Air Force One Terrorizes New York

New Yorkers have a lot to be worried about these days. President Obama's plane shouldn't be one of them.

About four hours ago, a Boeing 747 flew low over Lower Manhattan, trailed by two F-16 fighter jets. Can you guess the first thought most New Yorkers had upon seeing that sight? That's right, they thought that Mayor Bloomberg was on his morning commute from the Upper East Side to City Hall.

No, just kidding. They of course immediately thought of September 11th, and did the sensible thing: panic.

An Air Force One lookalike, the backup plane for the one regularly used by the president, flew low over Manhattan on Monday morning, accompanied by two F-16 fighters, so Air Force photographers could take pictures. But a lack of awareness about the flyover led to the evacuation of several buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City, and perplexed officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and other authorities were inundated with calls from anxious ferry passengers, office workers and residents.

You read that right: it was President Obama's plane, there for a photo op. We sure hope that 2010 Executive Branch Wall Calendar looks spectacular.

As a side note, the 747 in question was technically just an "Air Force One lookalike" because the President was not on it at the time. If he had been on it (and he does use this plane frequently), it would have officially been Air Force One. In fact, if Obama got on Continental Airlines Flight 1178 from Denver to Cincinnati, that would be Air Force One.