NEWS: French Fighter Jets Forced to Land in New Jersey

French fighter planes strayed too far from their aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle off the U.S. atlantic coast and were forced to land in Atlantic City, New Jersey to refuel. According to a report, they were unable to refuel their jet planes because their credit card was declined. The jets remained parked overnight at the Atlantic City International Airport.



This is hilarious...

I wonder what a French carrier is doing off the U.S. coast launching planes anyway.

[edit on 6/5/2005 by djohnsto77]

I heard about this on certain military forums a few days ago. Apparently they were running low on fuel and bad weather made it impossible for them to land back on the carrier. What I also thought was interesting is that apparently they asked to land at a US miliary airbase but were denied!! if they were allowed access at a military airbase none of this would of happened.

haha I wonder what Hannity thinks about French Marines guarding the jets on US soil?

Anyways, I believe that the Charles De Gaulle was in the area conducting military exercises with the Canadians and after that they were the guests of the US military at some sort of show.

thanks,
drfunk

Of course it's possible... However a bit silly misstake in my opinion... Well, Peoples are peoples and they do misstakes... There's propably nothing more to it...





The french carrier Charles de Gaulle

[edit on 5-6-2005 by Figher Master FIN]

In light of the fact that the French government was one of the main critics of our war in Iraq, I wonder what they would have said if "G.W." would have insisted that we get "the world community on board before taking action". Sorry guys, we need to gather more votes before we can get back to you on this..........hope ya know how to tread water!ha!ha!

Blueknight... i'm sure if the proper French authorities had contacted W on this matter, they would have pronounced every English word correctly, and used not one "uh...". I would think, from your attitude ("...tread water... ha ...") that you've never had to eject over bad-weathe seas before? Neither have i, but i've met some who have. But, your lack decorum, "W"'s lack of verbal or cognitive skills aside, and getting back on topic...

It's sad, if true, that a DoD airbase declined the request for an emergency landing. After all, what base commander would dare suggest that a French fighter aircraft "posed a threat" to his base! Especially if the French aircraft were going to take part in an international display of peace and friendship like an airshow the next day (as DrFunk suggested).

[edit on 5-6-2005 by TheeStateMachine]

Trust me on this one, I work at at a military air base that I run and manage myself. Hence, I am a United States Air Force Airfield Manager....

The main and only possible reason why these French aircraft weren't given the persmission to land at a DoD/Military Installation (McGuire Air Force Base, NJ) is the lack of a proper landing permit number. All aircraft under all DoD/Military Installations have a special landing permit number that isn't just given out for free, but under certain basis of security. Any aircraft not having this special landing permit number at any particular FAA Owned Airport/DoD Installation will not have the go-ahead to land if their situation doesn't fit certain emergency criteria. Indeed they were low on fuel and weather was bad, but if the emergency wasn't life or death, which it wasn't, then landing at a DoD/Military would be the last possible place for such aircraft to land. Especially since they are French (foreign aircraft), regardless of the peace they hold through any air show, there are always certain guidlines/perameters that exist on a DoD/Military airfield that will prevent an aircraft from landing. All in all, their reason (low on fuel, mildly bad weather) for wanting to land at a military base wasn't credable enough.

Thank you for the very useful insight of that DoD procedures, 2Super7E123. It's rare for someone like you knowing something about military air bases and procedures in dealing with foreign aircrafts in peacetime or military exercise on this forum, enlightening thick-headed ignoramuses who resorted "blame-Bush" trite over small military "incidents" such as those French fighters requesting permission to land at an American military air base without the proper clearance.

What's more interesting is no one's paying attention to the fact the French pilots' own credit card being declined to pay for the fuel! Did the French government/military maxed out their credit cards at the Canadian duty-free shops?

[edit on 6/5/2005 by the_oleneo]

Well in order for most pilots, both foreign and commercial, depending on the company (Delta for example or Japan Airways) or affiliation they are with, they have special (emergency use only) credit cards, means of payment. These means of payment are used for fuel and the area the aircraft will be parking at. Depending on how much fuel they need and how long they will need space to park their aircraft all depends on how much funds (money) they have. And this case, the French pilots realized their only means of paying for such DoD/Military fuel would be their credit cards. Hence forth, if they did use their only means payment, their credit wouldcards would bounce/be rejected.

Landing at Atlantic City International Airport would be the cheaper more feasible route because they could stay their overnight and wait for funds to be transferred from their own sources (French Military/Government) without having to worry about the potential hassle of being rejected on a U.S. Military Airfield by being fined for exponetial services due to them breaking FAA/-International Flight Rule's. Since they landed at Atlantic City in the first, they were only cleared to land they because they had actualy permission from both the French and the FAA to land. The U.S. would have never aggreed with the French in time for them to land, which is what more than likely happened despite their lack of the Civil Aircraft Landing Permit #.

DJ,

Putting the element of risk to human life aside.....

This is by far the most humorous article I have read in a long time.
The cartoon network could not have made the circumstances any funnier!

Thank you for posting it. I will be giggling to myself the rest of the day.

I just cant imagine a load o0f fully suited up Air Force pilots wondering into an airport trying to buy fuel! Great news!!!!!

Oh, and when did the French get jets? I thought they still used the Wright Brothers planes, shows how wrong I am.................

Originally posted by Zanzibar

Oh, and when did the French get jets? I thought they still used the Wright Brothers planes, shows how wrong I am.................

Hey Zan, too funny! But I believe the French have had JETS for a while now, they're only hard to see because they are............ "Mirages!"

Oh man, I crack myself up

Let's face it...anyone who lands in Jersey is "forced"....

Originally posted by Gazrok
Let's face it...anyone who lands in Jersey is "forced"....

Too funny. Remindes me of a story in a Paul Crickmore SR-71 book:

After running post strike Recce of Operation El Dorado Canyon, a SR-71 had some mechanical issue and elected to tranist over France rather than risk flying around to get to its English base.

Flying lower and slower than usual, it was intercepted by some Mirages asking for its diplomatic clearence number. The backseater told the pilot he gave it to them and the pilot throttled up and left the mirages in the dust. The backseater had given them the finger

2Super7, thanks for the detail. I had assumed that the denial of landing permission was simply part of procedure, and there are excellent reasons for following such procedures! Reading my original post, i didn't portray my thoughts well... by "if true", i meant "if it was truly necessary" i.e. no other viable options. (and the concept of a threat posed by french aircraft... well, that's just a little bit of friendly french bashing!)

Which brings up the question: if the french pilots were so low on fuel that they could only land at a DoD airfield or bail out in turbulent seas... what happens? they simply land and get fined?

-oleono, regarding "enlightening thick-headed ignoramuses who resorted [to?] "blame-Bush" trite [trite what? is there a noun for this adjective?] over small military "incidents" such as those..."

if you're referring to my portrayal of Bush, i was simply responding to blueknights musings. i did not blame W for anything. Blueknights musings were fancifull, as was my responce. tit-for-tat is usually not warranted, but i thought so in this instance, owing to the rest of his post. so why not call him names, too? While you're at it, feel free to throw some sand in our eyes. I really don't think anyone was terribly offended by anyone else's remarks in this thread, but then why the ignoramuses comment?

Originally posted by Ikema

Originally posted by Zanzibar

Oh, and when did the French get jets? I thought they still used the Wright Brothers planes, shows how wrong I am.................

Hey Zan, too funny! But I believe the French have had JETS for a while now, they're only hard to see because they are............ "Mirages!"

Oh man, I crack myself up

LOL!! I think they had that jet that was made in 1910 by some Yugoslavian bloke. Ill try to find a link/pic.

Originally posted by Gazrok
Let's face it...anyone who lands in Jersey is "forced"....

That is one of the funniest things I have read in quite a while! I can gurantee that they will hit full afterburners when the leave as well...I keed, I keed!

This just isn't funny... The French pilots would have crashed if not for the civillian airport. Why were these pilots not given clearance to land at a fully operational military base which was 100% ready... They were there for an exercise with the US navy... shows just how much you can trust the US..

If the civilian airport wasn't there they would have been allowed to land.

[edit on 6/12/2005 by djohnsto77]

Originally posted by blueknight
In light of the fact that the French government was one of the main critics of our war in Iraq, I wonder what they would have said if "G.W." would have insisted that we get "the world community on board before taking action". Sorry guys, we need to gather more votes before we can get back to you on this..........hope ya know how to tread water!ha!ha!

Ignorance is a bliss, people like you really should try to educate themself a bit more before comming to forums like this and pour out such bs.

You say "our war" i live in Denmark which was one of the countries who jumped the band wagon and intervened Iraq on illegal and shady way, and i still dont see it as "our war" i see it as "their war" im gonna ask you, what have you won by attacking Iraq?

Best regards

Loke.