Air Force One Tagged

[ComputerGuy]

Air Force One Subject of Internet Hoax

By TED BRIDIS
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A startling Internet video that shows someone spraying graffiti on President Bush's jet looked so authentic that the Air Force wasn't immediately certain whether the plane had been targeted.

It was all a hoax. No one actually sprayed the slogan "Still Free" on the cowling of Air Force One.

The pranksters responsible for the grainy, two-minute Web video - employed by a New York fashion company - revealed Friday how they pulled it off: a rented 747 in California painted to look almost exactly like Air Force One.

"I wanted to do something culturally significant, wanted to create a real pop-culture moment," said Marc Ecko of Marc Ecko Enterprises. "It's this completely irreverent, over-the-top thing that could really never happen: this five-dollar can of paint putting a pimple on this Goliath."



The video shows hooded graffiti artists climbing barbed-wire fences and sneaking past guards with dogs to approach the jumbo jet. They spray-paint a slogan associated with free expression.

After the video began circulating on the Web on Tuesday, the Air Force checked to see whether the plane had been vandalized.

"We're looking at it, too," said Lt. Col. Bruce Alexander, a spokesman for the Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, which operates Air Force One. "It looks very real."

Alexander later confirmed that no such spray-painting had occurred.

Marc Ecko, head of Marc Ecko Enterprises, says there was a comical moment when he first saw the letters being applied.
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Ecko acknowledged Friday that his company had rented a 747 cargo jet at San Bernardino's airport and covertly painted one side to look like Air Force One. Employees signed secrecy agreements and worked inside a giant hangar until the night the video was made. Ecko declined to say how much the stunt cost.

"It's not cheap," he said. "You have to be rich."

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On the Net:

Hoax video: StillFree.com

[wiarumas]

haha wow.. thats a pretty huge prank

[Seph]

Nice, props to that.

[Danger Dude]

Here is the deal. I knew it was a hoax when I first heard about a couple of days ago. Airforce one is so heavily guarded. Patrol Cars dont just cruise and people walk around. Every side of the Aircraft has a Sentry station and they dont park it near any fences for any crazy jack ass to take pop shots at it. In reality if you were able to get thru a fence and run towards the Aircraft They would yell halt and if you did not stop they would drop you with either a M-16 , MP-5 or a sniper on a roof.

[ComputerGuy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danger Dude Here is the deal. I knew it was a hoax when I first heard about a couple of days ago. Airforce one is so heavily guarded. Patrol Cars dont just cruise and people walk around. Every side of the Aircraft has a Sentry station and they dont park it near any fences for any crazy jack ass to take pop shots at it. In reality if you were able to get thru a fence and run towards the Aircraft They would yell halt and if you did not stop they would drop you with either a M-16 , MP-5 or a sniper on a roof.

With all due respect, Have a sense of humor

[Brent]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danger Dude Here is the deal. I knew it was a hoax when I first heard about a couple of days ago. Airforce one is so heavily guarded. Patrol Cars dont just cruise and people walk around. Every side of the Aircraft has a Sentry station and they dont park it near any fences for any crazy jack ass to take pop shots at it. In reality if you were able to get thru a fence and run towards the Aircraft They would yell halt and if you did not stop they would drop you with either a M-16 , MP-5 or a sniper on a roof.

So who wants to try? I'll give them 10 bucks.

[Danger Dude]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComputerGuy With all due respect, Have a sense of humor

With all due respect I was being humorous. I think it would be funny as hell to see a video of some Greenpeace puke get thru the fence and make a dash to Airforce One with a can of paint and see bullets passing thru the dumbass body in super slow mo and he is dead before hitting the ground MUHAHHAHAHHAHHAA

When I was stationed in England in the AirForce we had a couple of incidents where Liberal panzy asses climbed the fences at our base and throw paint on a SR 71 and a couple of F-111's. A couple of weeks later 3 panzys were shot as they were running towards some planes with paint

[04MonteSS]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danger Dude When I was stationed in England in the AirForce we had a couple of incidents where Liberal panzy asses climbed the fences at our base and throw paint on a SR 71 and a couple of F-111's. A couple of weeks later 3 panzys were shot as they were running towards some planes with paint

Sooo..you wouldnt happen to have any pics of that would you?

[Brent]

Quote: Originally Posted by 98Monte Sooo..you wouldnt happen to have any pics of that would you?

That didn't have cameras that long ago.

[Danger Dude]

Quote: Originally Posted by 98Monte Sooo..you wouldnt happen to have any pics of that would you?

No this was in 1979 . There was no way to get a camera on a alert pad during the cold war. The F-111's I worked on stayed on alert with thermonuclear weapons in the bombbay.

[lowflyn]

(he's just bypassing the fact that cameras weren't invented back in his day)

[ComputerGuy]

No Offense too anyone. I do know what type of security is involved in regards to Class A facilities and weapons.

I just found it funny that the Air Force actually had to check if AF One had been tagged.

PLus to the untrained eye you can see several things wrong.

1. Air Force One has more antenne on the top than what is pictured in the vid.

2. The condition of the tires and the gear are very dirty.

[Danger Dude]

Quote: Originally Posted by ComputerGuy No Offense too anyone. I do know what type of security is involved in regards to Class A facilities and weapons. I just found it funny that the Air Force actually had to check if AF One had been tagged.

I did find this funny

Quote: PLus to the untrained eye you can see several things wrong. 1. Air Force One has more antenne on the top than what is pictured in the vid. 2. The condition of the tires and the gear are very dirty.

Very observant you are.


Where I work we have Airforce Two in for maintenance. Which is one of a few C-9's (Douglas DC-9's) that are in the Presidental Fleet. They are painted with the typical AirForce ONE colors and the Presidental Seal. We have armed guards that say at sentry and challange anyone who does not have a special badge to be near the plane. These are used for short trips and the First Lady uses them more often than not.

[ComputerGuy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danger Dude I did find this funny Very observant you are. Where I work we have Airforce Two in for maintenance. Which is one of a few C-9's (Douglas DC-9's) that are in the Presidental Fleet. They are painted with the typical AirForce ONE colors and the Presidental Seal. We have armed guards that say at sentry and challange anyone who does not have a special badge to be near the plane. These are used for short trips and the First Lady uses them more often than not.

I think the part that really let the bag loose that this was false when someone hit a sign with his right hand causing it to reverberate.

That would have caused major alarms.

[Herbstang]

LMFAO I watched the hoax video the other day on useless.com

[WhiteStang99]

didn't see or hear about it till now.

of course i've been drunk since friday night.