The plane of the President of the United States is a striking symbol of the United States in general and the first-person office in particular. Whenever the head of state travels abroad or around the country, he is provided with a high-tech and luxurious airbus. On a memorial day on September 11th, George W. Bush's aircraft showed that it was much more than a jet plane - the Boeing 747 became a mobile bunker when all ground positions seemed to be vulnerable to attack.
So what is the difference between “Board One” and other airliners, and what is required for the head of state to fly around the world? Considering how much the President’s plane is carrying, it’s not surprising that the media calls it the “Flying White House.”
What is Board One?
Most people have a general idea that the plane of the President of the United States is a flying office with all kinds of high-tech equipment. But there are two significant facts about which the general public is little known.
Technically, “Board One” is not an airplane. This is the radio call sign of any US Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. As soon as the head of state is on a flying vehicle, it is referred to by the crew and all controllers as “Air Force One” (Air Force One) to avoid confusion with any other aircraft in the area. If the president moves on an army aircraft, then it is called "Army Board No. 1", and each time he lands on his specialized helicopter, he becomes "Fleet Board No. 1". But civilians call it the Boeing 747 itself.
US President's plane: characteristics
To date, there are two airliners that fly regularly under this designation - almost identical to the Boeing 747-200B. The aircraft themselves are designated VC-25A with tail numbers 28000 and 29000.
These two airplanes have the same overall design of a conventional Boeing 747-200B and similar characteristics. They have almost the same height of a six-story building (19.8 m) and the length of the city block (70.66 m). Each of them has four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines, which provide a thrust of 252 kN each. The maximum speed is in the range from 1014 to 1127 km / h and the maximum ceiling is 13747 m. Each plane carries 203129 liters of fuel. The aircraft weighs 377842 kg in a fully equipped condition for flying over long distances. With a full tank, an aircraft can fly around the world (12553 km).
Like normal Boeing 747s, these aircraft have three levels. But inside the “Board number 1" is completely unlike commercial airliners.
Inside Air Force One
The plane of the President of the United States, whose cabin has a usable area of 371 square meters. m., much more like a hotel or office than a jet liner, with the exception of seat belts on all seats. The lowest level is mainly used for transporting goods. Most of the passenger facilities are at an average level, while the upper one mainly houses communication equipment.
The president has accommodation on board, including his bedroom, bathroom, gym, and office space. Most of the furniture on the plane is made manually by cabinetmakers.
Staff gather in a large conference room, which also serves as a dining room. The highest ranks have their own offices, and the rest of the presidential administration employees also have places for work and leisure. There is a separate area for accompanying reporters, as well as enough space for staff to perform official duties. In general, the aircraft of the President of the United States can comfortably carry 70 passengers and 26 crew members.
Hollywood version
"Board number one" was shown from the inside in the 1997 Hollywood movie of the same name with Harrison Ford as President of the United States. Although some details of the scenery were vaguely reminiscent of the original, the director of the picture gave vent to artistic creativity. A real aircraft does not have a rescue capsule, as shown in the film, or even parachutes. Of course, a rescue capsule is not a thing to talk about.
Layout
The US president’s plane is shrouded in some mythical, mysterious halo, largely because most people have limited access to it. Even invited politicians and journalists are not allowed in some of its parts, and the Air Force is careful enough to hide specific details of the model of the aircraft. What secrets does the US presidential plane keep? A number of official and unofficial sources published a general description of what is inside the “Board number 1”, but no one, as far as is known, has not said exactly how these parts relate to each other. And even if someone had done this, he would probably have received polite advice to hide this information for reasons of national security.
Here's what we know: like the regular Boeing 747, the aircraft of the US president inside is divided into three decks. And, as you can verify on television broadcasts, passengers enter it through three doors. Usually, the head of state, welcoming those who meet, uses a door on the middle deck, to which a self-propelled passenger ramp approaches. Journalists enter through the back door, where they immediately go up the ramp to the middle deck. Most of the press area looks like a first-class section in a conventional jet liner, with comfortable, spacious seats.
According to the logic of things, there should also be:
- area for staff;
- on-board kitchen;
- conference room and dining room;
- Presidential number and his office;
- place for work and rest of the crew.
And, of course, there must necessarily be a communication center room, a cabin and a cockpit, as in a regular commercial airliner.
Along with the unconventional use of passenger space, “Board No. 1” is packed with many technologies, which distinguishes it from a conventional jet aircraft.
Features
As “Board No. 1” carries the president, some trips can be quite lengthy, and the aircraft has a number of special functions, many of which are absent on civilian aircraft.
The crew prepares food in two fully equipped kitchens. A large amount of food is stored in freezers on the lower deck. The crew can feed up to 100 people at a time, and the storage allows you to have a stock of 2, 000 servings.
Many technologies are involved in the medical compartment. There is an extensive pharmacy, a lot of emergency equipment and even a folding operating table. The crew also includes a doctor who travels with the president, wherever he goes. Taking off, the aircraft is as prepared for all possible unforeseen situations as possible.
Unlike the usual Boeing-747, Board No. 1 is equipped with its own retractable ramps for landing and disembarkation in front and behind. Gangways open on the lower deck, and crew and staff climb the internal stairs to reach the upper deck. The plane also has its own luggage loader. With such additions, Board No. 1 does not depend on airport services that may pose a security risk.
Electronic filling
The most remarkable feature of the aircraft is its electronics. It includes 85 on-board telephones, a collection of walkie-talkies, fax machines and computer connections. There are also 19 TVs and a variety of office equipment. The telephone system is connected to landlines of general and government communications. The President and his staff can speak with anyone in the world, traveling at cruising speed a few kilometers above the ground.
The on-board electronics work is provided by about 380 km of wires (twice as much as in the usual Boeing-747). Shielding is sufficient to protect the equipment from the electromagnetic pulse produced by a nuclear explosion.
Another feature is the ability to refuel in flight. Like the B-2 or other combat aircraft, this allows the ship to remain in the air indefinitely, which can be crucial in an emergency.
One of the most interesting elements of “Board No. 1” - advanced avionics and protective equipment - are classified. But the Air Force maintains that the aircraft is certainly military, and was designed to withstand an air attack. Among other things, it is equipped with a system of electronic suppression, which is capable of jamming enemy radars. The aircraft is also capable of firing infrared traps to divert heat-guided missiles.
Flight preparation
Each flight of "Board No. 1" is classified as a military operation and is carried out accordingly. Soldiers at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland carefully inspect the aircraft and the runway before departure.
When the time comes for takeoff, the presidential helicopter delivers the first person of the state from the White House to Andrews Air Base. The base staff monitors unauthorized aircraft nearby and has the right to shoot them down without warning.
Before each flight of Bort No. 1, the Air Force sends C141 Starlifter cargo planes to the destination, carrying the President’s motorcade. It includes a collection of bulletproof limos and wagons loaded with weapons to ensure the safety of the head of state on earth.
The president always arrives at the base with "football" - a briefcase in which codes for nuclear deployment are stored. The Air Force officer guards him throughout the flight before handing him over to the Army Officer on the ground.
Privilege to work with the President
Like a conventional jet liner, a country's first-person aircraft is serviced by a flight crew, and stewards prepare and serve food, as well as clean the aircraft. They are carefully selected from military personnel with an impeccable reputation. Crew members who prepare food must maintain a high level of security. For example, when buying food, they work undercover and choose supermarkets randomly to prevent poisoning attempts. The plane is serviced by the president of the United States better than a five-star hotel.
Crew members enjoy a very rare privilege - they work with the head of state when he is in the most vulnerable condition. Each president, starting with Harry Truman, maintained close ties with his flight crew, and the last flight was always emotional.
The president’s plane: the story of the American "Board number 1"
Until World War II, United States leaders rarely traveled far from home. A visit to other states took too much time and cut off the head of the country from the main institutions of power.
The development of aviation allowed the president to move around the globe and return to the United States in a short time. In 1943, Franklin Roosevelt became the first acting head of state to take to the air by flying a Boeing 314 to a conference in Casablanca.
Roosevelt decided to take this step because the German submarines made the seas too dangerous. But the success of the mission made flying the standard way of moving the head of state. Soon, the government decided to provide the president with a special military aircraft. The Air Force initially elected the C-87A Liberator Express, a B-24 bomber configured for civilian use, dubbed "Guess Where."
After another C-87A crashed under mysterious circumstances, the security service decided that the aircraft was not reliable enough for the president. Soon, the C-54 Skymaster was prepared for Roosevelt, which had bedrooms, a cordless telephone and a retractable wheelchair lift. The plane, nicknamed the “Sacred Cow”, transported the head of state on a number of important missions, including the historic Yalta Conference.
President Sacred Cow inherited President Truman, but was then replaced by a modified DC-6 called Independence. Unlike the previous aircraft, the new “Board No. 1” stood out with a patriotic coloring depicting an eagle's head on its nose. Eisenhower was provided with two identical propeller planes with modernized equipment, including a telephone and a teletype.
