On September 11, 2001, I was in the World Trade Center (luckily, on the ground floor, but not yet in the elevator lobby). People I know (and some regrettably, who I knew) were not so lucky as to their locations.

This morning, I looked out my office window from the 11th floor, overlooking NY Harbor, and saw what appeared to be a 747 flying VERY low. Trailed by an F-16. Heading right at my window.

My initial thoughts on seeing this are not printable on this board. Apparently, I'm not the only one who got freaked out. My Step-mother's office building was evacuated, along with a number of others around lower Manhattan:

Wall Street Journal
New York Times

What were they thinking!!!

OK, to make it constructive, I did get a chance to mentally go through my coningency plans for another major event here in Manhattan, and realized that I need to stash a comfortable set of shoes at my desk. My current wingtips were not good for the sprint down the stairs, and would be worse for a long walk home.

Yeah, that would've rattled me, too. Big plane. Bad memories.

Yeah I saw that too. What a scare. I was coming in (late) to work - saw it from the NJ turnpike.

That would have really have rattled me...

nah. we see them all the time. just not flying with an F16 on their tail and making all kinds of wacky moves.

*deleted by self*

-Blast

They weren't. Idiots.

That was perhaps the dumbest thing I've seen since 9/11. I'll never forget going to work, pulling up slashdot, and reading about it. Then calling my wife at home - turn on the news...

Good thing your a prepared sort of guy. Who keeps a spare set of underwear in your kit. LOL.

According to a report on ABC evening news it was part of photography event staged by a government PR guy. They reported the man responsible was dragged into the wood shed and given a tongue lashing by the big guy himself.

Sounds to me like someone didn't think that through.

FAA knew and apparently did their job informing NYPD and others. Mayor Bloomberg's underling, the director of operations for the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management got the word but didn't tell the mayor -- oops.