Web site exposes Air Force One defenses

Hey Zaphod, I read an article from some journalists who were allowed on Air Force One, they said a lot of people expect it to look like a plane for royalty; they said while it is very nice, it really is more like a gigantic office, is that how it was for you?

Yeah, that's really how it is. It's a BEAUTIFUL office mind you, but it's a big office.

I feel for the flight engineer thoguh. He has to sit in the cockpit, monitoring this giant board with all the flight instruments, engines, etc, but right next to the board, at his right hand is a stack of 9 VCRs. It's up to him to set up whatever movie, or briefing video they want to watch.

Guys

Thanks for the addition to the post. Great to read about researched material.

Is there any restrictions on the president to use the plane or can he use it whenever he wants? I ll presume if he wants to board AF1, he may travel to the nearest airport to board the plane?

It's almost always a military base that it lands at. If there's not a military base nearby, then they'll land at an airport.

And before anyone can point out Clinton's haircut at LAX, I'd like to point out that there is actually Los Angeles AFB at LAX. It's a tiny little portion of LAX that handles some C-130s or something like that. So technically he WAS at an AFB.

Do Ex presidents get a chance to fly on AF1 or AF2?

I am sure they would be missing the days when they were presidents and does anyone know if anyone has had a chance or if a request was made which was accepted

Cheers

IIRC, they are flown home on it, but it's not AF1. It's SAM28/29000, because they're not President on it. But after that they don't fly on it anymore. Nixon flew on it when he resigned, going home. That was a unique flight, because it started out as AF1, but at 12 noon EST, they called ATC and cancelled their flight plan as AF1, and reactivated it as SAM27000. They at least occasionally fly on a USAF transport, but the callsign is always SAM, and never AF1 or 2. BTW, IIRC, AF2 is for the VP. The backup is SAM. He can fly on 28000 or 29000 and it becomes AF1, and the other becomes the backup.

This would purely be due to security, as I understand....

Has there ever been a technical problem arisen on the AF1 which could render some tension to all on board. I do understand that it is one of the most important transport for the president and would be highly maintained however has anything ever been recorded.

Would the maintaince be the same as other planes or is it maintained on flight by flight bases. For example if the president is in a foreign country, does the maintaince team go with them?

SS would be with the plane, but what if someone tampered with the plane?

[edit on 13-4-2006 by knowledge23]

Good luck with that. There are always AT LEAST two USAF guards around the plane, at nose and tail, doing walkarounds, and two SS guards sitting in a car at the nose of the plane with a phone with them to call for backup if they need it.

There HAVE been technical problems with the plane, but all of them that I've heard of on the ground. In fact they recently had the first two that I've ever heard of happen that caused a delay in the flight. Both were for engine trouble, on engine start, after he was aboard and they were getting ready to go.