An official spokesperson from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Business Insider that the plane conducted "authorized flights" over the city, in tandem with air control units. At least one aviation journalist tweeted that a military mission in which aircraft circle at an altitude of just 3,000 feet above Manhattan is "not normal."Seeing multiple reports of a USAF C-130 and several Black Hawk helicopters circling low (3,000 feet) over Manhattan.
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) December 13, 2016
Lance Ulanoff, editor-at-large of Mashable, reported that "nobody has any idea what [the C-130] was doing."
— Sasha Moses (@sashamoses76) December 13, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump’s namesake hotel is in Manhattan, and Trump has expressed desire to make New York his part-time residence during his administration. It seems plausible the aircraft were part of a military training exercise to bolster security around New York City but official information has not been forthcoming.
— MattHardigree (@MattHardigree) December 13, 2016
The FAA, however, issued a no-fly zone over the Trump Tower, days after Trump won the US presidency. US officials have confirmed that the mission was performed on behalf of a Secret Service request for aerial mapping of the President-elect's home base. Comparable procedures were carried out in Texas for President George W. Bush and in Chicago for President Barack Obama.
— Parvis Rasulov (@ParvisRasulov) December 13, 2016
