Air Force One is so much more than a private jet for the POTUS. It’s a top secret vault in the sky, and that vault has just been cracked. Here are some things that nobody knew about Air Force One, until now…
Air Force One can fly over 700 miles per hour. That’s really fast! It can also fly higher than most commercial planes, at a height of 45,000 feet. That’s 10,000 feet higher than the normal cruising altitude of any other passenger airliner. Despite its crazy speed, Air Force One flies very smoothly.
This is probably one of the coolest facts about Air Force One. Air Force One can refuel in the sky. It never has to touch ground. If it wanted to, it could fly forever. It can keep the president in the sky as long as it has to. Another cool fact: Air Force One has a 3,000 gallon fuel tank.
There are essentially two restaurants aboard Air Force One – well, they’re two massive kitchens that always have food available. The president and his guests can have anything they desire Air Force one is staffed with top rated chefs, and each kitchen holds up to 100 people. That’s pretty big!
Air Force One has over 85 phones. But why? Well, it’s the most secure place the president can talk, even over the White House. The Airborne Executive Phone has a light on the back that lights up red when secure. There are dozens of less secure lines aboard for the press and staff that travel with the president.
Air Force One is large enough to be a house. It has three stories of 4,000 square feet. The president has his own large office, lavatory, and conference room.
There are private quarters for special guests, and all the furniture is exquisite like it belongs in some exotic mansion.
The Air Force One costs $206,000 an hour to operate. That’s staggering compared to the $20,000 an hour it costs for a commercial airline.
President Trump’s traveling costs were $10 million his first month in office. Presidential travel involves hundreds of people and dozens of aircraft. The costs add up.
If a passenger aboard the Air Force One gets sick, it’s no problem. There’s a miniature hospital built into Air Force One, with a doctor staffed at all times.
Air sickness is not an excuse to avoid travel on this well-equipped plane! And how cool would it be to be known as the “Air Force One doctor?”
There are two Air Force Ones, but only one is the real deal. They fly together so no one knows which one the president is actually on. “The Gulfstream,” known as the C-20C, is a jet that supposedly trails the other two planes, but the government and the Air Force deny it exists. Interesting…
Because of Air Force One’s particular function, it must be kept in as close to perfect condition at all times. This is to reduce the potential for any type of devastating accident. The team of contractors that are assigned to maintain the plane has a very strict set of protocols to maintain. Other than keeping the aircraft in pristine condition, both inside and out, the contractors are charged with checking every inch of the plane, even down to the fuel that goes into its tanks. When not in use, the planes are under heavily armed, round the clock guard, in a hangar at Andrews Air Force Base just outside of DC.
The presidential limo nicknamed the ‘Beast’, goes everywhere the president goes—without exception. The reason for this is that the Secret Service will be better able to maintain the safety of the POTUS during vehicular transport. When the POTUS arrives, the limo is there waiting for him when he lands at his destination, to carry him to wherever he needs. However, the limo, a Cadillac, does not actually travel with the president. In actuality, it is sent ahead of the president, transported aboard a military cargo plane. Since it is ahead of the president the limo can be waiting and ready on the tarmac when the president arrives.
When it comes to who has priority and who doesn’t, there isn’t much discussion when Air Force One is involved. Air Force One gets priority over anything and anyone else flying—end of story. Her pilots do not have to worry about how busy the airspace is, because it isn’t. All airspace is cleared ahead of Air Force One in every flight she makes. There is also the fact that all air traffic, no matter whom it may be, is halted and grounded until Air Force One has either taken off or landed. For this very reason, and in order to not disrupt commercial airlines schedules, Air Force One typically lands at military air bases.
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