Air Force One: Things you might not know
Updated
Whether your first thought is of the dramatic take-off in the blockbuster Independence Day, or the tense on-board meetings in House of Cards, Hollywood can make you feel like you know everything about Air Force One.
Air Force One facts
- There are two Air Force One planes
- It's also known as the "flying Oval Office" and "Angel"
- It has 400 square feet of interior floor space
- There's space for the president's living quarters, an office areas and work and rest areas for staff, press and crew
- The plane is crewed by US Air Force personnel
- It has 87 phones, and can transmit live on board
- Since 1987 modified Boeing 747-200s have served presidents
- Now, the 747-8 will replace the 747-200s currently in use
- The announcement for the new planes was made in January
- This week US President-elect Donald Trump demanded the plans for the planes be cancelled
Now, US-President elect Donald Trump wants to "cancel" the Government's order of two new planes.
So what actually makes an Air Force One aircraft so special (and expensive)?
It can be refueled while in the air
So, it could technically stay in the air indefinitely. This feature would only be needed in an emergency, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.
How does it work? The plane has a special fuel cap on its nose, so a second Air Force plane can connect a fuel pump to the front of the plane while flying above it.
It's fast
Air Force One has the ability to fly at a speed of more than 965 kilometres per hour (or around 75 per cent of Mach 1 — the speed of sound at sea level).
According to reports, F-16 fighter planes escorting the president's plane on September 11 had to ask Air Force One's pilot Colonel Mark Tillman to slow down.
It has its own surgery and two kitchens
The plane is decked out with medical facilities, including an operating table, and carries an extra reserve of the president's blood type in a refrigerator, just in case.
It also has two kitchens which can cater for 100 people at a time.
And, of course, there's a shower.
It's an airborne command centre in every sense
There's a "situation room".
There's space for the press.
The president can even deliver a national television address from its video-teleconference system.
Aviation expert Trevor Jensen said the plane was designed to be a working command centre.
"The president is the Commander in Chief, unlike Malcolm Turnbull, so he needs … to have the best resources available to him. That's what provided through this aircraft," Mr Jensen said.
"They are able to do everything from running a nuclear war [to] running a PR exercise."
It's made of tough stuff
While the details of the plane's defence capabilities are kept top secret, the plane has the ability to function as a de facto bunker in the event of a nuclear attack.
It's also reported to be capable of repelling airborne missiles and has a special electronic defence system that can jam enemy radars.
Electronics on board are designed to protect against an electromagnetic pulse and the aircraft is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment.
It never parks at the terminal
Mr Jensen said the plane also needed to be able to take off at a moment's notice.
"When it comes it stays where it lands … you'll never see it parked at the terminal," Mr Jensen said.
"It's totally self-contained."
Photo:
Air Force One flying over New York and the Statue Of Liberty on April 27, 2009. (www.dod.mil)
Boeing have been looking after Air Force One for a long time
More than half a century in fact.
In 1943 President Franklin D Roosevelt flew in Boeing's B-314 "Dixie Clipper" to Casablanca.
It was the first time a sitting US president had travelled overseas by air and that plane is seen as the original Air Force One.
It wasn't until the late 1950s that Boeing built a plane specifically as a presidential aircraft, the Boeing VC-137A.
President Dwight Eisenhower was the first to use it, on a 19-day overseas tour in 1959.
Former first lady Jackie Kennedy's style had a big impact
In 1962, President John F Kennedy became the first president to fly a plane specifically built for presidential use, a modified Boeing 707.
The then-first lady commissioned designer Raymond Loewy to design new livery and interiors for the SAM 26000, the exterior also received a bold blue paint job.
The colour was her husband's favourite.
Vice president Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office on board the aircraft after Kennedy's assassination. Mr Kennedy's body was also transported from Dallas to Washington DC on Air Force One.
How does it compare to Trump's plane?
The President-elect currently has his own Boeing 757, which is decked out with white leather and gold, a large flat-screen television and a bedroom.
But, his plane lacks the high-level security provisions.
The Washington Post has even compared the plans for both of the planes.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, engineering, united-states
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