50 Secrets of Air Force One

The president conducts many important business trips out of Air Force One and even has an Oval Office onboard. It is commonly referred to as the flying White House and can be seen all around the world. The aircraft is an important part of the presidential administration and plays a critical role in the business of the federal government.

The plane is also equipped with advanced secure communications equipment that allows it to communicate without being compromised. Whenever there is a global emergency or terrorist attack the president takes to Air Force One, which acts as the "flying White House." The mobile command center is well equipped so that the president can stay in touch in such situations.

The two planes hold specific tail numbers that are 28000 and 29000. Both of these planes are designated as the official planes for presidential travel and have been in service since 1990. 

The president has his own office in which he can conduct business and have personal talks. The secret service is positioned just outside of the office in case of any emergencies. There is also a private suite in which the president can relax and unwind in during the flight. The suite includes a bed, some couches, and a private bathroom.

There are many phones to insure open lines in case of emergencies, these lines can either make secured or unsecured calls. These phones provide Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) for internet and digital voice access. This ensures that there is always reliable connectivity within the plane.

Every meal is served on special china that is branded with the presidential seal. They provide many specialty dishes that are far better than what you would get on a traditional airline. Chefs will sometimes prepare meals around what the president likes.

The medical cabin has many supplies such as defibrillators, IV pumps, and a variety of medications. There is a space that allows the doctor to perform basic surgical procedures if needed. Air Force One is equipped with advanced medical supplies to provide for any emergencies that may happen. 

Air Force One is also equipped with electronic countermeasures that can jam enemy radars, protecting it against an attack and allowing its location to stay anonymous. There is also an infrared countermeasure system that can redirect or confuse enemy missiles. Flares can be deployed as a backup in case the infrared system does not counter a missile.

Air Force One is capable of flying indefinitely if needed, having an aircraft refuel the plane in mid-flight. This is only used in emergency situations and can allow the president to stay safe if there are any unsafe conditions on the ground.

The entire body is made of armor-plating and all of the windows are armor-plated glass as well. Most of the specs are classified, so most of the details are kept top secret. We can guess that most of the armor plating that forms the aircraft is bulletproof and can stop a range of ammunition types.

The entire airspace is usually cleared and the airport is notified beforehand. Planes that violate the airspace can suffer severe penalties such as a pilot's license suspension. Air Force One doesn't take any help from outside services, it has its own crew that takes care of loading and offloading.

This plane was designed during the Cold War to protect against nuclear destruction. Since then it has always been on standby and following Air Force One in case a need arises. There are four known planes in existence and they are equipped with advanced technologies that are mainly classified.

Flight attendants and crew are hand-picked for their jobs and undergo regular recurrent training. The entire crew has to go through immense training that teaches them safety and survival in case of an emergency. The training is supposed to be very intense to prepare them if they do go down in enemy territory.

The new aircraft are being built in Texas and they are expected to arrive by 2026, which is two years later than what was expected. It is a more advanced aircraft that will have new defense systems and many classified specifications and capabilities. The one downside to the new Air Force One is that it will no longer have air-to-air refueling, instead, it will have a longer flight time. 

It was established as "Air Force One" so that it wouldn't get any other flights confused with the president's plane. If the president is on board a helicopter then that is designated as "Marine One" instead of "Air Force One."

The aircraft is always on standby if the president ever needs to be evacuated and take off immediately. When Air Force One is not in use it is parked in hangars at Andrews Air Force Base which is located outside of Washington DC. In this hangar, the aircraft undergoes maintenance and repairs.

When Roosevelt called the Presidential Airlift Group into action, he meant for it to provide the president with reliable transportation and safe, secure communications. This division is highly trained and able to perform all the duties that are needed to operate and maintain the aircraft.

The plane has two entrances with the front one being for the president, his family, and special guests. The other entrance is meant for journalists and staff to enter through. There is space for many passengers to relax as well as rooms that store communications equipment. The president has his own office space and a conference room to discuss business in. All of this space in Air Force One equals out to about 4,000 square feet with every bit of space being fully used.

When President Bush was aboard Air Force One the crew knew that he liked his coffee black with Equal sugar. Even when Reagan was president the crew knew he was such a big fan of Jelly Beans, so they always had Jelly Beans on board Air Force One. They also know which foods the president prefers or dislikes and try to design the menu around it. 

Raymond was one of the most successful designers of his time and created many different icons such as Coca-Cola vending machines and even the famous Greyhound buses. The interior was mainly influenced by Jackie Kennedy and even the sea foam blue exterior was overseen by her. 

The motorcade is usually sent ahead of Air Force One aboard a C-141 Starlifter cargo plane and it arrives ready and waiting for the president's arrival. This is to insure the president has safe transportation on and off the ground. It is said that the cargo plane also transports its own fuel for the motorcade so that there is no chance that the fuel can be contaminated by someone.

The typical cruising speed for the Air Force One aircraft is about 580 miles per hour and can even go halfway around the world when it is fully fueled. The aircraft can reach altitudes above 45,000 feet which is much higher than the altitude of commercial flights. 

When the president arrives on the Marine One helicopter, teams are established all over the area to make sure there are no breaches and no airplanes are violating the airspace. The president always has a briefcase that is called "the football" that carries nuclear codes just in case the need arises. The crew all has specific assignments when boarding and military personnel always secure the area.

The boxes of M&M's are usually red, white, and blue in color with the seal of the president and the signature of the sitting president on it. The other side of the box has the M&M characters holding the flag of the United States. 

These cameras were so advanced that they were able to read a license plate from 29,000 feet in the air. It is said that President Eisenhower didn't know about the cameras during that time and would probably not have approved of them. 

Fargo was a dark comedy crime film that was produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It supposedly won the title of “Longest Playing Film Aboard Air Force One.” President Clinton shared that the movie was played at least 25 times during his presidency and was well-loved by all the staff. 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to use a presidential plane for state business for a war strategy meeting in Casablanca, Morocco. The presidential plane Roosevelt took was a Boeing 314 Flying Boat and it took him four days just to make it to Morrocco. The plane departed from Florida and flew through the Caribbean to Brazil before departing on the trans-Atlantic flight to Morrocco.

There has only been one time that an aircraft has ever been designated Navy One and it was when George W. Bush was president. An S-3 was used to transport President Bush to an aircraft off the coast of San Diego in 2003. The aircraft was retired later that year and was put on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

It was said that instead of a bible being used to take the oath, Johnson swore upon a missal found on a side table within Kennedy's Air Force One office. Judge Sarah Hughes administered the oath of office to Johnson just before departing to Washington, D.C. Accounts say that once Johnson took the oath he looked at Jackie Kennedy and said "The whole nation mourns your husband."

The Secret Service is also on board to make sure nothing can happen to the president along with plenty of other security personnel. The aircraft can seat up to 100 people but never usually exceeds that number. The large crew works together to ensure the flight goes smoothly and that everything is taken care of during operation. 

The plane that was turned into Air Force One was a modified civilian Boeing 707 that remained in service until 1998. This plane was used to bring Kennedy's body back to Washington, D.C. after he was assassinated. The plane is on display today at the Presidential Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio.

These reporters have played critical roles in history by reporting things such as John F. Kennedy's assassination and even Ronald Reagan's attempted assassination. The press has its own cabin aboard Air Force One where they have to stay for most of the flight. The press isn't allowed in certain parts of the aircraft due to security reasons.

The aircraft usually takes off from military bases because it is a secure area to operate from. There is usually armed personnel on the runway securing the area and even secret service agents aboard the plane. There is a whole plan for every entry and exit from Air Force One to ensure that nothing can go wrong, and if it does, there are plans put in place to handle those situations.

Ford was known to smuggle Coors beer onto Air Force One flights whenever he was out in the Western states. He was even known to travel out West on his personal time just to stock up on beer and bring it back to D.C. on Air Force One. He would have members of his team smuggle it aboard the plane so that it wasn't so obvious.

Broccoli wasn't technically "banned" from Air Force One but it was never served during his presidency because he detested it. President Bush at a conference said, "I do not like broccoli and I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!"

It is said that it costs around $56,000 an hour just to operate, putting it in the millions when traveling overseas. There are two new Air Force One planes being built by Boeing to be the next installments in the fleet and the deal reached $3.9 billion for construction. 

In 2002, George W. Bush approved the proposal that created the Department of Homeland Security on board Air Force One. This decision was in response to the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. This is one of many historical decisions that happened on Air Force One.

Bill Clinton was especially known for playing jazz music at high volumes, some would say even too high. Clinton was known to have hearing issues so, therefore, he liked the music at higher volumes so he could hear. He would also bring his saxophone on Air Force One and play along with the music.

Inside the body of the plane runs 240 miles of wire that powers everything from computers to phones and everything in between. The installation of all this wiring must have taken a good amount of work. 

They are not allowed to move forward past their seats because the secret service takes their security very seriously. The guest section is stocked with plenty of amenities and room to conversate and work. The president will sometimes make his way to the guest section and talk to guests while on the flight.

The Sacred Crow was only used once by Roosevelt before he passed away, but Harry Truman used it when he took the presidency. Truman was said to have signed the National Security Act of 1947 on the Sacred Crow.

The Independence had a stateroom for the president as well as a large cabin that was able to seat 24 people or convert into 12 beds. The VC-118 had many technical improvements over its predecessors, having a larger fuel tank, autopilot, and even radar. This aircraft served the administration until 1953 and is now on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio.

It entered service in 1953 and only lasted a year before Eisenhower upgraded to a Super Constellation that was named Columbine III. This was the last piston-engine presidential aircraft that was used before moving on to the jet age under Eisenhower. The new aircraft was the Boeing 707 Statoliner customized to the president's specs, this was the first jet engine presidential aircraft.

During his administration, all of the free gifts that were given to guests and crew on Air Force One were never supplied. This was because Carter wouldn't accept anything from a private company to be stocked on board Air Force One. Master Sergeant Charlie Palmer who was the Chief Steward recalls in a documentary saying that there were no bells and whistles on the aircraft and that everything was "bare bones.”

The aircraft that was used by Reagan was the VC-137C SAM 27000 and it was retired in 2001. When it was retired in 2001, George W. Bush said some remarks about the plane: “My father flew it frequently, but the President who used it the most was Ronald Reagan. It was from this plane that President Reagan disembarked in Berlin in 1987, and demanded, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.' And none of those flights would have been possible without the skill and commitment of the aircrews of the old 27000.”

LAX is one of the country's busiest airports and it caused many issues because of how many flights had to stay grounded or in the air. Air Force One sat there with its engines running waiting for the president's hair to be perfectly cut before resuming its operations. 

During both of his terms as president, Reagan had a jar of Jelly Beans in both the White House and aboard Air Force One. A big reason why Jelly Beans were a favorite of his was that Reagan quit smoking cigarettes and it was a way for him to forget about smoking.

The aircraft is a C-32A, which is a military-converted version of the Boeing 757 commercial airliner. This plane is usually used for its short runway capabilities compared to Air Force One. Although not as fuel efficient as Air Force One, this plane can fly 5,500 nautical miles without refueling.

The Gulfstream is not widely known and can not even be found on the Air Force's website, making it top secret. The plane was once used to bring President Clinton into Pakistan while another aircraft followed behind as a decoy under the callsign Air Force One, to ensure the safety of the president.

It was given the callsign "Special Mission 41" to commemorate the passing of President Bush. The final resting place of George was in Texas at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station.