Can't afford the flight? Create your own Air Force One flyover

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Update 1:10 p.m. PDT: If you tried sending an image to the e-mail address provided earlier Monday and it bounced back, please try sending it again to my e-mail address, provided below, while we straighten out our e-mail kinks.

You probably don't have your own Air Force One, or the $328,835 to spend on a fancy New York photo shoot like the United States government, but with a few basic Photoshop skills and an Air Force One press photo, we're betting you can make some pretty convincing images of Air Force One flyovers, without sending people running in the streets.

1. Copy this press photo of Air Force One:

(Credit: White House)

2. Take one of your photos of tech landmarks and locations and paste in Air Force One! Voila! Air Force One flyover of WWDC like the one I did above? Macworld? Google headquarters?

3. Send an e-mail with your best Photoshopped images to [e-mail]

Here's an example of an Air Force One flyby at CNET's San Francisco's headquarters.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

[DarkHawke]

And the point of this is, what? To make light of a DEEPLY bone-headed play on the part of the Obama Administration? To trivialize the terror that was caused by it? Would this cutesy-pie crap be cool if it happened during a Republican administration? Or would you find some tech angle by which to join in the mainstream media flaying of a similarly numbskulled Chief Executive with an (R) after his/her name?

[wperry1]

Easy there... take off your polarizing sunglasses for just a minute and relax. You are actually accusing cnet of being partisan democrats because they are mocking the current democratic administration? Not every issue is Republican vs Democrat. How can Rs and Ds every come together if we see this kind of invented anger over every issue?

[bcunning]

See it's goons like you that keep the parties apart with your nit picking and paranoia that bitter up at the drop of a hat.

[toddvj]

"Pretty convincing?" The two images here are not meant as examples of convincing, are they?

[ttwisted]

More convincing than their idiotic story about what they were doing.

Government lies, and not well.

Always.

[MrKrinklez]

Jeez, no sense of humor, huh?

I've already made plenty of Air Force One photoshops around big building. I swear I heard screams when I made one around the Sears Tower.

[sparrowhyperion]

They can spend over $300,000 to get a stupid photo op of an 747 on steroids flying over the Statue of Liberty, bit they can't balance the budget, and they say they are going to cut other "frivolous" programs...... What a bunch of moronic numbskulls. Lets fire Washington and hire Mickey Mouse. He's do a better job...

[biffhenerson]

Leaning which way? Lets see... the first photo has an Apple and the second a blue screen of death.

[KillersDad]

Any significance to the fact that the plane is flying to the RIGHT?

[drfranqui]

I don't see this as either a Democrat/Republican website trying to trivialize/demonize the current administration's bad judgment on the whole AF1-over-NYC thing. I think what they're trying to say is that this whole headache would've been averted if the administration had used Photoshop and created something realistic w/o the heavy price tag. Thus, a "Photoshop AF1 into Wherever You Want" contest is born

[Ex-01]

Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected. (state 14).

[archa1c]

I got the same bounceback

[wigmo]

Is the poor woman in your image pulling her hair out over the blue screen on her monitor, or your poor photoshop skills. It appears the blue screen is appearing inside a browser window, which would never happen. For shame on your art dept! ;-)

[Dalkorian]

Nice eyes - I noticed something looked wrong about that BSOD but didn't pay close enough attention to tell what it was that was wrong about it.

In their defense, AF1 looked more realistic in this second photo than it did in the first one. Barely.

[georgiarat]

Now if we could just get the Administration to stop flying off and spending $400,000-500,000 to make a 30-45 minute appearance and speech every week it might add up. That would save a minimum of $25,000,000 a year. One quarter of what the president asked his agencies to save. Not to mention his last press conference cost the networks over $23,000,000 in ad revenue at a time we are trying to get the economy going.

[bowlie1]

Just because everyone else in the Media makes a big mistake calling this airplane "Air Force One" doesn't mean you should perpetuate the mistake. The two aircraft used by the US president don't have a name, per se, but are referred to by their tail numbers: 28000 and 29000. They were converted from Boeing 747-200B's and have been redesignated by the USAF as VC-25. Only when the president is aboard either aircraft, or any Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign is "Air Force One."

It's like saying United airlines flies a United Nine two five from London to Washington. They don't it's a B777, but it carries that radio call sign / flight number.

[Voice_Of_Logic]

We need to fire this current administration. They have provided us NOTHING but a huge debt to be paid for 3 to 4 generations IF and only IF we dont go bankrupt first. Thank you, Pelosi. You screwed us all up against the wall.

[LuvThatCO2]

Humor people, humor!

This is the funniest thing CNet has done.

But, I should point out the BSOD on the woman's PC isnt correct... a BSOD would take up the whole screen.

[Ted Miller]

It's good to chuckle in these distressing times. I would have removed the "Blue Screen of Death" on the ladies computer to make it more convincing.

To bad we did not have a nose shot of Air force One, making it look like it was coming right into the building. THAT would be very convincing!

[jaycustom]

Aww..cmon! Make that AF1 a png so it's easier to use, so I don't have to cut it out myself. LOL!

[KSparkles]

I love it... stupid US government, what the HECK were they thinking? and why would they NOT tell people?

I'm going to have some photo shop fun.

[wiredchicken]

Why spend $300,000 when you could just use photoshop!!!! Honestly, I jumped seeing that plane on TV flying over NY that low, UNEXCUSABLE. How could the United States GOVERNMENT do that to the American people?? I think New York should permanently ban Air Force one from flying over NY and also fine the federal government $1 million dollars!!! Or if they dont oblige, we whould do a fly over Washington DC!!!

[archa1c]

Guess who pays the US Government's fines?

The taxpayers...

[csnwbd2251]

Dear DarkHawke,
Get a life....seriously.

Sincerely,
UBL

[Jim Dodds]

Well, this IS pretty goofy, and the shots of the plane look like totally pasted on, dude!

[Tinman_au]

You folks need to grow a "lighten the f$%^ up" gland, no wonder the US is in so much trouble, you have no perspective at all....