Борт номер 1 президента сша

Авиа борт № 1 или так называемый самолёт президента США по оценкам экспертов имеет стоимость в 470 миллионов долларов, хотя в действительно предполагается, что эта цифра значительно выше. В настоящий момент благодаря информации просочившейся в глобальную паутину, стало наконец известно о том, что представляет из себя самолёт президента США в больших подробностях, что в ряде министерств США вызвало также панику из-за возможности отыскать уязвимые места авиалайнера.

Авиа борт № 1 президента США и его интерьер

Как известно, у президента США Барака Обамы имеется сразу несколько самолётов, причём в зависимости от своего назначения может использоваться тот, либо иной тип. Наиболее узнаваемым из всех является, конечно же, самолёт типа Boeing 747-200 c хорошо заметной надписью на борту «Air Force One», что в переводе на более привычный язык означает «авиа борт № 1».

Интерьер самолёта президента США выполнен достаточно скудно, во всяком случае, по сравнению с самолётами ряда лидеров других стран. Вместо золотых украшений и сантехники здесь используется либо позолота, либо более дешевые, чем золото благородные металлы, в частности речь идёт о серебре.

Интерьер авиа борта № 1 президента США включает в себя:

• Два конференц-центра, один из которых задействован для работы с другими высокопоставленными людьми страны;
• Коммуникационный центр;
• Командный центр, расположенный ближе к головной части президентского самолёта;
• 2 комнаты для нужд экипажа самолёта;
• Комната охраны президента;
• Личный кабинет президента.

Таким образом, огромный трансатлантический авиалайнер Boeing 747-200 на деле не такой уж и роскошный, как на первый взгляд может показаться.

Авиа борт № 1 президента США и его технические данные

Утечка информации, появившаяся в 2006 году в одном из итальянских изданий практически полностью рассекретила технические характеристики на авиа борт № 1 президента США. Согласно полученным данным, президентский самолёт может пролететь без дополнительной заправки порядка 15 360 километров, при этом учитывая максимальную скорость воздушного судна в 1127 километров в час, максимальное расстояние которое сможет пролететь самолёт, составляет порядка 11 500 километров, ввиду большего расхода горючего, и это не учитывая фактора перегрева двигателей.

Авиа борт № 1 президента США рассчитан на 26 членов экипажа и помимо этого может перевозить ещё порядка 100 человек, среди которых сам президент, его ближайшие соратники, охрана, обслуживающий персонал и т.д. Если у обычного пассажирского авиалайнера Boeing 747-200 максимальный потолок составляет порядка 13 750 метров, то авиа борт № 1 способен подниматься на высоту в 15 тысяч метров, однако это возможно только при кратковременном полёте (не более 1 часа) на указанной высоте.

Авиа борт № 1 президента США не несёт никакого вооружения, во всяком случае, источник в итальянской газете не сообщает об этом, однако в верхней части самолёта располагается массивная антенна для поддержания связи со спутниками, в том числе и военными. На борту воздушного судна, как впрочем, и в любом ином самолёте президента, имеется система противоракетной защиты.

Система противоракетной защиты расположенная на авиа борте № 1 президента США включает в себя устройства подавления радиосигналов, защиту от тепловых ракет, систему противоракетного сброса и т.д. В тоже время, стоит подчеркнуть, что, как и любой иной пассажирский авиалайнер, самолёт президента США, авиа борт № 1, не имеет упрочнённой системы фюзеляжа, то есть самолёт  является уязвимым даже для обычных авиационных пушек калибра 20 и 30-мм.

В настоящее время предполагается произвести замену уже морально и физически исчерпавшего свой срок президентского авиа борта № 1 на более новую модель. Предполагается осуществить это к 2017 году, однако авиастроительная корпорация Airbus отказала в создании авиа борта № 1 для президента США на базе авиалайнера Airbus A380,а потому вероятней всего, следующим воздушным судном будет также Boeing.

Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president and a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.^[1][2]

The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the president arose during World War II when military advisors in the War Department were concerned about the risk of using commercial airlines for presidential travel. A C-54 Skymaster was then converted for presidential use; dubbed the Sacred Cow, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman.^{[citation needed]}

The «Air Force One» call sign was created in 1953, after a Lockheed Constellation carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same flight number.^[3] Since the introduction of SAM 26000 in 1962, the primary presidential aircraft has carried the distinctive livery designed by Raymond Loewy.^[4][5]

Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III, three Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, and the current Boeing VC-25As. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) aircraft.^[4] The USAF has ordered two Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next presidential aircraft, with designation VC-25B.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

On 11 October 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first US president to fly in an aircraft, an early Wright Flyer from Kinloch Field near St. Louis, Missouri. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel.^[6]

First presidential aircraft[edit]

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin amphibian delivered in 1933 which was designated RD-2 by the US Navy and based at the naval base at Anacostia D.C. The Dolphin was modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment.^[7] The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1933 until 1939.^[8] There are no reports, however, on whether the president actually flew in the aircraft. During World War II, Roosevelt traveled on the Dixie Clipper, a Pan Am-crewed Boeing 314 flying boat to the 1943 Casablanca Conference in Morocco, a flight that covered 5,500 miles (8,890 km) in three legs.^[9] The threat from the German submarines throughout the Battle of the Atlantic made air travel the preferred method of VIP transatlantic transportation.^[10][11]

Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the commander-in-chief.^[12] The first dedicated aircraft proposed for presidential use was a C-87A VIP transport aircraft. This aircraft, number 41-24159, was modified in 1943 for use as a presidential VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service. However, after a review of the C-87’s highly controversial safety record in service, the Secret Service flatly refused to approve the Guess Where II for presidential carriage. As the C-87 was a derivative of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, it presented strong offensive impressions to enemy fighter aircraft as well as foreign destinations visited, an issue not present with airplanes that were used purely for transport. The Guess Where II was used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration on various trips. In March 1944, it transported Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries. The C-87 was scrapped in 1945.^[13]

The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow, included a sleeping area, radiotelephone, and retractable battery powered elevator to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. As modified, the VC-54C was used by President Roosevelt only once before his death, on his trip to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.^[12]

Late 1940s and 1950s[edit]

The National Security Act of 1947, the legislation that created the US Air Force, was signed by President Harry S. Truman while on board the VC-54C.^[12] He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence after his Missouri hometown. It was given a distinctive exterior, as its nose was painted like the head of a bald eagle. The plane, which included a stateroom in the aft fuselage and a main cabin that could seat 24 passengers or could be made up into 12 sleeper berths, is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.^[14]

Eisenhower introduced four propeller-driven aircraft to presidential service. This group included two Lockheed C-121 Constellations, aircraft Columbine II (VC-121A 48-610)^[15][16][17] and Columbine III (VC-121E 53-7885).^[18] They were named by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower for the columbine, official state flower of her adopted home state of Colorado. In addition, two Aero Commanders were also added to the fleet.^[14]

Columbine II is the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the US Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.^{[19][20][14][21]}

Boeing 707s and entry to jet age[edit]

Toward the end of Eisenhower’s second term, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles commented that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and other senior Soviet officials had begun using the technologically advanced Tupolev Tu-114 aircraft for their travels, and it was no longer dignified for the president to fly in a propeller-driven aircraft. This paved the way for the Air Force’s initial procurement of three Boeing 707-120 (VC-137A) jet aircraft, designated SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971 and 972.^[22][23]

The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.^[24] Then-Vice President Richard Nixon first used a VC-137A on his visit to Russia in July 1959 for the Kitchen Debates. The following month, Eisenhower became the first president to fly via jet airplane when he used SAM 970, nicknamed «Queenie», to meet German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. During Eisenhower’s «Flight to Peace» goodwill tour in December 1959, he visited 11 Asian nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days, twice as fast as he could have covered that distance in one of the Columbines.^[14][25][26]

SAM 970 to SAM 972 would be removed from the presidential role with the early-1960s arrival of the specially built VC-137C designated SAM 26000. The older planes would be repainted in the Loewy secondary livery designed for Air Force Two and other non-presidential VIP aircraft. SAM 970 is now on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.^[24] SAM 971, best remembered for returning the Americans held during the Iran hostage crisis in 1981, is on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.^[27] SAM 972 was scrapped in October 1996.^[28]

Loewy’s livery design[edit]

The new VC-137C was still being modified for presidential service when John F. Kennedy took office in 1961. On the recommendation of his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, the president contacted the French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy for help in designing a new livery and interiors for the VC-137C.^[4][29][30]

Loewy, who had seen SAM 970, complained to a friend in the White House that it «had a garish orange nose and looked too much like a military plane», Air Force One historian and former Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty told CNN. He offered Kennedy his design consultation services free of charge.^[5][31]

Kennedy chose a red-and-gold design from one of Loewy’s initial concept sketches, and asked him to render the design all in blue. Loewy also drew inspiration from the first printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, suggesting the widely spaced and upper case «United States of America» legend in Caslon typeface. He chose to expose the polished aluminum fuselage on the bottom side and used two blues – steel blue   associated with the early republic and the presidency and a more contemporary water blue  —to represent an America both rooted in the past and flying inexorably into the future. The presidential seal was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose and a large American flag was painted on the tail. Loewy’s work won immediate praise from the president and the press. The cheatline suggested a sleek and horizontal image that mirrored America’s Jet Age optimism and prosperity of the era, and today signifies its legacy and tradition.^{[5][32][33][34]}

Loewy’s VC-137C livery was adapted for the larger VC-25A when it entered service in 1990, and the secondary variation (without the darker blue cheatline and cap over the cockpit) is still in use on USAF C-40, C-37, C-32, and C-20 aircraft in standard (non-presidential) VIP configurations. The presidential paint scheme can also be seen on Union Pacific 4141, the locomotive used in George H. W. Bush’s funeral train.^[35][14]

SAM 26000[edit]

Under John F. Kennedy, presidential air travel entered the jet age.^[36] Although he could use the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom, when he came into office, his primary aircraft domestically was still a prop powered Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster.^[37][38] In October 1962, the modified long-range Boeing VC-137C Stratoliner SAM 26000, featuring livery designed by Loewy would be delivered, and immediately became an important element of the Kennedy administration’s brand.^[29]

SAM 26000 was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving Presidents Kennedy to Clinton. On 22 November 1963, SAM 26000 carried President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, where it served as the backdrop as the Kennedys greeted well-wishers at Dallas’s Love Field. Later that afternoon, Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson assumed the office of President and took the oath of office aboard SAM 26000. On Johnson’s orders, the plane carried Kennedy’s body back to Washington.^[39] A decade later, SAM 26000 took Johnson’s body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington.^[40][41][42]

The Air Force usually does not have fighter aircraft escort the presidential aircraft over the United States but it has occurred. The first instance came during the state funeral of John F. Kennedy when it was followed by 50 fighters (20 Navy and 30 Air Force), representing the states of the union.^[43][44]

Johnson used SAM 26000 to travel extensively domestically and to visit troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. SAM 26000 served President Nixon on several groundbreaking overseas voyages, including his famous visit to the People’s Republic of China in February 1972 and his trip to the Soviet Union later that year, both firsts for an American president.^[45] Nixon dubbed the plane the «Spirit of ’76» in honor of the forthcoming bicentennial of the United States; that logo was painted on both sides of the plane’s nose.^[46]

SAM 27000[edit]

SAM 26000 was replaced in December 1972 by another VC-137C, Special Air Mission 27000, although SAM 26000 was relegated to non-presidential VIP status (and repainted without the darker blue cap and cheatline), it served as a backup to SAM 27000 until it was finally retired in 1998.^[40]

In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in Syria, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. However, the Air Force One crew was not informed in advance and, as a result, took evasive action including a dive.^[47]

After announcing his intention to resign the presidency, Nixon boarded SAM 27000 (with call sign «Air Force One») to travel to California. Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, then pilot of Air Force One, recounted that after Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as SAM 27000, indicating no president was on board the aircraft. Over Jefferson City, Missouri, Albertazzie radioed: «Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to Sierra Alpha Mike (SAM) 27000?» Back came the reply: «Roger, Sierra Alpha Mike 27000. Good luck to the President.»^[48]

Boeing VC-25A[edit]

Though Ronald Reagan’s two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the 747 began during his presidency. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles (9,700 km). Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 submitted proposals, and the Reagan Administration ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707 VC-137 variants he used.^[4][49] The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady Nancy Reagan, were reminiscent of the American Southwest.^[49]

9/11 to present[edit]

On 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush was interrupted as he attended an event at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, after an airplane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. He took off on a VC-25 from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport with Colonel Mark Tillman, the senior pilot of Air Force One that day, in charge. Air traffic controllers gave Air Force One an ominous warning that a passenger jet was close to Air Force One and was unresponsive to calls. Tillman recalls: «As we got over Gainesville, Florida, we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said, ‘Air Force One you have traffic behind you and basically above you that is descending into you, we are not in contact with them – they have shut their responder [sic] off.’ And at that time it kind of led us to believe maybe someone was coming into us in Sarasota, they saw us take off, they just stayed high and are following us at this point. We had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were at that point.»^[50]

In response to this reported threat, Col. Tillman said he flew Air Force One over the Gulf of Mexico to test whether the other aircraft would follow. The other jet continued on its route, and Tillman said that it was later explained to him that an airliner had lost its transponder, which normally broadcasts an electronic identification signal, and that the pilots on board neglected to switch to another radio frequency. A threat came again when Tillman received a message warning of an imminent attack on Air Force One. «We got word from the vice president and the staff that ‘Angel was next,’ indicating the classified call sign for Air Force One. Once we got into the Gulf [of Mexico] and they passed to us that ‘Angel was next,’ at that point I asked for fighter support. If an airliner was part of the attack, it would be good to have fighters on the wing to go ahead and take care of us.» At this point, Tillman said that the plan to fly the president back to Washington, D.C., was aborted and instead Tillman landed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where the president made a speech. Tillman explained that this was due to his concern that because of the reported threat, Air Force One would be attacked when he returned to Andrews Air Force Base.^[50]

After the preliminary stops, the president was returned to Washington. The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that President Bush did this because there was «specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets».^[51] The White House could not confirm evidence of a threat made against Air Force One, and investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.^[52]

Other uses[edit]

Presidents have invited other world leaders to travel with them on Air Force One at times, including Nixon inviting Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev to travel with him to California from Washington, D.C. in June 1973.^[53] In 1983, President Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II toured the US West Coast aboard Air Force One.^[54] In March 2012, President Obama took British prime minister David Cameron to a basketball game in Ohio aboard Air Force One.^[55]

When President Bush came to the end of his second term in January 2009, a VC-25 was used to transport him to Texas. For this purpose the aircraft call sign was SAM 28000, as the aircraft did not carry the current president of the United States. Similar arrangements were made for former presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. President Donald Trump flew to his Mar-a-Lago estate shortly before his tenure as president ended, under the Air Force One call sign.^[56]

On 27 April 2009, a low-flying VC-25 circled New York City for a photo-op and training exercise and caused a scare for many in New York.^[57]

Planned replacement[edit]

VC-25B[edit]

The VC-25As are to be replaced as the cost of maintaining the aging systems on their 30-year-old airframes and less efficient GE-CF6 engines has begun to surpass the cost of acquiring a new aircraft.^[58] On 28 January 2015, the Air Force announced that the Boeing 747-8 would be the next presidential aircraft.^[59][60] On 6 December 2016, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted his opposition to the Air Force One replacement because of its high cost, «more than $4 billion». The US Government Accountability Office estimated the total cost at $3.2 billion, and the US Air Force’s budget for the program is projected to be nearly $4 billion. In December 2016, Boeing was on contract for preliminary development worth $170 million.^[61][62][63]

On 1 August 2017, Defense One reported that, in an effort to pay less for the replacement program, the US Air Force contracted to purchase two of the bankrupt Russian airline Transaero’s undelivered 747-8 Intercontinentals from Boeing, which was storing them in the Mojave Desert to prevent corrosion. These airplanes, which were flight-tested but never delivered, are to be retrofitted with telecommunications and security equipment to bring them to the required security level of presidential aircraft, but without the aerial refueling capability originally requested as the structural reinforcements necessary cannot be retrofitted onto an existing airframe.^[64][65]

Supersonic aircraft[edit]

In September 2020, the US Air force announced several Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate contracts signed with aircraft manufacturers to begin development of a supersonic aircraft that could function as Air Force One. Contracts have been signed with Exosonic,^[66] Hermeus,^[67][68] and Boom.^[69]

Other presidential aircraft[edit]

During the Johnson Administration, the United States Air Force acquired a Beechcraft King Air B90 which was designated VC-6A (66-7943).^[70] The aircraft was used to transport President Johnson between Bergstrom Air Force Base and his family ranch near Johnson City, Texas,^[71] and was used at least once to transport the President to Princeton, New Jersey.^[72] It was referred to as Lady Bird’s airplane and later in its service life featured a basic color scheme similar to civilian aircraft.^[73] When the President was aboard, the aircraft used the call sign Air Force One.^[72]

United Airlines is the only commercial airline to have operated Executive One, the call sign given to a civilian flight on which the US president is aboard. On 26 December 1973, President Richard Nixon and his family flew as commercial passengers on a United DC-10 from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles International Airport. His staff explained that this was done to conserve fuel by not having to fly the usual Boeing 707 Air Force aircraft.^[74]

In November 1999, President Bill Clinton flew from Ankara, Turkey, to Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station outside Izmit, Turkey, aboard a marked C-20C (Gulfstream III) using the call sign Air Force One, escorted by three F-16s.^[75]

On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an unmarked Gulfstream III while another aircraft with the call sign Air Force One flew on the same route a few minutes later. This diversion was reported by several US press outlets.^[76][77][78]

On 1 May 2003, President George W. Bush flew in the co-pilot seat of a Sea Control Squadron Thirty-Five (VS-35) S-3B Viking from Naval Air Station North Island, California to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast, where Bush delivered his «Mission Accomplished» speech. During the flight, the aircraft used the call sign of «Navy One» for the first time. This aircraft is now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.^[79]

Barack Obama used the Gulfstream C-37 variant on a personal trip in 2009 to visit the production of August Wilson’s «Joe Turner’s Come and Gone» in New York.^[80][81]

Several Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs typically accompany the president whenever he travels, carrying the presidential limousines and other support vehicles, and have been rumored to have discreetly transported presidents and vice presidents in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan without using the Air Force One call sign.^[82][83]

When required by circumstances, the president makes domestic flights using the Boeing C-32 narrow body jet, sometimes to allow access to smaller airports that cannot support the larger VC-25.^[84][85] Alternatively, vice presidents have used a VC-25 on longer trips, which then uses the Air Force Two call sign instead.^[86]

The president regularly flies in helicopters (call sign Marine One) operated by the US Marine Corps.^[87]

Aircraft on display[edit]

A Lockheed JetStar which was used by Lyndon Johnson during his presidency is on display at the LBJ Ranch (now the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park) in Stonewall, Texas. The ranch had a runway, but was too small to accommodate a large plane such as a Boeing 707. President Johnson would take the larger Air Force One to Bergstrom AFB in Austin, where he would transfer to the smaller JetStar for the short flight to the ranch.^[88]

A McDonnell Douglas VC-9C used by Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton is on display at Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California,^[89] adjacent to the former Castle Air Force Base. Another VC-9C has been at DAFB Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, DE since 2011.^[90]

Notable appearances in media[edit]

Air Force One is shown as being equipped with a one-person escape pod and parachutes for emergency use by the president of the United States in at least five films: Escape from New York, Air Force One, White House Down, Bermuda Tentacles, and Big Game. However, the actual Air Force One does not have an escape pod or parachutes for emergency use.^[91][92]

See also[edit]

• 1254th Air Transport Wing
• 89th Airlift Wing – Unit of US Air Force responsible for presidential and other top governmental official transport
• Air transports of heads of state and government – Aircraft used by presidents and prime ministers
• Army One – Air traffic control call sign of any US Army aircraft carrying the president of the United States
• Marine One – Air traffic control call sign of any U.S. Marine Corps aircraft carrying the U.S. President
• Navy One – Call sign of US Navy aircraft transporting the President of the United States
• Presidential state car (United States) – Car for the president of the United States

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

• VC-25 – Air Force One Fact Sheet on US Air Force site
• SAM 26000 fact sheet on the National Museum of the United States Air Force site
• Presidential Gallery, featuring Boeing VC-137C known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000
• Air Force One page on WhiteHouse.gov
• Facts and History of 707 as Air Force One and «Where they are Now?» on 707sim.com
• Air Force One page on WhiteHouseMuseum.org
• Air Force One Pavilion on ReaganFoundation.org
• Truman Library & Museum
• US Air Force image gallery
• Air Force One page on Boeing site
• Technical Order 00-105E-9, Segment 9, Chapter 7
• Air Force One page on air-force-one.fr

Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president and a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.^[1][2]

The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the president arose during World War II when military advisors in the War Department were concerned about the risk of using commercial airlines for presidential travel. A C-54 Skymaster was then converted for presidential use; dubbed the Sacred Cow, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman.^{[citation needed]}

The «Air Force One» call sign was created in 1953, after a Lockheed Constellation carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same flight number.^[3] Since the introduction of SAM 26000 in 1962, the primary presidential aircraft has carried the distinctive livery designed by Raymond Loewy.^[4][5]

Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III, three Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, and the current Boeing VC-25As. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) aircraft.^[4] The USAF has ordered two Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next presidential aircraft, with designation VC-25B.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

On 11 October 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first US president to fly in an aircraft, an early Wright Flyer from Kinloch Field near St. Louis, Missouri. He was no longer in office at the time, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. The record-making occasion was a brief overflight of the crowd at a county fair but was nonetheless the beginning of presidential air travel.^[6]

First presidential aircraft[edit]

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an aircraft while in office. The first aircraft obtained specifically for presidential travel was a Douglas Dolphin amphibian delivered in 1933 which was designated RD-2 by the US Navy and based at the naval base at Anacostia D.C. The Dolphin was modified with luxury upholstery for four passengers and a small separate sleeping compartment.^[7] The aircraft remained in service as a presidential transport from 1933 until 1939.^[8] There are no reports, however, on whether the president actually flew in the aircraft. During World War II, Roosevelt traveled on the Dixie Clipper, a Pan Am-crewed Boeing 314 flying boat to the 1943 Casablanca Conference in Morocco, a flight that covered 5,500 miles (8,890 km) in three legs.^[9] The threat from the German submarines throughout the Battle of the Atlantic made air travel the preferred method of VIP transatlantic transportation.^[10][11]

Concerned about relying upon commercial airlines to transport the president, officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the US Air Force, ordered the conversion of a military aircraft to accommodate the special needs of the commander-in-chief.^[12] The first dedicated aircraft proposed for presidential use was a C-87A VIP transport aircraft. This aircraft, number 41-24159, was modified in 1943 for use as a presidential VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service. However, after a review of the C-87’s highly controversial safety record in service, the Secret Service flatly refused to approve the Guess Where II for presidential carriage. As the C-87 was a derivative of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, it presented strong offensive impressions to enemy fighter aircraft as well as foreign destinations visited, an issue not present with airplanes that were used purely for transport. The Guess Where II was used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration on various trips. In March 1944, it transported Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries. The C-87 was scrapped in 1945.^[13]

The Secret Service subsequently reconfigured a Douglas C-54 Skymaster for presidential transport duty. The VC-54C aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow, included a sleeping area, radiotelephone, and retractable battery powered elevator to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair. As modified, the VC-54C was used by President Roosevelt only once before his death, on his trip to the Yalta Conference in February 1945.^[12]

Late 1940s and 1950s[edit]

The National Security Act of 1947, the legislation that created the US Air Force, was signed by President Harry S. Truman while on board the VC-54C.^[12] He replaced the VC-54C in 1947 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence after his Missouri hometown. It was given a distinctive exterior, as its nose was painted like the head of a bald eagle. The plane, which included a stateroom in the aft fuselage and a main cabin that could seat 24 passengers or could be made up into 12 sleeper berths, is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.^[14]

Eisenhower introduced four propeller-driven aircraft to presidential service. This group included two Lockheed C-121 Constellations, aircraft Columbine II (VC-121A 48-610)^[15][16][17] and Columbine III (VC-121E 53-7885).^[18] They were named by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower for the columbine, official state flower of her adopted home state of Colorado. In addition, two Aero Commanders were also added to the fleet.^[14]

Columbine II is the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the US Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.^{[19][20][14][21]}

Boeing 707s and entry to jet age[edit]

Toward the end of Eisenhower’s second term, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles commented that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and other senior Soviet officials had begun using the technologically advanced Tupolev Tu-114 aircraft for their travels, and it was no longer dignified for the president to fly in a propeller-driven aircraft. This paved the way for the Air Force’s initial procurement of three Boeing 707-120 (VC-137A) jet aircraft, designated SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971 and 972.^[22][23]

The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.^[24] Then-Vice President Richard Nixon first used a VC-137A on his visit to Russia in July 1959 for the Kitchen Debates. The following month, Eisenhower became the first president to fly via jet airplane when he used SAM 970, nicknamed «Queenie», to meet German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. During Eisenhower’s «Flight to Peace» goodwill tour in December 1959, he visited 11 Asian nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days, twice as fast as he could have covered that distance in one of the Columbines.^[14][25][26]

SAM 970 to SAM 972 would be removed from the presidential role with the early-1960s arrival of the specially built VC-137C designated SAM 26000. The older planes would be repainted in the Loewy secondary livery designed for Air Force Two and other non-presidential VIP aircraft. SAM 970 is now on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.^[24] SAM 971, best remembered for returning the Americans held during the Iran hostage crisis in 1981, is on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.^[27] SAM 972 was scrapped in October 1996.^[28]

Loewy’s livery design[edit]

The new VC-137C was still being modified for presidential service when John F. Kennedy took office in 1961. On the recommendation of his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, the president contacted the French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy for help in designing a new livery and interiors for the VC-137C.^[4][29][30]

Loewy, who had seen SAM 970, complained to a friend in the White House that it «had a garish orange nose and looked too much like a military plane», Air Force One historian and former Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty told CNN. He offered Kennedy his design consultation services free of charge.^[5][31]

Kennedy chose a red-and-gold design from one of Loewy’s initial concept sketches, and asked him to render the design all in blue. Loewy also drew inspiration from the first printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, suggesting the widely spaced and upper case «United States of America» legend in Caslon typeface. He chose to expose the polished aluminum fuselage on the bottom side and used two blues – steel blue   associated with the early republic and the presidency and a more contemporary water blue  —to represent an America both rooted in the past and flying inexorably into the future. The presidential seal was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose and a large American flag was painted on the tail. Loewy’s work won immediate praise from the president and the press. The cheatline suggested a sleek and horizontal image that mirrored America’s Jet Age optimism and prosperity of the era, and today signifies its legacy and tradition.^{[5][32][33][34]}

Loewy’s VC-137C livery was adapted for the larger VC-25A when it entered service in 1990, and the secondary variation (without the darker blue cheatline and cap over the cockpit) is still in use on USAF C-40, C-37, C-32, and C-20 aircraft in standard (non-presidential) VIP configurations. The presidential paint scheme can also be seen on Union Pacific 4141, the locomotive used in George H. W. Bush’s funeral train.^[35][14]

SAM 26000[edit]

Under John F. Kennedy, presidential air travel entered the jet age.^[36] Although he could use the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom, when he came into office, his primary aircraft domestically was still a prop powered Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster.^[37][38] In October 1962, the modified long-range Boeing VC-137C Stratoliner SAM 26000, featuring livery designed by Loewy would be delivered, and immediately became an important element of the Kennedy administration’s brand.^[29]

SAM 26000 was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving Presidents Kennedy to Clinton. On 22 November 1963, SAM 26000 carried President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas, where it served as the backdrop as the Kennedys greeted well-wishers at Dallas’s Love Field. Later that afternoon, Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon Johnson assumed the office of President and took the oath of office aboard SAM 26000. On Johnson’s orders, the plane carried Kennedy’s body back to Washington.^[39] A decade later, SAM 26000 took Johnson’s body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington.^[40][41][42]

The Air Force usually does not have fighter aircraft escort the presidential aircraft over the United States but it has occurred. The first instance came during the state funeral of John F. Kennedy when it was followed by 50 fighters (20 Navy and 30 Air Force), representing the states of the union.^[43][44]

Johnson used SAM 26000 to travel extensively domestically and to visit troops in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. SAM 26000 served President Nixon on several groundbreaking overseas voyages, including his famous visit to the People’s Republic of China in February 1972 and his trip to the Soviet Union later that year, both firsts for an American president.^[45] Nixon dubbed the plane the «Spirit of ’76» in honor of the forthcoming bicentennial of the United States; that logo was painted on both sides of the plane’s nose.^[46]

SAM 27000[edit]

SAM 26000 was replaced in December 1972 by another VC-137C, Special Air Mission 27000, although SAM 26000 was relegated to non-presidential VIP status (and repainted without the darker blue cap and cheatline), it served as a backup to SAM 27000 until it was finally retired in 1998.^[40]

In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in Syria, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. However, the Air Force One crew was not informed in advance and, as a result, took evasive action including a dive.^[47]

After announcing his intention to resign the presidency, Nixon boarded SAM 27000 (with call sign «Air Force One») to travel to California. Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, then pilot of Air Force One, recounted that after Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, the plane had to be redesignated as SAM 27000, indicating no president was on board the aircraft. Over Jefferson City, Missouri, Albertazzie radioed: «Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our call sign to Sierra Alpha Mike (SAM) 27000?» Back came the reply: «Roger, Sierra Alpha Mike 27000. Good luck to the President.»^[48]

Boeing VC-25A[edit]

Though Ronald Reagan’s two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the 747 began during his presidency. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles (9,700 km). Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 submitted proposals, and the Reagan Administration ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707 VC-137 variants he used.^[4][49] The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady Nancy Reagan, were reminiscent of the American Southwest.^[49]

9/11 to present[edit]

On 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush was interrupted as he attended an event at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, after an airplane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. He took off on a VC-25 from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport with Colonel Mark Tillman, the senior pilot of Air Force One that day, in charge. Air traffic controllers gave Air Force One an ominous warning that a passenger jet was close to Air Force One and was unresponsive to calls. Tillman recalls: «As we got over Gainesville, Florida, we got the word from Jacksonville Center. They said, ‘Air Force One you have traffic behind you and basically above you that is descending into you, we are not in contact with them – they have shut their responder [sic] off.’ And at that time it kind of led us to believe maybe someone was coming into us in Sarasota, they saw us take off, they just stayed high and are following us at this point. We had no idea what the capabilities of the terrorists were at that point.»^[50]

In response to this reported threat, Col. Tillman said he flew Air Force One over the Gulf of Mexico to test whether the other aircraft would follow. The other jet continued on its route, and Tillman said that it was later explained to him that an airliner had lost its transponder, which normally broadcasts an electronic identification signal, and that the pilots on board neglected to switch to another radio frequency. A threat came again when Tillman received a message warning of an imminent attack on Air Force One. «We got word from the vice president and the staff that ‘Angel was next,’ indicating the classified call sign for Air Force One. Once we got into the Gulf [of Mexico] and they passed to us that ‘Angel was next,’ at that point I asked for fighter support. If an airliner was part of the attack, it would be good to have fighters on the wing to go ahead and take care of us.» At this point, Tillman said that the plan to fly the president back to Washington, D.C., was aborted and instead Tillman landed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where the president made a speech. Tillman explained that this was due to his concern that because of the reported threat, Air Force One would be attacked when he returned to Andrews Air Force Base.^[50]

After the preliminary stops, the president was returned to Washington. The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that President Bush did this because there was «specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets».^[51] The White House could not confirm evidence of a threat made against Air Force One, and investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.^[52]

Other uses[edit]

Presidents have invited other world leaders to travel with them on Air Force One at times, including Nixon inviting Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev to travel with him to California from Washington, D.C. in June 1973.^[53] In 1983, President Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II toured the US West Coast aboard Air Force One.^[54] In March 2012, President Obama took British prime minister David Cameron to a basketball game in Ohio aboard Air Force One.^[55]

When President Bush came to the end of his second term in January 2009, a VC-25 was used to transport him to Texas. For this purpose the aircraft call sign was SAM 28000, as the aircraft did not carry the current president of the United States. Similar arrangements were made for former presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. President Donald Trump flew to his Mar-a-Lago estate shortly before his tenure as president ended, under the Air Force One call sign.^[56]

On 27 April 2009, a low-flying VC-25 circled New York City for a photo-op and training exercise and caused a scare for many in New York.^[57]

Planned replacement[edit]

VC-25B[edit]

The VC-25As are to be replaced as the cost of maintaining the aging systems on their 30-year-old airframes and less efficient GE-CF6 engines has begun to surpass the cost of acquiring a new aircraft.^[58] On 28 January 2015, the Air Force announced that the Boeing 747-8 would be the next presidential aircraft.^[59][60] On 6 December 2016, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted his opposition to the Air Force One replacement because of its high cost, «more than $4 billion». The US Government Accountability Office estimated the total cost at $3.2 billion, and the US Air Force’s budget for the program is projected to be nearly $4 billion. In December 2016, Boeing was on contract for preliminary development worth $170 million.^[61][62][63]

On 1 August 2017, Defense One reported that, in an effort to pay less for the replacement program, the US Air Force contracted to purchase two of the bankrupt Russian airline Transaero’s undelivered 747-8 Intercontinentals from Boeing, which was storing them in the Mojave Desert to prevent corrosion. These airplanes, which were flight-tested but never delivered, are to be retrofitted with telecommunications and security equipment to bring them to the required security level of presidential aircraft, but without the aerial refueling capability originally requested as the structural reinforcements necessary cannot be retrofitted onto an existing airframe.^[64][65]

Supersonic aircraft[edit]

In September 2020, the US Air force announced several Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate contracts signed with aircraft manufacturers to begin development of a supersonic aircraft that could function as Air Force One. Contracts have been signed with Exosonic,^[66] Hermeus,^[67][68] and Boom.^[69]

Other presidential aircraft[edit]

During the Johnson Administration, the United States Air Force acquired a Beechcraft King Air B90 which was designated VC-6A (66-7943).^[70] The aircraft was used to transport President Johnson between Bergstrom Air Force Base and his family ranch near Johnson City, Texas,^[71] and was used at least once to transport the President to Princeton, New Jersey.^[72] It was referred to as Lady Bird’s airplane and later in its service life featured a basic color scheme similar to civilian aircraft.^[73] When the President was aboard, the aircraft used the call sign Air Force One.^[72]

United Airlines is the only commercial airline to have operated Executive One, the call sign given to a civilian flight on which the US president is aboard. On 26 December 1973, President Richard Nixon and his family flew as commercial passengers on a United DC-10 from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles International Airport. His staff explained that this was done to conserve fuel by not having to fly the usual Boeing 707 Air Force aircraft.^[74]

In November 1999, President Bill Clinton flew from Ankara, Turkey, to Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station outside Izmit, Turkey, aboard a marked C-20C (Gulfstream III) using the call sign Air Force One, escorted by three F-16s.^[75]

On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an unmarked Gulfstream III while another aircraft with the call sign Air Force One flew on the same route a few minutes later. This diversion was reported by several US press outlets.^[76][77][78]

On 1 May 2003, President George W. Bush flew in the co-pilot seat of a Sea Control Squadron Thirty-Five (VS-35) S-3B Viking from Naval Air Station North Island, California to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast, where Bush delivered his «Mission Accomplished» speech. During the flight, the aircraft used the call sign of «Navy One» for the first time. This aircraft is now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.^[79]

Barack Obama used the Gulfstream C-37 variant on a personal trip in 2009 to visit the production of August Wilson’s «Joe Turner’s Come and Gone» in New York.^[80][81]

Several Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs typically accompany the president whenever he travels, carrying the presidential limousines and other support vehicles, and have been rumored to have discreetly transported presidents and vice presidents in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan without using the Air Force One call sign.^[82][83]

When required by circumstances, the president makes domestic flights using the Boeing C-32 narrow body jet, sometimes to allow access to smaller airports that cannot support the larger VC-25.^[84][85] Alternatively, vice presidents have used a VC-25 on longer trips, which then uses the Air Force Two call sign instead.^[86]

The president regularly flies in helicopters (call sign Marine One) operated by the US Marine Corps.^[87]

Aircraft on display[edit]

A Lockheed JetStar which was used by Lyndon Johnson during his presidency is on display at the LBJ Ranch (now the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park) in Stonewall, Texas. The ranch had a runway, but was too small to accommodate a large plane such as a Boeing 707. President Johnson would take the larger Air Force One to Bergstrom AFB in Austin, where he would transfer to the smaller JetStar for the short flight to the ranch.^[88]

A McDonnell Douglas VC-9C used by Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton is on display at Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California,^[89] adjacent to the former Castle Air Force Base. Another VC-9C has been at DAFB Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, DE since 2011.^[90]

Notable appearances in media[edit]

Air Force One is shown as being equipped with a one-person escape pod and parachutes for emergency use by the president of the United States in at least five films: Escape from New York, Air Force One, White House Down, Bermuda Tentacles, and Big Game. However, the actual Air Force One does not have an escape pod or parachutes for emergency use.^[91][92]

See also[edit]

• 1254th Air Transport Wing
• 89th Airlift Wing – Unit of US Air Force responsible for presidential and other top governmental official transport
• Air transports of heads of state and government – Aircraft used by presidents and prime ministers
• Army One – Air traffic control call sign of any US Army aircraft carrying the president of the United States
• Marine One – Air traffic control call sign of any U.S. Marine Corps aircraft carrying the U.S. President
• Navy One – Call sign of US Navy aircraft transporting the President of the United States
• Presidential state car (United States) – Car for the president of the United States

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

• VC-25 – Air Force One Fact Sheet on US Air Force site
• SAM 26000 fact sheet on the National Museum of the United States Air Force site
• Presidential Gallery, featuring Boeing VC-137C known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000
• Air Force One page on WhiteHouse.gov
• Facts and History of 707 as Air Force One and «Where they are Now?» on 707sim.com
• Air Force One page on WhiteHouseMuseum.org
• Air Force One Pavilion on ReaganFoundation.org
• Truman Library & Museum
• US Air Force image gallery
• Air Force One page on Boeing site
• Technical Order 00-105E-9, Segment 9, Chapter 7
• Air Force One page on air-force-one.fr

Air Force One — это не конкретный самолет, а обозначение для диспетчерских служб любого воздушного судна, на борту которого находится Президент Соединенных Штатов. Причем появился он не просто так. Обозначение появилось после инцидента 1953 года, когда коммерческий рейс Eastern Airlines с позывным 8610 и борт с Президентом Эйзенхауэром на борту, имевший фактически такой же позывной ВВС 8610 оказались в одном воздушном пространстве, из-за чего возникла капец какая путаница. Дабы такого больше не повторялось, ввели в обращение познывной Air Force One. Но тем не менее, неофициально этот термин все равно используется для всех самолетов президентского флота и по наши дни.
Однако начиналось все очень давно, когда с позывными было проще, да и воздушное движение в мире было совсем другим.

Первый полет.
Теодор Рузвельт (а кто же еще?) был первым Президентом США, который полетел на самолете. Нет, ну если уж совсем быть точным, то на момент, когда Рузвельт взлетел, он был уже экс-президентом. 11 октября 1910 года в Сент-Луисе Рузвельт совершил полет на самолете Wright Flier — самом первом летательном аппарате, который был тяжелее воздуха и имел двигатель. За штурвалом сидел Арчибальд Хокси, который работал на братьев Райт, бывших создателями этого самолета.

Президенту нужен свой самолет.
Douglas Dolphin был первым самолетом, официально выбранном в качестве президентского борта. Один из этих самолетов-амфибий был специально переделан для Президента Франклина Рузвельта и был обозначен индексом RD-2 и приписан к Военно-Морским Силам США (U.S. Navy). Он находился в распоряжении Рузвельта с 1933 по 1939 годы, хотя нет доказательств, что он на нем летал на самом деле.

Рузвельт летит в Европу.
Франклин Рузвельт, поддерживая статус фамилии тоже отличился. Он стал первым Президентом США, который стал использовать самолет для своих перемещений, постоянно. Все предыдущие, со времен Теодора Рузвельта с самолетами как-то не особо дружили. Авиация развивалась, помимо грузов стала все больше перевозить пассажиров, самолеты тоже становились надежнее и летали все дальше. Грех было не воспользоваться открывающимися возможностями, тем более, что каждому новому Президенту требовалось все чаще передвигаться не только по свое стране, но и в соседние государства и даже континенты. А на наземном и водном транспорте это занимало огромное количество времени.
А в 1943 году был поистине рекордный полет на «летающей лодке» Boeing 314 Clipper, названной Dixie Clipper в 9.000 километров с тремя дозаправками в Касабланку, где встретился с Уинстоном Черчиллем и Шарлем де Голлем для обсуждения следующего этапа Второй Мировой Войны.

Авиаперелеты на тот момент были самым безопасным способом перемещения из-за угрозы немецких подводных лодок во время сражений в Атлантике. Именно на этой конференции союзники сошлись во мнении, что итогом войны может быть только безоговорочная капитуляция Третьего Рейха.

Священная корова.
Ближе к концу войны, секретная служба оборудовала самолет C-54 Skymaster для транспортировки больного Франклина Рузвельта. Названный «Священная Корова», борт имел радиотелефон, спальный салон, и даже выдвижной лифт, чтобы иметь возможность погрузить Рузвельта на инвалидном кресле в самолет. Рузвельт использовал этот самолет только один раз до своей смерти. C-54 в феврале 1945 года доставил его на Ялтинскую конференцию.

Независимость.
Гарри Трумэн летал на «Священной Корове» после смерти Рузвельта в апреле 1945 года. На борту этого самолета он подписал Закон о Национальной Безопасности 1947 года, который устанавливал новую должность министра обороны и выделял ВВС США как отдельный вид войск (раньше военная авиация была подразделением сухопутных войск США).

Позже в том же году Трумэн заменил «Священную Корову» на C-118 Liftmaster, который назвал «Независимость», в честь своего родного города в штате Миссури. Это был первый президентский самолет, отличвашийся от всех остальных — на его передней части был изображен белоголовый орлан — госдуарственный символ США.

Борт Номер Один.
В 1953 году борт Eastern Airlines 8610 и самолет с Президентом Эйзенхауэром на борту с позывным Air Force 8610 оказались в одном воздушном пространстве. Чтобы в дальнейшем избежать подобной путаницы, ВВС США установили специальное обозначение «Air Force One», которое присваивалось любому самолету с Президентом США на борту.

Президент Эйзенхауэр также выбрал четыре винтовых самолета, которые начали выполнять роль президентских самолетов. Два Lockheed C-121 Constellations, названные Columbine II и III (Columbine II на фото выше) и два самолета Aero Commander — самые маленькие самолеты, которые когда-либо исполняли роль Air Force One.
Первый официальный полет Air Force One с Эйзенхауэром на борту состоялся в 1959 году.

Первый президентский реактивный самолет.
Ближе к концу срока президентства Эйзенхауэра, в ВВС решили, что винтовые самолеты больше не подходят для роли Air Force One. Отныне их место займут реактивные самолеты. SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, Boeing 707, сменил C-121 Constellations Эйзенхауэра в 1959 году. SAM 971 и 972 были приняты в президентский флот немного позже.

Boeing 707-120 с модифицированным интерьером и коммуникационным оборудованием, с индексом VC-137, совершил с Эйзенхауэром на борту знаменитое турне «Полет к миру». Эйзенхауэр в ноябре 1959 года за 19 дней посетил 11 азиатских стран и пролетел 35000 километров. На этот перелет ушло ровно половина времени, которое на то же расстояние потратила бы в свое время Коломбина.

SAM 26000 и 27000
Джон Кеннеди летал на SAM 970, 971 и 972 несколько раз, но в октябре 1962 года ВВС США приобрели дальнемагистральный модифицированный Boeing 707, C-137 Stratoliner, который стал новым президентским самолетом SAM 26000. Изначально президентская ливрея была красной с золотым, однако Кеннеди посчитал ее слишком царственно-роскошной и при помощи дизайнера Раймонда Лоуи заменил ее на более скромную сине-белую, которая используется всеми Президентами США до сих пор.

На фото ниже — самый знаковый момент в истории SAM 26000 —  Президент Линдон Джонсон принимает на борту самолета присягу после убийства Кеннеди.

Президент Джонсон использовал самолет для визита в Южный Вьетнам во время войны, а Президент Никсон летал на нем в 1972 году в Китай — исторический визит — впервые Президент США посетил КНР. SAM 26000 оставался на службе до прихода Администрации Клинтона, хотя в 1972 году по приказу Никсона, основным президентским самолетом стал VC-137, SAM 27000.

SAM 27000 служил каждому последующему Президенту США до избрания Барака Обамы. 29 августа 2011 года он совершил свой последний полет, доставив Джорджа Буша из Сан-Антонио в Вако, штат Техас.

Executive One, Marine One, Army One and Navy One
Однако самолет, перевозящий Президента Соединенных Штатов, не всегда назывался Air Force One, особенно если это был самолет, не принадлежащий ВВС. Президент Никсон был единственным президентом, летевшим на самолете под позывным Executive One — самолетом регулярного пассажирского рейса, пассажиром которого стал Президент. В декабре 1973 года Никсон с семьей полетели рейсом United Airlines DC-10 из аэропорта Вашингтона в в Лос-Анджелес, «чтобы послужить примером для остальных граждан страны во время нынешнего энергетического кризиса».
Другие подразделения Вооруженных Сил также обеспечивали транспортировку Президентов США. Например, вертолеты Корпуса Морской Пехоты США назывались позывным Marine One, когда перевозили Президента. До 1976 года Армия США изредка предоставляла вертолеты для Президента и их позывной был Army One. Кстати, первым вертолетом, на борт которого взошел Президент США был Bell UH-13J Sioux, доставивший Президента Эйзенхауэра в летнюю резиденцию в Пенсильвании в 1957 году.

Военно-Морской Флот удостоился чести доставить на своем самолете Президента и использовать позывной Navy One, в мае 2003 года. Самолет Sea Control Squadron Thirty-Five S-3B Viking доставил Джорджа Буша на авианосец USS Abraham Lincoln с побережья Калифорнии, что сделало Буша первым Президентом США, совершившим посадку на авианосец на самолете.
В марте 2000 года произошел уникальный случай — Билл Клинтон прибыл в Пакистан на борту самолета Gulfstream III, который не обозначался позывным Air Force One. А все потому, что другой самолет, C-17 Globemaster III, несколькими минутами позже летел по тому же маршруту с позывными Air Force One в качестве отвлекающего маневра для возможного нападения на Президента США в этом опасном районе.

Boeing 747
ВВС США решили заменить стареющие 707е борта времен адмнистрации Рейгана, который еще во времена своего президентского срока заказал два новых 747, которые должны были заменить SAM 26000 и 27000. Однако их производство затянулось аж до вступления в должность Президента Джорджа Буша-старшего.
Производство первого модернизированного Boeing 747-200B затянулось еще и потому, что его специально дорабатывали для защиты от электромагнитных импульсов, ядерного взрыва или несанкционированного взлома систем управления.
VC-25 — два 747х Боинга, модифицированных военными для президентского авиакрыла, несли на борту современные безопасные системы связи, позволяющие Президенту работать даже во время полета. На борту также есть президентский кабинет, конференц-зал, а также личные покои для Президента и Первой Леди.

Сразу после террактов 9 сентября, Джордж Буш на борту SAM 28000 вылетел из международного аэропорта Сарасота—Брадентон во Флориде. Сразу после взлета к «борту номер один» приблизился на опасное расстояние другой авиалайнер, не отвечающий на запросы по радио и «свой-чужой» (оказалось, что транспондер приблизившегося самолета был по ошибке выключен). Командир экипажа Air Force One, полковник Марк Тильман, решил не рисковать и увел борт в Мексиканский залив, запросив ВВС поднять звено истребителей для защиты Президента. Однако авиалайнер продолжил движение по своему курсу, не пустившись вдогонку за Air Force One.
Пара самолетов VC-25 обслуживают Президентов США и по сей день.

Будущее Air Force One
В январе 2015 года ВВС США заявили, что следующим президентским бортом будет Boeing 747-8. Новый самолет будет иметь максимальную защиту от электромагнитного и радиоактивного излучения, возможность дозаправки в воздухе и, скорее всего, сложные бортовые системы ПРО. Конечно, на доработку серийных 747 потребуется значительное время, однако V-25, хоть и уже слегка в возрасте, тем не менее, вполне себе еще в состоянии обеспечить передвижение Президента.

На каких самолетах летают президенты США и России?

2

05.09.2020,

обновлено 05.10.2020

Президенты разных стран мира вынуждены часто совершать перелеты из одних точек мира в другие. Само собой разумеется, что они не летают на обычных пассажирских самолетах. Специально для глав государств, наилучшие летающие средства совершенствуются для достижения большей комфортабельности, скорости и других характеристик. В США президентские самолеты обобщенно именуются как «Air Force One», что можно перевести как «Борт номер один». В нашей стране важнейший воздушный транспорт называется просто как «Самолет президента России». Компании, производящие самолеты, всегда стараются сделать так, чтобы перелеты президентов занимали как можно меньше времени. Например, недавно американская компания Exosonic начала разработку сверхзвукового самолета, способного развивать скорость в несколько тысяч километров в час. На этом летательном аппарате президент США будет иметь возможность перелетать из Нью-Йорка в Париж всего за час.

Президенты используют для перелетов совершенно другие самолеты

Содержание

• 1 Первый президентский самолет
• 2 Современные самолеты президента
• 3 Сверхзвуковой самолет для президента
• 4 Самолет президента России

Первый президентский самолет

Первым президентом США, который начал летать на самолетах, стал Теодор Рузвельт (Theodore Roosevelt). В октябре 1910 года он сел на самолет братьев Райт совершил с ними первый полет. Братья Райт, кстати, считаются создателями воздушной техники. Регулярные полеты на самолетах начал совершать президент Франклин Рузвельт (Franklin Roosevelt) — для настолько ответственных перелетов использовались самолеты Dixie Clipper и Boeing 314. Они еще не считались моделями «Air Force One» и в их безопасности были большие сомнения. Из-за опасений за жизнь президента впоследствии был создан поистине первый «Борт номер один», на основу которого лег транспортный самолет C-87A.

Самолет C-87A

Современные самолеты президента

С тех пор самолеты постоянно совершенствовались и на службе у президентов успели побывать разные модели. В октябре 1962 года администрация Джона Кеннеди (John Kennedy) приобрела улучшенную модель пассажирского самолета Boeing 707. Он стал известен как C-137 Stratoliner и был предназначен для дальних перелетов. Изначально внешний вид самолета был слишком ярким, поэтому президент Кеннеди попросил французского дизайнера Раймонда Лоуи (Raymond Loewy) заняться изменением его дизайна. В конечном итоге надписи на корпусе самолета были написаны шрифтом из первого издания «Декларации независимости», а рядом с ними была поставлена президентская печать.

Самолет C-137 Stratoliner

Сегодня же президент США и его окружение совершают перелеты на специальной версии пассажирского самолета Boeing 747. Он более известен как Boeing VC-25 и, если верить открытым источникам, может развивать скорость до 1015 километров час. Также известно, что летательный аппарат оснащен защищенными средствами связи. Самолет часто используется с вертолетами из группы Marine One, которые также предназначены для перевозки президента. Обычно вертолет используется для доставки президента на взлетно-посадочную полосу в моменты, когда передвигаться на наземном транспорте невозможно или не безопасно.

Boeing VC-25

Читайте также: История самого известного самолета в мире и почему Конкорд больше не летает

Сверхзвуковой самолет для президента

Администрация президента США уже давно хочет заменить Boeing VC-25 на более современный вид воздушного транспорта. В качестве идеальной замены власти хотят видеть сверхзвуковой самолет, способный развивать скорость до нескольких тысяч километров в час. Большим опытом в этом деле обладает американская компания Exosonic, поэтому с просьбой разработки быстрого самолета для президента Военно-морские силы США обратились именно к ее представителям. У компании уже есть самолет, который можно усовершенствовать для выполнения президентских задач. Одной из его главных особенностей считается возможность поместить в салон до 70 пассажиров. Дальность полета будущего самолета оценивается в 9000 километров.

Концепт сверхзвукового самолета Exosonic

Помимо компании Exosonic, разработкой президентского самолета также занимается стартап Hermeus. В августе его представители получили от ВВС США финансирование в размере 1,5 миллионов долларов. Сообщается, что разрабатываемое летательное средство должно разгоняться до 6000 километров в час и вмещать в себя от 9 до 19 человек. На данный момент известно, что компания уже смогла протестировать двигатель, который сможет разгонять самолет до сверхзвуковых скоростей. Но финальная версия самолета появится только спустя 10 лет или даже больше.

Концепт сверхзвукового самолета Hermeus

Самолет президента России

Перелеты по воздуху совершали и главы СССР. Известно, что Иосиф Сталин боялся самолетов и за свою жизнь летал только один раз. Исторический перелет был совершен 26 ноября 1943 года из азербайджанской столицы Баку в иранскую столицу Тегеран. Причиной же была встреча с Рузвельтом и Черчиллем. Для перелета использовалась военная версия пассажирского самолета DC-3, именуемая как Douglas C-47. Их было выпущено больше 10 тысяч штук и неспроста — для тех времен это были лучшие самолеты.

Сталин и Douglas C-47

Во второй половине XX века правители России летали на «самолетах Ильюшина». Так, руководители СССР Никита Хрущев и Леонид Брежнев совершали перелеты на Ил-18. А с 1992 года президенты страны летали на самолетах Ил-62, Ту-154, Ту-134 и Як-40. С 1996 года основным президентским самолетом считается Ил-96-300ПУ, который является сильно усовершенствованной версией пассажирского Ил-96. Точных данных нет, но в основном усовершенствования заключаются повышении комфортности и уровня безопасности. Самолет президента России обычно окрашен в традиционные цвета флага.

Ил-96-300ПУ — самолет президента России

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На тему самолетов недавно интересную статью написал мой коллега Артем Сутягин. В своем длинном и подробном материале он рассказал о самом быстром самолете в мире и его конкурентах. Получилось очень интересно, поэтому рекомендую заняться чтением прямо сейчас!

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В январе в аэропорт Цюриха прилетал президент США Дональд Трамп. Порадовал он всех любителей авиации двумя Б747 и военными транспортными самолетами С5 и С17, которые привезли президентские вертолеты. Все это мне удалось отснять в аэропорту Цюриха. Все подробности под катом.

01. За неделю до визита Трампа в Цюрих прилетел первый С-17. Был выходной день и я выбрался его отснять. Потом среди недели прилетали Hercules и два С-5, которые привезли вертолеты и транспорт президента.
US Air Force / Boeing C-17A / 04-4132

02. Потом наступил день когда прилетел сам президент. Накануне в Твитере появилась информация о времени прилета двух Б747. При подъезде к Цюриху я простоял немного в пробке и не успел на первый запасной борт Б747. Заехал на парковку на Р-3, вышел из авто, а там уже народу много собралось. Через несколько минут раздался реверс Б747 и появился второй самолет. Народ на террасе для посетителей находился в первых рядах.

03. В одном кадре два самолета президентов двух стран.

04. Boeing VC-25 — обозначение специальной военной версии пассажирского самолёта Boeing 747. Выпущенные два самолёта с бортовыми номерами 28000 и 29000 являются ранней модификацией Boeing 747-200B, но с пилотажным оборудованием и двигателями от Boeing 747-400ER.
US Air Force / Boeing VC-25A / 92-9000

05. Полиция на земле сопровождает «борт номер один» во время руления к стоянке.

06. VC-25 способен пролететь 12600 км без дозаправки и стоит примерно 325 миллионов долларов.

07. VC-25 могут быть также задействованы в качестве военного командного центра, например, в случае ядерной атаки. Специальная доработка самолёта позволяет ему производить дозаправку топлива в воздухе. Все провода имеют плотное экранирование для защиты от электромагнитного импульса в случае ядерной атаки. У самолётов также имеются средства радиоэлектронного противодействия для создания помех радарам противника, средства установки помех ракетам с инфракрасными головками самонаведения, противорадиолокационные отражатели для противодействия самонаводящимся ракетам. Многие другие возможности VC-25 являются секретными.

08. Президентская печать.

09. Самолет поставили на стоянку за зданием, так что никому не было видно как выходил Трамп. Прошло 25 минут и появился первый вертолет сопровождения президентского эскорта.
Swiss Air Force / AS-332 M1 Super Puma / T325

10. Первый президентский вертолет.
US Marine Corps / VH-60N White Hawk / 163264

11. Еще один вертолет сопровождения.
United States Army / UH-60L Black Hawk

12. Народ на террасе в восторге!

13. Угадай, в каком вертолете Трамп:))

14. Белый и черный ястреб.

15. Семь вертолетов красиво полетели в Давос.

16. Ну а нас ждало продолжение шоу:)) Через час запасной борт засобирался на вылет. Его перегнали на военную американскую базу в Германии в Рамштайн. На следующий день он вернулся.

17. US Air Force / Boeing VC-25A / 92-8000

18. Уступи дорогу важной птице:))

19. В Рамштайн…

20. А «борт номер один» тем временем перетащили на стоянку и полукругом поставили топливозаправщики.

21. На следующий день Трамп должен был улетать и я вновь вернулся в аэропорт. Тем временем, самолет со стоянки перетаскивают за ангар, чтобы никто не видел как «пассажир номер один» поднимается на борт.
В этот день был очень сильный туман и вертолеты, по соображениям безопасности, не летали, поэтому Трампа из Давоса в Цюрих доставляли автомобилями. Из-за этого вылет задержался на четыре часа.

22. Топливо для президентских самолетов доставили такими топливозаправщиками с военной базы Рамштайн.

23.

24. Колона из топливозаправщиков для президента.

25. Пока ждали когда привезут Трампа, прилетел военный Б737.
US Air Force / Boeing C-40B / 02-0042

26. САБ выглядит очень серьезно.

27. Тем временем привезли Трампа и сразу два Джамбика засобирались улетать.

28. Первым стартовал «борт номер один». Хотя, кто знает, в каком именно был Трамп, но позывной у него был AF1.

29. Джамбик — красивый самолет, да и ливрея у американцев неплохая.

30. Второй борт пошел на взлет.

31. Хорош!

32. На следующий день C-5M Galaxy прилетел за техникой.

33. US Air Force / Lockheed C-5M Galaxy / 85-0005

Еще через день Boeing C-40C и С17 прилетали, но я уже в эти дни не мог выбраться в аэропорт. А так очень хороший праздник для всех любителей авиации устроил Трамп!
В следующий раз расскажу про самолеты политиков, которые прилетали на конференцию по безопасности в Мюнхене.
Всем спасибо за внимание!