Intercept - The morning after a parks official informed the Hillary Clinton campaign that the New York City mayor’s office could not bar news helicopters from buzzing her official campaign launch event on Roosevelt Island, the Secret Service expressed concerns to the Federal Aviation Administration about aircraft “loitering” over the event, according to emails obtained by The Intercept.
And the Clinton campaign got its way: On the eve of the event held last month, the FAA announced a “national defense airspace” over the island, threatening to shoot down anything airborne that appeared to present an imminent security threat.
FAA The launch rally was the result of weeks of careful planning by veteran aides to Hillary and Bill Clinton. Seeking flight restrictions around the event was among these preparations.
The mayor’s office believed that a no-fly zone could “only be ordered federally for security reasons,” Minard wrote to Chung. “He points out that if a news outlet wanted to cover the event by helicopter, they do not have the power to stop them.”
After receiving this note, Chung emailed an official from the Secret Service, which protects both Clintons for life.
News choppers are not a threat to the public, Chris Dancy, the director of communications for the Helicopter Association International, told The Intercept.
“Newsgathering helicopter pilots do this for a living and it’s something they do very safely,” said Dancy, in crowded airspace, helicopters often be coordinate their movements with air traffic control.
No comments:
Post a Comment