The plane of the President of the United States is a bright symbol of the United States in general and the office of the first person in particular. Whenever the head of state travels abroad or across the country, he is provided with a high-tech and luxurious airbus. On the memorable day of 9/11, George W. Bush's aircraft showed that it was much more than a jet - a Boeing 747 became a mobile bunker when all ground positions seemed vulnerable to attack.
So what makes Air Force One different from other airliners, and what is required for a head of state to be able to fly around the world? Considering how much the US President's plane carries, it's no wonder the media is calling it the "flying White House."
What is Air Force One?
Most people have a general idea that the US President's plane is a flying office with all kinds ofhigh-tech equipment. But there are two significant facts that the general public knows little about.
Technically Air Force One is not an airplane. These are the radio call signs of any US Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. As soon as the head of state is on a flying vehicle, it is referred to by the crew and all controllers as "Air Force One" (Air Force One) to avoid confusion with any other aircraft in the area. If the president travels in an army aircraft, it is called "Army Air Force One" and each time he boards his specialized helicopter it becomes "Navy Air Force One". But that's what civilians call the Boeing 747 itself.
US President's Aircraft Specifications
Today, there are two airliners that regularly fly under this designation - almost identical "Boeing 747-200B". The aircraft themselves are designated VC-25A with tail numbers 28000 and 29000.
These two aircraft share the same general design of a conventional Boeing 747-200B and similar characteristics. They have almost the same height of a six-story building (19.8 m) and the length of a city block (70.66 m). Each of them has four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines, which provide 252 kN of thrust each. The maximum speed ranges from 1014 to 1127 km/h and the maximum ceiling is 13747 m. Each plane carries 203129 liters of fuel. The aircraft weighs 377842 kg in fullequipped for flights over long distances. With a full tank, an aircraft can fly around half the world (12,553 km).
Like normal Boeing 747s, these planes have three levels. But on the inside, Air Force 1 is nothing like a commercial airliner.
Inside Air Force One
The aircraft of the President of the United States, the cabin of which has a useful area of 371 square meters. m., in many ways more like a hotel or office than a jet liner, with the exception of seat belts on all seats. The lowest level is mainly used for transporting goods. Most of the passenger accommodation is located on the middle level, while the upper level mainly houses communications equipment.
The President has living quarters on board, including his bedroom, bathroom, gym and office space. Much of the furniture on the plane is handcrafted by master cabinetmakers.
Staff gather in a large conference room that also doubles as a dining room. The higher ranks have their own offices, and the rest of the employees of the presidential administration also have places to work and rest. There is a separate area for accompanying reporters, as well as ample space for staff on duty. In total, the US President's aircraft can comfortably carry 70 passengers and 26 crew members.
Hollywood Version
"Air Force One" was shown from the inside in the eponymous1997 Hollywood film starring Harrison Ford as the President of the United States. Although some details of the scenery vaguely resembled the original, the director of the picture gave free rein to artistic creativity. The real plane doesn't have an escape pod as shown in the movie, or even parachutes. Of course, an escape pod is not something to talk about.
Layout
The US President's plane has some mythical, mysterious halo around it, largely because access to it is restricted to most people. Even invited politicians and journalists are not allowed into some parts of it, and the Air Force is careful enough to hide specific details of the aircraft's layout. What secrets does the US President's plane keep? A number of official and unofficial sources have published a general description of what is inside Air Force 1, but no one, as far as is known, has said exactly how these parts relate to each other. And even if someone did, they would probably be politely advised to withhold this information for national security reasons.
Here's what we know: like a regular Boeing 747, the US President's plane is divided into three decks inside. And, as you can see from television broadcasts, passengers get into it through three doors. Usually the head of state, greeting those who meet, uses the door on the middle deck, to which a self-propelled passenger ladder drives up. The journalists enter through the back door, where they immediately climb the ladder to the middle deck. Most of the press area looks like a section of the firstclass in an ordinary jet liner, with comfortable, spacious seats.
Logically, it should also be:
- staff area;
- on-board kitchen;
- meeting room and dining room;
- President's number and office;
- a place for work and rest of the crew.
And, of course, there must be a communication center room, cabin and cockpit, as in a regular commercial airliner.
Along with its unconventional use of passenger space, Air Force 1 is packed with technology that sets it apart from a conventional jet.
Features
Because Air Force 1 is carrying the president, some trips can be quite long and the aircraft has a number of special features, many of which are not available on civilian aircraft.
The crew prepares meals in two fully equipped kitchens. A large amount of food is stored in freezers on the lower deck. The crew can feed up to 100 people at a time, and the storage allows you to stock up on 2,000 servings.
Multiple technologies are involved in the medical bay. There is an extensive pharmacy, plenty of emergency equipment and even a fold-out operating table. The crew also includes a doctor who travels with the president wherever he goes. Taking off, the plane is prepared as much as possible for all possible unforeseen situations.
Unlike the regular Boeing 747, Air Force Oneequipped with its own retractable boarding and alighting ramps front and rear. Ladders open on the lower deck and crew members and employees climb internal ladders to reach the upper deck. The aircraft also has its own baggage handler. With these additions, Air Force 1 is independent of airport services that could pose a security risk.
Electronic stuffing
The aircraft's most notable feature is its electronics. It includes 85 on-board telephones, a collection of walkie-talkies, fax machines and computer connections. There are also 19 televisions and a variety of office equipment. The telephone system is connected to the land lines of the ordinary and government communications. The President and his staff can speak to anyone in the world while cruising several kilometers above the ground.
On-board electronics work is provided by about 380 km of wires (twice as many as in a regular Boeing 747). The shielding is sufficient to protect the equipment from the electromagnetic pulse produced by the nuclear explosion.
Another feature is the ability to refuel in flight. Like the B-2 or other combat aircraft, this allows the vessel to remain airborne indefinitely, which can be critical in an emergency.
One of the most interesting elements of Air Force 1 - advanced avionics and defenses - are classified. But the Air Force claims that the plane,definitely military, and designed to withstand air attack. Among other things, it is equipped with an electronic suppression system that is capable of jamming enemy radars. The aircraft is also capable of firing infrared traps to distract heat-seeking missiles.
Preparing for flight
Each Air Force 1 flight is classified as a military operation and is handled accordingly. Soldiers at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland carefully inspect the aircraft and runway before takeoff.
When it's time to take off, the presidential helicopter delivers the first person of the state from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base. Base personnel monitor nearby unauthorized aircraft and have the authority to shoot them down without warning.
Before each Air Force 1 flight, the Air Force sends C141 Starlifter cargo planes carrying the president's motorcade to their destination. It includes a collection of bulletproof limousines and vans loaded with weapons to keep the head of state safe on the ground.
The President always arrives at the base with a "football" - a suitcase that contains the codes for nuclear deployment. An Air Force officer guards it throughout the flight before handing it over to an Army officer on the ground.
Privilege to work with the President
Like an ordinary jet liner, the country's first-person aircraft is serviced by a flight crew, and stewards prepare and serve food, and also clean the aircraft. They arecarefully selected from military personnel with an impeccable reputation. Crew members who prepare meals must maintain a high level of safety. For example, when buying food, they go undercover and select supermarkets randomly to prevent poisoning attempts. The US President's jet serviced is cooler than a five-star hotel.
Crew members enjoy the very rare privilege of working with the head of state when he is at his most vulnerable. Every president since Harry Truman has maintained close ties with his flight crew, and the last flight has always been emotional.
President's plane: the history of the American "Air Force One"
Up until World War II, the heads of the United States rarely traveled far from home. Visiting other states took too much time and cut off the head of the country from the main institutions of power.
The development of aviation has allowed the president to move around the globe and return to the US in a short time. In 1943, Franklin Roosevelt became the first sitting head of state to take to the air, flying in a Boeing 314 to a conference in Casablanca.
Roosevelt took this step because German submarines made the seas too dangerous. But the success of the mission has made flying the standard way for a head of state to travel. Soon the government decided to allocate a special military aircraft to the president. The Air Force initially selected the C-87A Liberator Express, a B-24 bomber configured for civilexploitation dubbed “Guess Where.”
After another C-87A crashed under mysterious circumstances, the security team decided the plane was not reliable enough for the president. A C-54 Skymaster was soon prepared for Roosevelt, complete with bedrooms, a radiotelephone, and a retractable wheelchair lift. The plane, nicknamed the "Sacred Cow", carried the head of state on a number of important missions, including the historic Y alta Conference.
President Truman inherited the Sacred Cow, but then it was replaced by a modified DC-6 called the Independence. Unlike the previous aircraft, the new "Board No. 1" was distinguished by a patriotic coloring with an image of an eagle's head on the nose. Eisenhower was provided with two identical propeller planes with upgraded equipment, including a telephone and teletype.
From Eisenhower to Obama
In 1958, the Air Force provided two Boeing 707s. This was a significant step forward compared to previous aircraft. It was then that the call sign "Air Force 1" began to be used, and the name was adopted by the public after Kennedy took office.
Early in his term, Kennedy added a more advanced, long-range Boeing 707 and also oversaw a change in aesthetic design, the blue and white decor still used today.
This aircraft and its twin, accepted into the air fleet in 1972, played theirrole in a number of important historical events of the last 50 years. A Boeing 707 flew Kennedy to Dallas on November 22, 1963, and took his body back the same day. In flight, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the next President of the United States. The same plane carried Nixon from D. C. to California after he retired. Halfway through, the crew received confirmation that Gerald Ford had been sworn in as the next president, and the aircraft's call signs were changed to SAM (Special Air Mission) 27000.
The Boeing 707 served Reagan for two terms and George W. Bush during his first term. In 1990, the obsolete 707 was replaced by the Boeing 747, US President Barack Obama's aircraft in use today.
The next change of the aircraft fleet of the head of state was planned back in 2010 after 20 years of flying. If we compare the planes of the presidents of different countries, the United States does not stand out as a special novelty of the aircraft. For example, more modern Boeing-747-400s are at the disposal of the Prime Minister of Japan, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Brunei, the King of Oman, the King of Saudi Arabia, and others. On January 28, 2015, the Air Force announced that the next presidential aircraft will be " Boeing-747-8".
