Close Up: Jets Get Empire State Building Fly-By
NEW YORK (AP/CBS New York) -- As the New York Jets flew home from their victory over the New England Patriots, they took a swing past the Empire State Building for a special sight.
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The landmark was lighted last weekend in the Jets' team colors, green and white. It will happen again next weekend, when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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WFAN's Boomer & Carton on Jets' fly-by
The Jets' charter plane was descending toward Newark Liberty Airport on Sunday when the pilot made the request. "Well I've had an unusual request," the captain told the air traffic control tower. "If it's green and white, these guys actually want to get as close as we could to see it."
Air traffic controllers cleared a path and let the jet veer over New Jersey's Hudson River waterfront, about two and a half miles from the building.
"It's beautiful," the captain said. "Yeah, we've got 200 people looking at it. A pretty night for it, too."
"I planned that," the air traffic controller joked.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said the flight received special permission to stray into LaGuardia airspace but other flights were not affected.
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum called it a great ending for their trip.
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