Air Force One is a plane designed for comfort, security and diplomacy. The current air force one plane has been in service for 32 years after the government used a Boeing 707. As the aircraft gets older, what will replace it? Join me as I take a look into a brief history of the presidential aircraft and the plane destined to fulfil its job.

A callsign

In fact, the Air force one name isn’t actually the name of the aircraft itself, it is the callsign given to any aircraft in the airforce carrying the president of the US. That’s why when the POTUS flies on the helicopter operated by the US marines, it assumes the callsign Marine One. Any civil aircraft carrying the POTUS is known as Executive One. When Donald Trump was inaugurated in 2017, Marine One was known as Executive One when it was transporting Barack Obama from the Whitehouse, as Obama was no longer president. Any US air force aircraft carrying the Vice President is known as Air force Two.

A history

The first plane used by the president was a Douglas Dolphin amphibious aircraft, first flown by Franklin. D. Roosevelt. When the US air force became concerned with the president using commercial airlines to travel, they introduced the first designated aircraft, a Douglas C-54 nicknamed “Sacred Crow” to transport the president. This was then replaced with several propeller-driven aircraft, before finally, after the soviet union had started using the Tupolev TU-114, a Boeing 707 was introduced in 1970. Now, the current air force can take up to 102 passengers and deploy flairs upon landing. On September 11 2001, president George.W. Bush used Air Force one as a place to control the situation whilst remaining safe.

A replacement

The next Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8, is set to arrive in around 2025. Interestingly, it will not use the familiar blue and white livery that is used on the current plane but will instead use a new red, white and navy blue livery. The new 747-8 will be able to fly over a further 1,000 nautical miles than the current 747-200. Due to the 747-8 being the fastest commercial aircraft in the world, it will be able to transport world leaders and import political figures faster than it currently can. The 747-8 is also the longest commercial aircraft in the world, meaning that it will provide the president with extra space to store equipment or have more comfort.

The next plane to transport the POTUS will be a comfortable, modern and efficient jet. It could shape the way that leaders travel in the future, and lead to more eco-friendly travel.

Sources

• Wikipedia.com
• Boeing.com
• Defensenews.com (also cover image)
• princegeorgecountyva.gov