From being able to feed a small army to making sure the POTUS never misses leg day, here
are some incredible things about Air Force One:
12. Any Aircraft
Although the term “Air Force One” is almost exclusively used to refer to the specific
aircraft that has the specialized equipment needed to transport the United States president,
technically, the term describes any airplane that’s carrying the POTUS. Another interesting
fact about Air Force One is that it’s not the only branch of the military that uses
a term to describe the presidential transport vehicles. There is also Navy One, which refers
to any US Navy craft with the Commander-in-Chief onboard. However, this is much less common
than Air Force One; the only specified Navy One vehicle was a Lockheed S-3 Viking that
was used to transport former-president George W. Bush in 2003. The same applies to all branches
of the military; so, Army One and Marine One refer to US Army vehicles and Marine Corps
vehicles transporting the president respectively.
11. Presidential Lyft
Marine One refers to any Marine Corps craft that’s carrying the president; but, it is
most commonly used to talk about the helicopter operated by the HMX-1 “Nighthawks” - either
the VH-60N White Hawk or the Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King. Both of the helicopters are called
“White Tops” because… you guessed it… they’re white on the top. The Marine One
helicopters always fly in a group of five for security measures, and they’re all identical.
Most of the time, the president is transported by helicopter to the Andrews Air Force Base.
However, the current Marine One aircraft models are going to be replaced by around 2023 with
23 VH-92s, which will be equipped with updated communication technology.
10. Costly Craft
Considering Air Force One’s incredible technology, abilities, security, and comfort additions,
it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it costs a pretty penny to run the aircraft,
and the president has to use it fairly often. There are currently two Boeing 747-200B jets
that work together as Air Force One that costed about $380 million apiece. These crafts were
highly modified to encompass all of the technology Air Force One requires. But, they will be
over thirty years old when the replacement planes arrive in 2024. In 2015, Boeing 747-8s
were chosen as the new presidential airplanes, and they will be designated “VC-25Bs”
after modifications are complete. President Trump estimated that the cost of the planes
would total over four billion dollars. In July 2018, the US Air Force reported that
the cost for the replacement planes is $3.9 billion, which saves taxpayers over $1.4 billion.
But, there’s no denying the insane prices that come with these jets, and estimates from
February 2019 suggest that it will be closer to $4.6 billion. Plus, the cost to run the
plane for a single hour was $206,337 as of 2016. So a five-hour trip would equal $1,031,685.
9. Accelerated Aircraft
President Trump, and all of those before him, have a lot of places to be and no time to
waste. After all, leading a country is a busy job with hardly any down time. So, Air Force
One has to be able to travel faster than the average airplane. The current aircraft is
capable of traveling at 620 miles per hour, which is about 40 miles an hour more quickly
than a regular commercial plane. Plus, there’s no need for layovers when flying Air Force
One… the jet can be refueled during flight! However, President Trump’s goal was to ultimately
cut funding concerning the Air Force One planes, which is why he decided to purchase pre-existing
aircraft instead of building brand new ones. One option on the table to conserve money
was cutting the in-flight refueling; however, whether or not the final planes will have
this capability remains to be seen. The estimated savings for taxpayers as of February 2018
was $1.4 billion, and Boeing tweeted out that President Trump made good negotiations on
behalf of American citizens.
8. In-Air Defense
The main purpose of Air Force One is to get the president from place to place safely.
Without the ability to do that, Air Force One wouldn’t be worth much. So, it’s not
surprising that there are many security features built into the aircraft to keep the country’s
leader safe. In the attic of the plane, there are electronic systems that stop enemy radars
from working correctly. The planes are also equipped with flares that can be deployed
to confuse heat-seeking missiles. In addition to these things, Air Force One also has two
doors for swift exiting if need be, and a navigator and engineer accompany the pilot
and co-pilot in the cockpit. Each of the exits has a retractable staircase as well, making
entering and exiting the plane simple and reliable so the people onboard don’t have
to depend on any third party’s resources. The windows of the aircraft are also armored…
so, needless to say, Air Force One would be extremely difficult to sabotage in any manner.
7. Hovering Hospital
Not only is Air Force One designed to deter enemy attempts at harming the president, but
it is also equipped to deal with nearly every medical issue a person could experience while
flying. Next to president Trump’s office and the plane entrance, there is a medical
compartment. The area always has a nurse on duty as well as a blood supply, a defibrillator,
and medications. Plus, a doctor flies with the president as well, and the center can
be used as an operating room in emergency situations.
6. Mile-High Meetings
Luckily for President Trump… or unluckily, depending on how you look at it… work doesn’t
come to a halt simply because he’s traveling around the world. The people who designed
Air Force One took everything into account during planning. In addition to a medical
center, high-tech defensive equipment, an insanely powerful engine, and the current
ability to stay in the air for a near-infinite amount of time, the airplane also has a sizely
conference room. The president can have large meetings in the area, deemed the “flying
Oval Office.” The office encompasses advanced technology so the president can communicate
with people and continue running the United States mid-flight.
5. D.T. Phone Home
Most people that fly on a regular basis would do just about anything to be able to take
phone calls and communicate with the outside world during trips. Unfortunately for most
of us, it’s just not possible, and we have to resort to whatever movies are available
or try to sleep without getting a crick in our necks. But, for people aboard Air Force
One, there are eighty-five phone lines to help keep in touch. Before they were replaced
in 2014, there were two colors of phones: white and beige. The white was used for non-secure
calls, and the beige was used for secure communication. However, when former-president Obama got tired
of the two-tone-phone system, he had a new simpler one installed. Nowadays, there is
one phone capable of making both types of calls; a red light means the line is secure,
while green means it’s unsecure.
4. Aerial Occupancy
Air Force One makes an impression on anyone who sees it, and considering it’s 232 feet
long, it’s not exactly modest. With the bright blue stripe down the sides, American
flag on the tail, “United States of America” written in bold on the side, and the presidential
seal, it’s nearly impossible not to notice it flying by. But, the inside makes just as
big of an impression as the exterior. There is a total of 4,000 square feet of room to
move around inside the plane. It can hold up to about 76 people, and there are living
quarters for the various presidential staff members and guests, including secret service
members, reporters, and senior advisers.
3. Culled Cuisine
Everything about Air Force One is top-notch concerning security, including the purchasing
and preparation of food. No food for the plane is ever purchased in foreign countries. Anonymous
staff shop for the products in the United States, carefully choosing every item, before
the aircraft takes off. So, there has to be plenty of pantry and refrigerator room onboard
to store all of the ingredients. In January 2018, two of the refrigerators were going
to be replaced, which would’ve cost a total of $24 million. But, doing so was essential
since Air Force One is required to hold 3,000 meals. The refrigerator repair order was cancelled
after the replacement planes for 2024 were chosen; but, they might still be fixed if
the new aircraft are delayed. There are also two kitchens aboard the plane, allowing meal
preparations to take place for 100 people at a time. However, the meals the president’s
guests consume during flight aren’t even close to what most of us experience. Instead
of TV dinners, tiny cups of coffee, and $10 bags of peanuts, Air Force One flyers enjoy
full hot meals served on platters that are decorated with the presidential seal. Every
entree is prepared on the ground, vacuum sealed, and frozen before making it on the aircraft.
Apparently, the only things that aren’t very tasty on Air Force One are the fries
since there is no onboard deep fryer.
2. R & R
The Air Force One planes have a ton of space as we previously mentioned. But, the incredible
amount of comfort the aircraft has to offer doesn’t stop there. There are three levels
within the airplane, and they encompass everything a person could want during an extended flight.
From the two kitchens, twenty televisions, and 85 phones to the conference room and operating
room, there probably isn’t much left on the plane that would surprise you. However,
the flying mansion, so to speak, also has a presidential suite for the man himself.
Inside the lavish quarters are a comfortable bed for rest, a shower and lavatory, double
sinks, and even a little gym so the president can maintain his health. But, considering
the immense amount of time the president has to live on the plane, it makes sense that
these accommodations would be necessary. Plus, it’s no easy feat running an entire nation;
so a little rest and relaxation onboard Air Force One are sure to help.
1. Atomically Resistant
It can confuse missiles and jam radars. Its windows are armored and bulletproof, and it
has its own medical center “just in case.” But, that’s not all Air Force One does to
protect the Commander-in-Chief. The entire aircraft is also covered in armor plating
to ensure that it wouldn’t crumble in times of conflict involving a nuclear blast. Of
course, if the plane was directly hit or too close to the explosion, things would still
go awry. However, the planes were designed so that they can take the hit from an atomic
weapon that detonates on the ground.
What do you think of these incredible Air Force One features? Let us know in the comment
section below!