Air Force One è il nominativo radio di qualunque aereo dell'U.S. Air Force con a bordo il Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America. Dal 1990 la flotta presidenziale è composta da due Boeing 747-200 ampiamente modificati designati VC-25A dall'USAF. In caso di emergenza, ad esempio attacchi terroristici o azioni di guerra che minaccino la sicurezza del presidente, questo aereo viene utilizzato come ufficio mobile riducendo i rischi di un attacco al presidente.
Il VC-25A è in grado di volare per 12.600 km (7.800 miglia) senza mai fare rifornimento, pari a un terzo della distanza totale necessaria per compiere il giro del mondo, con una capacità di trasporto di 70 passeggeri. Prima che il Boeing 747 entrasse in servizio, la flotta presidenziale era composta da due Boeing 707-320B, con i numeri di serie 26000 e 27000, in servizio dal 1962. La designazione assegnata dall'USAF per i due aerei era VC-137.
L'Air Force One attuale può essere rifornito in volo in modo da prolungarne l'autonomia in casi di necessità.
Capacità e caratteristiche
Il VC-25, il nome assegnato dall'USAF all'Air Force One, è un tipo di aereo simile al Boeing 747, tranne che per grandezza, funzioni e dotazioni di sicurezza. L'Air Force One possiede 2 piani, come un normale Boeing 747, ma il suo interno è stato riconfigurato per i bisogni del presidente; i 370 m² interni dell'aereo includono varie modifiche. L'Air Force One possiede contromisure di sicurezza.
La parte più bassa dell'aeroplano è l'area cargo, dove sono stivati i bagagli e i generi alimentari. Grazie ai suoi magazzini e frigoriferi, l'Air Force One può fornire fino a 2000 pasti quando a pieno carico. Il cibo è preparato in 2 cucine equipaggiate per servire 100 persone alla volta.
L'area principale per i passeggeri è al primo piano, mentre la sala comunicazione e quella di controllo al secondo; ci sono tre entrate.
A bordo dell'Air Force One sono presenti anche strutture mediche, incluse un tavolo operatorio, defibrillatore semi-automatico SP, rifornimenti medici d'emergenza ed una fornitissima farmacia. Durante il suo mandato, l'ex presidente George W. Bush ha fatto installare un tapis roulant per la pratica sportiva nell'Air Force One. In ogni volo è presente un medico.
Ci sono stanze separate per il pernottamento degli ospiti, dello staff, dei servizi segreti, del personale addetto alla sicurezza e dei giornalisti. La suite privata del presidente include un guardaroba, un bagno ed un ufficio. Questi uffici, incluso quello del presidente, sono per la maggior parte concentrati nella parte destra dell'aereo, con un lungo corridoio che li collega. Ogni volta che l'Air Force One partecipa ad un evento, atterra con il lato sinistro di fronte alla folla come misura di sicurezza aggiuntiva per proteggere il lato dove risiede il presidente.
Storia
Theodore Roosevelt fu il primo presidente a salire su un aereo l'11 ottobre del 1910. Ad ogni modo, prima della Seconda guerra mondiale, i viaggi intercontinentali erano rari. L'assenza di sistemi di comunicazione senza fili e di trasporti veloci rendevano i lunghi viaggi impraticabili, poiché tenevano il presidente non al corrente di ciò che accadeva a Washington, D.C..
Primo "Volo del Presidente”
Negli anni quaranta e cinquanta, i viaggi aerei diventarono più pratici. Il primo presidente che volò in un aereo dotato di un ufficio fu Franklin D. Roosevelt, che volò su un idrovolante a scafo Boeing 314 Clipper della Pan American World Airways nel 1943 per una conferenza a Casablanca sui progressi della seconda guerra mondiale. La presenza degli U-Boot tedeschi nell'Oceano Atlantico rese l'aereo il mezzo di trasporto più sicuro possibile.
Il primo aeroplano designato ufficialmente come mezzo di trasporto presidenziale fu il C-87A Liberator Express, una versione riconfigurata del bombardiere B-24 Liberator. Questo aereo fu chiamato Guess Where Two. Comunque, dopo l'incidente di un altro C-87A, Guess Where Two non fu più usato per trasportare Roosevelt; i servizi segreti utilizzarono un C-54 Skymaster al suo posto. Questo velivolo venne soprannominato Sacred Cow (la vacca sacra) e includeva una camera da letto, un telefono, una radio, e un ascensore retrattile per la sedia a rotelle del presidente. Portò il presidente a numerosi eventi importanti, degna di nota è la Conferenza di Jalta. I servizi segreti, non volendo sprecare risorse, lasciarono il C-87A a disposizione della First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Dopo la morte di Roosevelt nella primavera del 1945, Il vice presidente Harry S. Truman diventò presidente. Egli sostituì il C-54 con un Douglas DC-6 modificato, denominato C-118 Liftmaster e chiamato Independence, probabilmente riferendosi alla sua città natale Independence (Missouri). Fu il primo aereo operativo come Air Force One con un segno distintivo: una testa d'aquila disegnata sotto la cabina di pilotaggio.
Boeing 707 diventa Air Force One
Sotto la presidenza di John F. Kennedy i viaggi aerei presidenziali entrarono ufficialmente nell'era dei jet. Nel 1962 scelse un aereo a lungo raggio, il Boeing 707, e lo soprannominò SAM ("Special Air Missions") 26000. Commissionò anche ad un designer industriale, Raymond Loewy, la creazione di una livrea per l'aeroplano. Loewy pensò a un motivo con i colori blu e bianco, gli stessi colori usati ancora oggi; sul logo sono impresse anche le parole "United States of America" sul lato della fusoliera e la bandiera statunitense disegnata sulla coda. Poiché l'aereo era usato solo per il trasporto del presidente, Kennedy chiese che il sigillo del presidente fosse aggiunto su entrambi i lati dell'aereo.
Nel tardo giugno del 1963, Kennedy volò sul SAM 26000 a Berlino, dove fece il suo famoso discorso "Ich bin ein Berliner" e visitò anche l'Irlanda. Un mese dopo, fece il record per il volo non-stop più lungo da Mosca a Washington.
Il 22 novembre 1963 il SAM 26000 portò Kennedy a Dallas, Texas, dove quel pomeriggio fu assassinato. Fu sull'aeroplano (parcheggiato all'aeroporto di Dallas Love Field) che il nuovo presidente Lyndon B. Johnson prestò giuramento e l'aeroplano riportò il corpo di Kennedy a Washington. SAM 26000 volò al Cimitero nazionale di Arlington dove Kennedy fu sepolto.
Il SAM 26000 fu anche usato dal Segretario di Stato Henry Kissinger durante il suo meeting segreto in Francia per negoziare la pace in Vietnam.
Il SAM 26000 inoltre trasportò Richard Nixon nel suo storico viaggio in Cina e in Russia nel 1972. Più tardi venne messo in riserva quando venne adottato un altro 707, il SAM 27000.
Il 22 gennaio 1973, Lyndon B. Johnson morì. Due giorni dopo, il SAM 26000 portò il corpo del presidente nel suo ultimo viaggio a Washington, venendo dal Texas per il funerale di stato il giorno seguente. Dopo il funerale, il SAM 26000 portò il corpo a casa per il funerale personale, atterrando alla base aerea di Bergstrom, ad Austin.
Il SAM 27000 fece il suo ultimo viaggio come Air Force One il 29 agosto 2001, trasportando il Presidente George W. Bush dalla base aerea di Andrews a Waco, Texas. Il volo finale del SAM 27000 fu l'8 settembre 2001 da Andrews all'aeroporto internazionale San Bernardino in California.
Dal Boeing 707 al 747
Benché durante i due mandati di Ronald Reagan come presidente non furono necessarie grandi modifiche all'Air Force One, la costruzione dell'attuale Boeing 747 iniziò sotto la sua presidenza. La maggior parte degli interni fu completata a Wichita, Kansas. Il primo aeroplano fu consegnato nel 1990, durante l'amministrazione George H. W. Bush, dopo il completamento di una ampia campagna di prove necessarie per mettere a punto la protezione dagli impulsi elettromagnetici (EMP).
Uno dei più drammatici episodi accaduti a bordo dell'Air Force One fu l'11 settembre 2001, quando trasportò il presidente George W. Bush da Sarasota, Florida, ad un evento scolastico. Il presidente abbandonò l'evento per via degli attacchi terroristici a New York e a Washington. Invece di ritornare alla Casa Bianca, i servizi segreti ordinarono di portare l'aereo presidenziale alla base aeronautica di Barksdale, in Louisiana, e di formare un comando aereo strategico (ora chiamato Comando strategico degli Stati Uniti) con quartier generale alla base di Offutt, in Nebraska, prima di ritornare a Washington. Il giorno seguente, i funzionari della Casa Bianca e del Dipartimento di Giustizia dissero che il piano fu attuato perché era evidente che la Casa Bianca e l'Air Force One erano dei possibili bersagli.
Air Force One dismessi
Gli aerei che sono stati degli Air Force One sono in mostra nell'hangar presidenziale del museo delle forze aeree statunitensi al National Museum of the United States Air Force, vicino Dayton (Ohio) (Sacred Cow, Independence, Columbine III, SAM 26000, ed altri aerei presidenziali più piccoli), ed al Museo del Volo a Seattle, Washington.
Il Boeing 707 che fu Air Force One durante il 1980, il SAM 27000, è posizionato alla biblioteca presidenziale Ronald Reagan. Il jet è parte integrante del museo riguardante i viaggi del presidente; il padiglione dell'Air Force One è aperto al pubblico dal 24 ottobre 2005.
A Douglas invece è in mostra il VC-118A Liftmaster usato da John F. Kennedy al museo "Pima Air & Space" a Tucson, Arizona.
VC-25B
Nel 2010 cessò il divieto di acquistare un nuovo velivolo per ricoprire il ruolo di Air Force One, poiché da tale data erano trascorsi vent'anni di servizio dell'attuale VC-25A. Gli studi per la sostituzione, partiti da diversi anni, indicavano come successore certo il Boeing 747-8 (l'ultima versione 'civile' del 747) modificati per lo specifico utilizzo, come i precedenti. Solo nel 2018 è stato siglato il contratto da 3,9 miliardi di dollari per la fornitura di due nuovi VC-25B basati sul Boeing 747-8I, ed il 20 febbraio 2020 è iniziata la parte esecutiva della trasformazione dei due velivoli, che dovrebbero essere operativi entro il 2024.
Cultura di massa
L'Air Force One è un simbolo molto noto della presidenza degli USA e del suo potere; dopo la Casa Bianca è probabilmente il simbolo più riconosciuto.
L'Air Force One è spesso comparso nella cultura popolare e cinematografica; degno di nota è il film d'azione del 1997 Air Force One. Nel film, dei terroristi kazaki sabotano l'Air Force One e tengono i passeggeri ed il presidente come ostaggi. Il film è da segnalare soprattutto per l'esagerata dimensione dell'aereo e per l'esagerazione delle strutture interne: per esempio, il vero Air Force One non contiene ufficialmente capsule di salvataggio. Ad ogni modo, questo non può essere dimostrato dato che il progetto dell'aeroplano è segreto.
L'Air Force One compare tra l'altro nel film 1997: Fuga da New York, anche in questo film è presente una capsula di salvataggio. Compare inoltre nel film del 1996 Independence Day di Roland Emmerich.
L'Air Force One è stato anche protagonista degli episodi centrali della quarta stagione della serie televisiva 24. In essi l'aereo presidenziale diviene uno degli obiettivi di una cellula terroristica; la quale, dopo essere entrata in possesso di un velivolo Stealth, riesce ad abbatterlo con un missile aria-aria.
Nel campo della moda, il termine "Air Force Ones" è usato per descrivere un paio di scarpe completamente bianche vendute dalla Nike dal 1980. Queste scarpe sono diventate sempre più popolari nell'hip hop, e sono state poste al centro dell'attenzione in una canzone del rapper Nelly intitolata Air Force Ones.
Air Force Two
Air Force Two è la definizione di un qualsiasi velivolo delle forze aeree statunitensi con a bordo il Vicepresidente degli Stati Uniti d'America o il Segretario di Stato degli Stati Uniti d'America. L'aereo principalmente designato come Air Force Two è un Boeing 757-200 a cui è stato assegnato il nome di C-32A all'interno dell'USAF che dispone di 4 esemplari al novembre 2018. Per questioni di sicurezza, il Presidente e il Vicepresidente non viaggiano mai sullo stesso aereo.
Utilizzatori:
- Stati Uniti - USAF - 2 VC-25A consegnati e tutti in servizio al giugno 2020. Due nuovi VC-25B ordinati nel 2018 sostituiranno i due vecchi Air Force One a partire dal 2024.
Informazioni aggiuntive
Velivoli:
- 1944-1947 - Douglas C-54 Skymaster Sacred Cow
- 1947-1953 - VC-118B Liftmaster Independence
- 1953-1961 - Lockheed Super Constellation VC-121B - Columbine II
- 1953-1961 - Lockheed Super Constellation VC-121E - Columbine III
- 1962-1998 - Boeing 707-353B - Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 (Air Force One)
- 1972-2001 - Boeing 707-353B - Boeing VC-137C SAM 27000 (Air Force One)
- 1990- - Boeing 747-200B - Boeing VC-25A SAM 28000 (Air Force One)
- 1990- - Boeing 747-200B - Boeing VC-25A SAM 29000 (Air Force One).
Testi
"Air Force One" The Boeing Company.
"Air Force One" United States Air Force. Luglio 2003.
Albertazzie, Ralph, e Jerald F. Terhorst. Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One. In vendita dal 1979. ISBN 0-698-10930-9.
Dorr, Robert F. Air Force One. Motorbooks International: 2002. ISBN 0-7603-1055-6.
Hardesty, Von. Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency. Northword Press: 2003. ISBN 1-55971-894-3.
Harris, Tom. How Air Force One Works.
Walsh, Kenneth T. Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes. Hyperion: 2003. ISBN 1-4013-0004-9.
Q&A: U.S. Presidential Jet Air Force One by David Braun National Geographic News, 29 maggio 2003
Technical Order 00-105E-9, Segment 9, Chapter 7.
Fotografie e multimedia:
- Truman Library & Museum.
- United States Air Force.
- National Museum of the United States Air Force Presidential Aircraft.
- Radio communication of the Air Force One monitored by the Frequency Monitor Centre in the Netherlands.
ENGLISH
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the President. The aircraft are prominent symbols of the American presidency and its power.
The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the President arose in 1943, when officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, became concerned about using commercial airlines for presidential travel. A C-87 Liberator Express was reconfigured for use as the first dedicated VIP-and-presidential transport aircraft and named Guess Where II, but the Secret Service rejected it because of its safety record. A C-54 Skymaster was then converted for presidential use; dubbed the Sacred Cow, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman.
The "Air Force One" call sign was created in 1953, after a Lockheed Constellation named Columbine II carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same flight number.
Other Air Force Ones have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III, and two Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two Boeing VC-25As: highly customized Boeing 747-200B aircraft. The U.S. Air Force has ordered two Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next Air Force Ones.
History
Background
On October 11, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to fly in an aircraft, an early Wright Flyer from Kinloch Field near St. Louis, Missouri. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel.
Before World War II, overseas and cross-country presidential travel was rare. The lack of wireless telecommunication and available modes of transportation made long-distance travel impractical, as it took too much time and isolated the president from events in Washington, D.C. Railroads were a safer and more reliable option if the president needed to travel to distant states. By the late 1930s, with the arrival of aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3, increasing numbers of the U.S. public saw passenger air travel as a reasonable mode of transportation. All-metal aircraft, more reliable engines, and new radio aids to navigation had made commercial airline travel safer and more convenient. Life insurance companies even began to offer airline pilots insurance policies, albeit at extravagant rates, and many commercial travelers and government officials began using the airlines in preference to rail travel, especially for longer trips.
First presidential aircraft
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin amphibian delivered in 1933 which was designated RD-2 by the US Navy and based at the naval base at Anacostia D.C. The Dolphin was modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment. The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1933 until 1939. There are no reports, however, on whether the president actually flew in the aircraft. During World War II, Roosevelt traveled on the Dixie Clipper, a Pan Am-crewed Boeing 314 flying boat to the 1943 Casablanca Conference in Morocco, a flight that covered 5,500 miles (8,890 km) in three legs. The threat from the German submarines throughout the Battle of the Atlantic made air travel the preferred method of VIP transatlantic transportation.
Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, USAAF leaders ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the commander-in-chief. The first dedicated aircraft proposed for presidential use was a C-87A VIP transport aircraft. This aircraft, number 41-24159, was modified in 1943 for use as a presidential VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service. However, after a review of the C-87's highly controversial safety record in service, the Secret Service flatly refused to approve the Guess Where II for presidential carriage. As the C-87 was a derivative of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, it presented strong offensive impressions to enemy fighter aircraft as well as foreign destinations visited, an issue not present with airplanes that were used purely for transport. The Guess Where II was used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration on various trips. In March 1944, it transported Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries. The C-87 was scrapped in 1945.
The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow, included a sleeping area, radio telephone, and retractable elevator to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. As modified, the VC-54C was used by President Roosevelt only once before his death, on his trip to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Sacred Cow is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Late 1940s and 1950s
The National Security Act of 1947, the legislation that created the U.S. Air Force, was signed by President Harry S. Truman while on board the VC-54C. He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence after his Missouri hometown. It was given a distinctive exterior, as its nose was painted like the head of a bald eagle. The plane, which included a stateroom (where aft fuselage had been originally) and a main cabin that could seat 24 passengers or could be made up into 12 sleeper berths, is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
Eisenhower introduced four propeller-driven aircraft to presidential service. This group included two Lockheed C-121 Constellations, aircraft Columbine II (VC-121A 48-610) and Columbine III (VC-121E 53-7885). They were named by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower for the columbine, official state flower of her adopted home state of Colorado. In addition, two Aero Commanders were also added to the fleet.
Columbine II is the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.
Boeing 707s and entry to jet age
Toward the end of Eisenhower's second term, in 1959, the Air Force added the first of three specially built Boeing 707-120 jet aircraft—VC-137s, designated SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971 and 972—into the fleet. The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders. Eisenhower flew aboard the VC-137 SAM970 during his "Flight to Peace" goodwill tour in December 1959. He visited 11 Asian nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days, about twice as fast as he could have covered that distance via one of the Columbines.
SAM 26000
Under John F. Kennedy, presidential air travel entered the jet age. He had used the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Then in October 1962, the U.S. Air Force purchased a Boeing C-137 Stratoliner, a modified long-range Boeing 707—Special Air Mission (SAM) 26000.
The Air Force had designed a special presidential livery in red and metallic gold, with the nation's name in block letters. Kennedy felt the aircraft appeared too regal, and, on advice from his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, he contacted the French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy for help in designing a new livery and interiors for the VC-137 jet. Loewy met with the president, and his earliest research on the project took him to the National Archives, where he looked at the first printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence; he saw the country's name set widely spaced and in upper case in Caslon typeface. He chose to expose the polished aluminum fuselage on the bottom side and used two blues – slate-blue associated with the early republic and the presidency and a more contemporary cyan to represent the present and future. The presidential seal was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose, a large American flag was painted on the tail, and the sides of the aircraft read "United States of America" in all capital letters. Loewy's work won immediate praise from the president and the press. The VC-137 markings were adapted for the larger VC-25A when it entered service in 1990.
SAM 26000 was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving Presidents Kennedy to Clinton. On November 22, 1963, SAM 26000 carried President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, where it served as the backdrop as the Kennedys greeted well-wishers at Dallas's Love Field. Later that afternoon, Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson assumed the office of President and took the oath of office aboard SAM 26000. On Johnson's orders, the plane carried Kennedy's body back to Washington. A decade later, SAM 26000 took Johnson's body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington.
The Air Force usually does not have fighter aircraft escort the presidential aircraft over the United States but it has occurred. The first instance came during the state funeral of John F. Kennedy with it was followed by 50 fighters, (20 Navy and 30 Air Force) representing the states of the union.
Johnson used SAM 26000 to travel extensively domestically and to visit troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. SAM 26000 served President Nixon on several groundbreaking overseas voyages, including his famous visit to the People's Republic of China in February 1972 and his trip to the Soviet Union later that year, both firsts for an American president. Nixon dubbed the plane the "Spirit of '76" in honor of the forthcoming bicentennial of the United States; that logo was painted on both sides of the plane's nose.
SAM 26000 is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
SAM 27000
SAM 26000 was replaced in December 1972 by another VC-137, Special Air Mission 27000, although SAM 26000 was kept as a backup until it was finally retired in 1998. Richard Nixon was the first president to use SAM 27000; the newer aircraft served every president until it was replaced by two VC-25A aircraft (SAM 28000 and 29000) in 1990.
In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in Syria, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. However, the Air Force One crew was not informed in advance and, as a result, took evasive action including a dive.
After announcing his intention to resign the presidency, Nixon boarded SAM 27000 (with call sign "Air Force One") to travel to California. Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, then pilot of Air Force One, recounted that after Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as SAM 27000, indicating no president was on board the aircraft. Over Jefferson City, Missouri, Albertazzie radioed: "'Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to Sierra Alpha Mike (SAM) 27000?' Back came the reply: 'Roger, Sierra Alpha Mike 27000. Good luck to the President.'"
SAM 27000's last flight as Air Force One was on August 29, 2001 when it flew President George W. Bush from San Antonio to Waco, Texas. Following the flight, it was formally decommissioned, then flown to San Bernardino International Airport (former Norton AFB) in California. It was dismantled and taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, where it was reassembled and is on permanent display.
Boeing VC-25A
Though Ronald Reagan's two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the 747 began during his presidency. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles (9,700 km). Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 submitted proposals, and the Reagan Administration ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707s he used.[36] The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady Nancy Reagan, were reminiscent of the American Southwest. The first of two aircraft, designated VC-25A, was delivered in 1990, during the administration of George H. W. Bush. Delays were experienced to allow for additional work to protect the aircraft from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects.
The VC-25 is equipped with both secure and unsecure phone and computer communications systems, enabling the president to perform duties while airborne, in the event of an attack on the US. The presidential air fleet is operated by the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Field, Maryland.
9/11 to present
On September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was interrupted as he attended an event at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, after an airplane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. He took off on a VC-25 from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport with Colonel Mark Tillman, the senior pilot of Air Force One that day, in charge. Air traffic controllers gave Air Force One an ominous warning that a passenger jet was close to Air Force One and was unresponsive to calls. Tillman recalls: "As we got over Gainesville, Florida, we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said, 'Air Force One you have traffic behind you and basically above you that is descending into you, we are not in contact with them – they have shut their responder off.' And at that time it kind of led us to believe maybe someone was coming into us in Sarasota, they saw us take off, they just stayed high and are following us at this point. We had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were at that point."
In response to this reported threat, Col. Tillman said he flew Air Force One over the Gulf of Mexico to test whether the other aircraft would follow. The other jet continued on its route, and Tillman said that it was later explained to him that an airliner had lost its transponder, which normally broadcasts an electronic identification signal, and that the pilots on-board neglected to switch to another radio frequency. A threat came again when Tillman received a message warning of an imminent attack on Air Force One. "We got word from the vice president and the staff that 'Angel was next,' indicating the classified call sign for Air Force One. Once we got into the Gulf [of Mexico] and they passed to us that 'Angel was next,' at that point I asked for fighter support. If an airliner was part of the attack, it would be good to have fighters on the wing to go ahead and take care of us." At this point, Tillman said that the plan to fly the president back to Washington, D.C., was aborted and instead Tillman landed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where the president made a speech. Tillman explained that this was due to his concern that because of the reported threat, Air Force One would be attacked when he returned to Andrews Air Force Base.
After the preliminary stops, the president was returned to Washington. The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that President Bush did this because there was "specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets." The White House could not confirm evidence of a threat made against Air Force One, and investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.
Other uses
Presidents have invited other world leaders to travel with them on Air Force One at times, including Nixon inviting Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev to travel with him to California from Washington, D.C. in June 1973. In 1983, President Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II toured the U.S. West Coast aboard Air Force One. In March 2012, President Obama took British prime minister David Cameron to a basketball game in Ohio aboard Air Force One.
When President Bush came to the end of his second term in January 2009, a VC-25 was used to transport him to Texas. For this purpose the aircraft call sign was Special Air Mission 28000, as the aircraft did not carry the current president of the United States. Similar arrangements were made for former presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
On April 27, 2009, a low-flying VC-25 circled New York City for a photo-op and training exercise and caused a scare for many in New York. Fallout from the photo op incident led to the resignation of the director of the White House Military Office.
(Web, Google, Wikipedia, You Tube)
