US President's plane: overview, description, characteristics and interesting facts

The US President's aircraft is a vivid symbol of the United States in general and the office of the first person in particular. Whenever the head of state travels abroad or across the country, he is provided with a high-tech and luxurious airbus. On the memorable day of September 11, the aircraft of George W. Bush showed that this is 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 "Bort Number One" and other airliners, and what is required for the head of state to fly around the world? Given how much the US president's plane is transporting, it's not surprising that the media call it the "flying White House".

What is "Bort number one"?

Most people have a general idea that the US president's airplane is a flying office with all kinds of high-tech equipment. But there are two essential facts that the general public knows little about.

Technically, "Bort number one" is not an airplane. This is the radio call sign of any US Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. Once the head of state is on a flying vehicle, it is mentioned by the crew and all dispatchers 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 Airborne No.1", and every time he sits down on his specialized helicopter, he becomes "Fleet No. 1". But civilians call it "Boeing-747".

US President aircraft: characteristics

To date, there are two airliners that regularly fly under this designation - almost identical "Boeing 747-200B". The aircraft themselves are designated VC-25A with tail numbers of 28,000 and 29,000.

These two aircraft have the same general design of the conventional "Boeing 747-200B" and similar characteristics. They have almost the same height of the six-story building (19.8 m) and the length of the urban quarter (70.66 m). Each of them has four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines, which provide a pull 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 377,842 kg in fully equipped for long-range flights. With a full tank, an aircraft can fly half the world (12553 km).

Like the normal "Boeing 747", these planes have three levels. But inside the "Bort # 1" is completely different from commercial airliners.

Inside the Air Force One

The US President aircraft, whose salon has a useful area of 371 square meters. M., Much more like a hotel or office than a jetliner, except for seat belts on all seats. The lowest level is mainly used for cargo transportation. Most of the passenger rooms are at an average level, and on the top is mainly located communication equipment.

The president has on board living quarters, including his bedroom, bathroom, gym and office space. Most of the furniture on the plane is made by handmasters-cabinetmakers.

Staff gathers in the large conference room, which also serves as a dining room. Higher ranks have their own offices, and the remaining employees of the presidential administration also have places for work and recreation. There is a separate area for accompanying reporters, as well as enough space for the performance of staff duties. In general, the US President's plane can comfortably carry 70 passengers and 26 crew members.

Hollywood version

"Board Number One" was shown from the inside in the same Hollywood movie of 1997 with Harrison Ford as US President. Although some details of the scenery remotely resembled the original, the director of the picture gave vent to artistic creativity. A real airplane does not have a life-saving capsule, as shown in the movie, or even parachutes. Of course, the rescue capsule is not a thing you can talk about.

Layout

The plane of the US President is shrouded in some mythical, mysterious halo, largely because access to it for most people is limited. Even invited politicians and journalists are not allowed in some of its parts, and the Air Force is cautious enough to hide specific details of the layout of the aircraft. What are the secrets of the President's aircraft? A number of official and unofficial sources have published a general description of what is inside the "Bort # 1", but no one has, as far as is known, said exactly how these parts relate to each other. And even if someone did, then, probably, would receive a polite advice to hide this information for reasons of national security.

That's what we know: like the usual Boeing 747, the US President's aircraft inside is divided into three decks. And, as can be verified by television broadcasts, passengers enter it through three doors. Usually the head of state, greeting those who meet, uses the door on the middle deck, to which the self-propelled passenger ladder approaches. Journalists enter through the back door, where they immediately go up the ladder to the middle deck. Most of the press area looks like a first class section in a conventional jet liner, with comfortable, spacious seats.

Logically, it should also be:

• Zone for staff;
• Onboard kitchen;
• Conference room and dining room;
• Number of the president and his office;
• Place for work and rest of the crew.

And, of course, there should be a communication center, a saloon and a cockpit, as in a normal commercial airliner.

Along with non-traditional use of passenger space, "Bort # 1" is packed with a variety of technologies, which distinguishes it from a conventional jet aircraft.

Features

Since "Bort # 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 civil aircraft.

The crew cooks 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 store allows you to have a stock of 2,000 servings.

A lot of technologies are involved in the medical compartment. There is an extensive pharmacy, a lot of equipment for emergency care 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 maximally prepared for all possible unforeseen situations.

Unlike the usual "Boeing 747", "Boat No.1" is equipped with its own sliding ramps for landing and landing in front and behind. Traps open on the lower deck, and crew members and staff climb the inner staircase to get to the upper deck. The aircraft also has its own luggage loader. With such additions, "Bort # 1" does not depend on airport services, which can pose a security threat.

Electronic filling

The most notable feature of an aircraft is its electronics. It includes 85 on-board telephones, a collection of walkie-talkies, fax machines and computer connections. There are 19 TV sets and a variety of office equipment. The telephone system is connected to land lines of regular and governmental communication. The president and his staff can talk to any person in the world, traveling at cruising speed a few kilometers above the ground.

The work of on-board electronics provides about 380 km of wires (twice as much as in the usual "Boeing 747"). The screening is sufficient to protect the technique from the electromagnetic pulse produced by the nuclear explosion.

Another feature is the possibility of refueling in flight. Like the B-2 or other combat aircraft, this allows the ship to remain in the air indefinitely, which can be critical in an emergency situation.

Some of the most interesting elements of the "Bort # 1" - advanced avionics and means of protection - are classified. But the Air Force maintains that the aircraft is certainly a military aircraft, and was designed to withstand an air attack. Among other things, it is equipped with a system of electronic suppression, which is capable of killing enemy radar. The aircraft is also capable of shooting infrared traps to divert missiles with thermal guidance.

Preparation for flight

Each flight of "Bort # 1" is classified as a military operation and produced accordingly. Servicemen at the Andrews airbase in Maryland carefully inspect the aircraft and the runway before departure.

When the take-off time comes, the presidential helicopter delivers the first person of the state from the White House to the Andrews airbase. The personnel of the base monitors unauthorized aircraft nearby and has the right to shoot them down without warning.

Before each flight of "Bort # 1", the Air Force sends cargo aircraft C141 Starlifter carrying the motorcade to the place of destination. It includes a collection of bullet-proof limousines and wagons loaded with weapons to ensure the safety of the head of state on earth.

The president always arrives at the base with a "football" - a suitcase in which codes for a nuclear deployment are stored. The Air Force officer guards him during the entire flight, before handing it over to the army officer on the ground.

Privilege to work with the president

Like an ordinary jetliner, the first-person aircraft of the country is served by a flight crew, and the stewards prepare and serve food, and also clean the aircraft. They are carefully selected from the military with an impeccable reputation. Crew members who prepare food should observe a high level of safety. For example, when buying food, they work undercover and choose supermarkets accidentally to prevent poisoning attempts. Serviced aircraft of the US president is steeper 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. Every president, beginning with Harry Truman, maintained close ties with his flight crew, and the last flight was always emotional.

President's plane: the history of the American "Bort # 1"

Until World War II, the heads of the United States rarely traveled far from home. Visiting 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 US in a short time. In 1943, Franklin Roosevelt became the first acting head of state, who ascended into the air, traveling on a Boeing 314 flying ship to a conference in Casablanca.

Roosevelt decided to take such a step, because the German submarines made the seas too dangerous. But the success of the mission made flights a standard way of moving the head of state. Soon the government decided to give the president a special military aircraft. The Air Force initially selected 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 this aircraft is not reliable enough for the president. Soon for Roosevelt was prepared C-54 Skymaster, which had bedrooms, a radiotelephone and a retractable lift for a wheelchair. The plane, nicknamed "The Sacred Cow", transported the head of state to a number of important missions, including the historic Yalta conference.

President Truman "The Sacred Cow" inherited, but then it was replaced by a modified DC-6, called "Independence." Unlike the previous aircraft, the new "Bort # 1" stood out with a patriotic coloring with the image of the head of an eagle on its nose. Eisenhower was provided with two identical propeller aircraft with upgraded equipment, including a telephone and teletype.

From Eisenhower to Obama

In 1958, the Air Force provided two Boeing-707s. This was a significant step forward compared to previous aircraft. It was then that the call sign "Bort # 1" began to be used, and the public accepted this name after Kennedy took office.

At the beginning of his term, Kennedy added a more advanced, long-range Boeing 707, and also oversaw the change in aesthetic design - the blue and white decor used to this day.

This aircraft and its twin, adopted in the air fleet in 1972, played a role in a number of important historical events of the last 50 years. The Boeing 707 carried Kennedy to Dallas on November 22, 1963, and on the same day took his body back. In flight, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the next US president. The same aircraft drove Nixon from the District of Columbia to California after his resignation. At halfway the crew received confirmation that Gerald Ford was sworn in as the next president, and the callsign of the aircraft was changed to SAM (special air mission) 27,000.

The Boeing 707 served Reagan for two terms and to George Bush Sr. during his first term. In 1990, the outdated 707 was replaced by the Boeing 747, the US President Barack Obama's aircraft used today.

Another change of the aviation park of the head of state was planned back in 2010 after 20 years of flights. If we compare planes of presidents of different countries, the USA does not stand out for the special novelty of airplanes. For example, the more modern "Boeing 747-400" is available to the Prime Minister of Japan, King of Bahrain, Sultan of Brunei, King of Oman, King of Saudi Arabia, etc. On January 28, 2015, the Air Force announced that the next presidential aircraft would be " Boeing 747-8. "