsh administration and Insurance industry executives.
Posted by: karen | July 31, 2009, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
An F-16 is a single-seater airplane (unless it is one of the few trainers at Luke Air Force Base in AZ) so what was the pilot doing taking pictures when he should have been flying his plane? Doesn’t anyone question why an amateur photographer, which I presume the pilot could be, took publicity photos? Wouldn’t they want them done by a professional? We should find out what point-and-shoot camera was used because these are clearly not professional-grade?
Posted by: MYoung | July 31, 2009, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
When are the gonna release the passenger list?
Posted by: MRL | July 31, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
I’m trying to read through the reports, and so far the reference is always to two planes- an F-16 and the VC-25(AF1 plane). The F-16 was to take the photos.
Yet many of the pictures clearly show both planes.
Posted by: MayBee | July 31, 2009, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
Croation:”Since no one in government has yet been able to satisfactorily explain something simple–like the purpose of this flyover and pictures”
Since the Right cannot yet grasp the concept of publicity photos of Airforce 1, which have been commonly taken for decades, is anyone surprised that they cannot grasp the simplest facts about health care (like the US spends twice as much per capita than all other first world nations, does not get twice as good care, or even equal life expectancy in many cases)?
Posted by: jhw539 | July 31, 2009, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
Mike in Costa Mesa:”Apparently they thought it was possible no one in the press would ask about it.”
And I wonder who would have given them that impression?
“…in advance of the controversial flight several key local authorities were notified including the New York City Mayor’s office, New York Police Department, all three major New York City area airports, the FAA, US Park Police, the New York City Office of Emergency Management, and several law enforcement and emergency management authorities in neighboring New Jersey.”
Posted by: jhw539 | July 31, 2009, 4:58 pm 4:58 pm
“An F-16 is a single-seater airplane (unless it is one of the few trainers at Luke Air Force Base in AZ) so what was the pilot doing taking pictures when he should have been flying his plane?”
The F-16 is a multi function fighter and one of those is as a dedicated recon platform.
“Doesn’t anyone question why an amateur photographer, which I presume the pilot could be, took publicity photos? Wouldn’t they want them done by a professional? We should find out what point-and-shoot camera was used because these are clearly not professional-grade?”
Are you really so stupid that you think it was someone in the back with a long lens versus a camera underneath the trailing fighter?
The stupid, it burns….
Posted by: Ryan C | July 31, 2009, 5:00 pm 5:00 pm
Hey Guy,
What are you talking about?
Posted by: csm | July 31, 2009, 5:07 pm 5:07 pm
I am sure this was done with biofuels.
Posted by: Karen | July 31, 2009, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
Actually clicking through to take a look, there are some good shots in there (and I am assuming the web released versions are compressed down from the originals a fair bit). Not worth the noise to take, but still not bad looking.
Posted by: jhw539 | July 31, 2009, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
These were not taken with a point and shoot… Download the PDF, click on an image to select it, right-click and select Image Properties. In there under Description it says these were taken by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway. Under Advanced EXIF properties it says a 56mm focal length, 1/1000 sec, F8, ISO 100. Under Advanced TIFF properties it says a Nikon D3X was used – not a point and shoot at all.
Posted by: david | July 31, 2009, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
You know, I would like to believe the Obama administration’s story that the purpose of this flight was to get updated pictures of Air Force One. But those pictures look like they were taken by my grandmother with her point-and-shot camera. The one with Air Force One’s nose cut off is typical of the her pictures…poorly centered and missing part of the grandchild on the right. If they had better pictures to show for their effort, their story would be easier to believe.
Posted by: goldfinch | July 31, 2009, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
goldfinch:”But those pictures look like they were taken by my grandmother with her point-and-shot camera. ”
All 100 of them, eh? And you have looked at the full resolution RAW files, not just the crummy, compressed to death pdf I assume.
Posted by: jhw539 | July 31, 2009, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
JHW539, “Since the Right cannot yet grasp the concept of publicity photos…”
Not sure how this got to be a “Right” versus Left issue. Did not the President himself apologize for how this flyover was handled, including its location, and vow that it would never happen again?
Posted by: Croation | July 31, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Didn’t they originally say they wanted a new picture with Statute of Liberty. There were not many pictures where you could even see Lady Liberty. And I don’t understand why the WH wouldn’t just release the pictures without FOIA.
Posted by: Axey | July 31, 2009, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
Do the documents include a list of passengers?
Posted by: DaveS | July 31, 2009, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
“Not sure how this got to be a “Right” versus Left issue. Did not the President himself apologize for how this flyover was handled, including its location, and vow that it would never happen again?”
When FoxNews and the rest of the right wing media made it that way.
Posted by: Ryan C | July 31, 2009, 5:37 pm 5:37 pm
Where’s the manifest for Air Force One? The one released “manifest” is for VC-1, not VC-25 which is AirForce One. Plus, it’s not a manifest anyway but a flight order summary doc…
WHERE”S the list of passengers that were on Air Force One?
Posted by: Kristen | July 31, 2009, 5:53 pm 5:53 pm
Hasn’t anyone in the Obama Administration ever heard of Photoshop? It, unlike Air Force One, doesn’t cost $100,000 an hour to operate.
Posted by: dodger | July 31, 2009, 5:54 pm 5:54 pm
RyanC “Fox and the rest of the right wing media made it (the flyover) that way” (a right versus left issue).
Flashback: April 27, 2009 CNN reports people are evacuating their office buildings in Manhattan.
CNN’s report did not mention whether the terrified New Yorkers considered themselves to be Democrats of Republicans.
Posted by: Croation | July 31, 2009, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
Maybe it is the incompetence of NYC officials that should be questioned?
Posted by: nick | July 31, 2009, 6:20 pm 6:20 pm
Bush’s fault
Posted by: Freedom | July 31, 2009, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
clearly very eco conscious.
Posted by: bct | July 31, 2009, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
“Since the Right cannot yet grasp the concept of publicity photos of Airforce 1, which have been commonly taken for decades
jhw539
Strange,
jhw539, why exactly does it take 40 Freedom of Information Act request to get these “publicity photos of Airforce 1”
isn’t the point of “publicity photos” to get them to the, uhm, public?
You did read the first sentence of the article, right?
“Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request”
You did get that? Yes?
Posted by: Dschoen | July 31, 2009, 7:23 pm 7:23 pm
===why exactly does it take 40 Freedom of Information Act request to get these “publicity photos of Airforce 1===
Because 41 would have been something less than transparency?
Posted by: Axey | July 31, 2009, 7:50 pm 7:50 pm
It’s interesting reading through the documents.
There is one that indicates someone is not too happy with the shot he is presented either, mentioning they got New Jersey in the background instead of New York.
It is also quite clear the planners thought Gibbs was going to be briefed, and the WH would have the answers for the press.
Posted by: MayBee | July 31, 2009, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm
Why does the Flight Authorization’s principal purpose not mention photos?
Posted by: Axey | July 31, 2009, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm
thousand of pages of supporting documents. for 146 worthless pictures. wonder how many pages, how many GS 12′s, how many man hours, how much “savings” will be created…when they start micromanaging my tonsilectomy. oh i can hardly wait. hope i get some pictures at least.
Posted by: fred | July 31, 2009, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
I would like to know if President Obama paid for these photos since originally they were stated to be used for postcards to be sent to “friends” of the president. I wonder when I will see mine?
Posted by: Barbara | July 31, 2009, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Who was being protected with live ammo? Look at the F-16…
Posted by: Baldy | July 31, 2009, 9:27 pm 9:27 pm
Is the ultra right satisfied now?. This is democracy in action. I hope this can convince the extremists of the Republican party in Congress to have the courage to allow an investigation of all the wrong doings of the Bush Administration against the American people.
Posted by: ChangeNow | July 31, 2009, 9:45 pm 9:45 pm
Why if these are publicity photos of Air Force One, do most of the pix have 2 planes in them?
Posted by: Plumber | July 31, 2009, 10:09 pm 10:09 pm
I have to say the pictures look genuinely nice. Especially the ones with the statue of liberty in the back. It was a controversy getting them but i like the end result.
Posted by: agnosticsocialist | July 31, 2009, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
What a bunch of suckers…..the question is WHO was on the flight—-it was a sight seeing flight and it had to be someone high up with Obama.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | July 31, 2009, 10:57 pm 10:57 pm
Yes, but will Obama release the figures of how much campaign money Obama2012 and the DNC raised from all the donors on that joy ride??
Posted by: Scare Force One | July 31, 2009, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
Reference to an earlier post: the missiles on the single seat F-16 were not live, they were blue-banded which means that they were practice ordinance. Also F-16′s come in a 2 seat version which was used to take the pictures with the photographer in the back.
Posted by: breckey | August 1, 2009, 12:16 am 12:16 am
agnosticsocialist– you’re kidding, right? These photos are terrible! The composition and framing are all off as well as the color. The photo with the statue of Liberty looks like it was photoshopped within an inch of it’s pixels.
Too late to get the money back but it’s not too late to delete the photos and start over, but perhaps Obama might consider a more appropriate background for Air Force One, like DC?
Posted by: Rachel M | August 1, 2009, 5:08 am 5:08 am
Nice pictures, some silly complaints. Too bad for all the haze and polution.
Posted by: Eugene R | August 1, 2009, 8:00 am 8:00 am
This administration spends our tax dollars (and children/grandchildren’s tax dollars) like a college freshman spends Mommy and Daddy’s credit card limit! Of course the was a joy ride to pay back contributors! Any fool can see what BO is doing. Every action he has taken thus far has been owed to a campaign contributor. Investigat how he “won” his very first election to senate. He played dirty Chicago politics and smeared his opponet. If you can’t win honestly – hey this is America – buy votes,intimidate voters at polls (panthers) make-up voters (ACORN). The Left obviously cares not about honesty!
Posted by: Fedup | August 1, 2009, 10:09 am 10:09 am
These pictures aren’t even any good! The fighter plane should have NEVER been included…makes us seem like a bigger war lord than we already are! AF1 shot from underneath, lousy lighting, and uninteresting background in most images. WHO shots these pictures anyway? Surely if this much money was going to be spent they would have at least gotten a decent photographer to shoot it!
Posted by: l | August 1, 2009, 10:27 am 10:27 am
I want some “transparency” on that manifest flight list!!
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!!!
Lousy photos…….they could have photo shopped it and saved a cool quarter million, President Gadfly!!
Posted by: American Infidel | August 1, 2009, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
FLYOVER, BEER BUST, STIMULUS, HEALTH CARE?
I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IF ONLY CONGRESS AND THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION JUST WENT HOME – EVERYTHING WOULD WORK OUT JUST FINE. SAD, BUT THAT IS PROBABLY MORE TRUE THAN NOT!!!
Posted by: Manitu | August 1, 2009, 9:28 pm 9:28 pm
I have to admit, these photos are bad…I don’t think a professional took them.
Posted by: PotatoeGater22 | August 2, 2009, 12:45 am 12:45 am
I thought they were supposed to be new photographs of Scare Force one flying by the Statue of Liberty.
Curiously, there aren’t many of the Green Girl in any of these pics.
NO mention of who was along for the ride besides the American public?
These pictures raise more questions than they answer. Will the investigative reporters follow up this release with MORE questions or will they accept these non-answers and move on?
Posted by: Skipppy Gates | August 2, 2009, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
My god, do you honestly believe that these photos are the ones that were used for the militaries historical records? I mean come on, for one; the F-16 in the picture has dummies loaded on it. BLUE bands on all ordanance! Lives are brownish red striped. Nobody important was on that aircraft! All these photos were taken by a contracted or military backseater in another F-16. Stupid thing to do though all together!
Posted by: Matt Lava | August 2, 2009, 8:36 pm 8:36 pm
So what about the low flying jet that was disturbingly visible last Saturday night (8/01/09)when I looked up into the sky fron sixth Ave and Washington Place in Manhattan. Neither I or any of my friends were comforted by the fact that we were standing in front of St Joseph’s Church. Quite frankly we disturbed and frightened by the low flying jet. A huge plane that was flying so low one could almost touch it. Have heard nothing about this incident.
Posted by: jim fpouratt | August 4, 2009, 1:18 am 1:18 am
anybody notice the american flag is backwards? field goes to the left. what a bunch of clowns.
Posted by: john | February 9, 2010, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
I cannot believe that President Obama is being slammed here about a pohoto opt he knew nothing about. He tool the necessary action in having the person fired/resigned. I was not a big fan of Pres Bush, but I respected him as my President. If the flag was backwards, jet too close or low, so what. It was wrong and should not have happen. Stop this madness of finger pointing. Get over and let’s move on to healing this nation of its’ economic. poverty, racial and education divide.
Posted by: MaRIE | May 28, 2010, 10:37 am 10:37 am
Marie (May 28), Let me explain why the flag appears backwards, but really it is not. The plane is a military aircraft and by regulation the flag is supposed to look like it is fluttering with the wind, not into it. It’s how you might see a real flag on a pole when you walk around it 360 degrees and from either side it flies with the wind. You will see the same thing on a Soldiers’ uniform right shoulder patch. For uniforms, regulations state the American flag patch is to be worn right or left shoulder, so that “the star field faces forward, … gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.” In this same fashion the falg is on the aircraft’s right side. I hope this explains it & thanks for your interest. Respectfully, Ric Haeussler, Capt. US Army
Posted by: Ric | December 1, 2010, 10:32 am 10:32 am
yikes, sorry – meant “flag” horrible dyslexic proof reading on my part.
Posted by: Ric | December 1, 2010, 10:37 am 10:37 am