The US President flies in the world-famous Air Force One, which is also termed as a fortress in the sky or the “Flying Oval Office”. The Air Force One is the safest airplane in the world and is manufactured by the United States based aircraft maker Boeing. The Air Force One is actually a Boeing 747 plane, popularly known as the Jumbo Jet, retrofitted with modern gadgets, radars and defense equipment to keep the President safe in the sky and is also called 'The Flying Fortress'. Here's a detailed image gallery.
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The Air Force One refers to one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft. They carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000, while the Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A.
Air Force One is based on the Boeing’s most successful and renowned 747 airplane known for its double-decker cabin and a large hump. It is also capable of refuelling midair, unlike commercial jetliners who carry a fixed fuel.
The cabin of Air Force One has 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, besides a dedicated medical suite with an operating room, permanent onboard doctor and containers carrying blood for the President.
The President stays on an extensive suite with a large office and conference room. The plane, which never flies alone, has two food preparation galleys and can feed 100 people at a time. Ahead of Air Force One, several cargo planes fly to provide the President with services needed in remote locations.
The super plane is also termed as a fortress due to its defence systems. Its onboard electronics are hardened to protect against an electromagnetic pulse. The Air Force One boasts of advanced secure communication equipment that make it a mobile command center in case of an attack on the United States.
Air Force One or Boeing 747-200 was first delivered in 1990 during the administration of President George HW Bush. It is maintained and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of the White House Military Office founded in 1944 on the direction of President Franklin D Roosevelt.
While President Donald Trump was in talks with Boeing for a new 747-800 series of planes, current President Joe Biden has cancelled the order due to over expenditure on the aircrafts.
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