Little Known Facts About the Air Force One
The name Air Force One is not given to any particular aircraft. Instead, the name is designated to any aircraft that serves to carry the POTUS (President of the United States). Typically that specific aircraft is the Boeing 747-200B aircraft which comes with two tail codes of 28000 and 29000.
The existence of these jumbo jets is particularly more significant when compared to any other aircraft that flies in and out of the United States of America. For our readers today, we have gathered a bunch of amazing little-known facts about the Air Force One which are as follows.
Range:-
There is no doubt in saying that the US Air Force One has many amazing capabilities. However one of its main and foremost capabilities is its unlimited range. The aircraft is equipped to have aerial refueling and with this feature, it can virtually travel across the globe without any worries. However, the amazing part is that the aircraft has only one fuel tank with a capacity to hold in 53000 gallons of fuel. This much fuel allows the aircraft to fly from Washington D.C. and land in Tokyo, Japan without a need for refueling. This calculates into almost 6735 nautical miles.
Speed:-
The Air Force One is able to reach the cruising speed of Mach 0.84 which roughly calculates into 664 miles per hour. However, it is still a little bit low from the aircraft’s top speed which is calculated at Mach 0.9 or 690 miles per hour. For perspective consider this example. The Boeing 777 commercial aircraft has a speed limit of Mach 0.84. This means that if one of these aircraft is flying at top speed without any traffic air issues, it will be able to fly from Philadelphia and land in Atlanta in under 1 hour.
President’s car has its own aircraft:-
Before the President lands on a specific location, a huge caravan of the president is already arrived thee ahead of time to receive the president. In this convoy, one particular member is the C-5 Galaxy or the C-141 Starlifter. Both of these aircraft are used to transport the president’s armored limo to the predestined location. The car is named as either “Cadillac One or The Beast” which is able to withstand all sorts of attacks.
The president walks down the stairs of Air Force One and sits right into his limo. Often many jet fighters are also accompanying President’s convoy for safety from any type of surprise aerial or ground attack.
Entrances:-
The Air Force One has two entrances which are for different personnel the President sits in the front area of the aircraft while the media and invited guests are to remain seated in the ear of the aircraft and are also not allowed to walk to the front of the aircraft.
The front entrance has only ever been used by the President, security personnel or the senior officials. As for the Rear Entrance, the guests and media personnel use that entrance.
Oval Office in the Sky:-
The office was upgraded with telecommunication equipment which is necessary to address the nation from the skies. These upgrades were made after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
This aerial Oval Office is equipped with a complete desk phone, office chairs and along with a design that gives it a feel of a luxury business building office but literally in the sky. The aerial office is completed with leather couches for the president to lounge on for thinking or doing other works.
One can see the Inside of it at a Museum:-
The Retired Air Force One aircraft are hot tickets. One particular retired Air Force One; the SAM 27000 which was used by President Nixon to President George W. Bush was disassembled after retirement and was shipped to be placed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Nowadays a person can visit the library and see the inside of the SAM 27000 which is located in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
President Lyndon B. Johnson
After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the next president and that ceremony was conducted inside the Air Force One back on November 30th, 1963. The ceremony was conducted by Judge Sarah Hughes and the photo has been labeled as “The Most Famous Photo aboard Air Force One”.
President Johnson is also the only US president who has been sworn in a vehicle.
The first Air Force One:-
President Dwight Eisenhower’s stunning Lockheed Constellation, named Columbine II is the first ever aircraft that was assigned the call sign Air Force One. The aircraft served under service from 1953 to 1954 and was later replaced by the Columbine III.
Back on November 1952, President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower used this aircraft to travel from the US to South Korea.
$24 Million Refrigerators
According to a report published by The New York Times in their January 2018 edition, they reported that the two refrigerators installed on the Air Force One needed the upgrades after they served for more than quarter of a century.
These refrigerators after combined with the engineering for design, manufacturing, environmental testing and obtaining the Federal Aviation Administration certification had a total price tag of $23,657,671.
Navy One
During the invasion of Iraq, when President George W. Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln back in 2033, he designated his naval transport aircraft, the Lockheed S-3 Viking as the “Navy One”. This aircraft was used by the US Navy for anti-submarine warfare.
Cost of flight:-
Although the Air Force One is one of the most secretive and heavily guarded aircraft in the US when compared to even top fighter jets like F-22 and F-35, the cost of the flight for this plane is still available due to open records.
The Air Force One costs about 206000 dollars per hour flight. Yes, it is true, for every 60 minutes the aircraft flies in the sky it costs a little over 20000 dollars.
Conclusion:-
The Air Force One is without a doubt the most heavily guarded, secretive and the most important aircraft in the USA as it comes with the responsibility of transporting the POTUS not only in the USA but anywhere in the world. With its state of the art features the aircraft itself is like an elegant mansion in the skies. The aircraft has served the Presidents of the United States to take them to all over the world which also includes taking them to historical abandoned military bases.
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