RAF pilot is to become first non-American to fly Air Force One

[BVRAAM]

This is simply amazing and I wish this Officer all the very best of luck for what is undoubtedly one of the most high profile and stressful flying jobs on the planet. This is great news for the RAF!

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1357656/RAF-pliot-air-force-one-president-of-the-USA?fbclid=IwAR1yrabFmCOlWIUoOJXT4KE_RX48PYPznpogLIQXEYNOA24 QwdT1UJfjWs8

[MPN11]

And why not? We’re on the same side, apparently.

[BVRAAM]

And why not? We’re on the same side, apparently.


Now all we need is for a USAF Officer to fly Her Majesty the Queen.

And maybe Bozzer.

[air pig]

Now all we need is for a USAF Officer to fly Her Majesty the Queen.

And maybe Bozzer.

Well they have in the past commanded RAF Squadrons.

[BVRAAM]

Well they have in the past commanded RAF Squadrons.

Indeed. This legend springs to mind...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x800/te5wvsnnirbudnpopjurc3cjsi_f86e98a48e7cfc92df22de1ffa2cf6ed8 82138e7.jpg

[chevvron]

And why not? We’re on the same side, apparently.
May all change after 20 Jan 2021.

[Sky Sports]

Reading between the lines, he'll most likely be flying one of the support aircraft like the C-17.

[BVRAAM]

Reading between the lines, he'll most likely be flying one of the support aircraft like the C-17.

It's in black and white for you.

Sources say the officer, who has not been named, will begin his attachment by flying or co-piloting some of the other aircraft in the fleet before being placed on the reserve list for Air Force One.

Now, I am a bit pedantic and it does irritate me a tiny bit to see 'Air Force One' used incorrectly.... but it's the media and we should be grateful they managed to list aircraft types that actually exist.
'Air Force One'' is of course, a callsign for when the POTUS is onboard any U.S. Air Force aircraft. Not a specific aircraft type, as it is often incorrectly applied exclusively to the VC-25.

[NutLoose]

I suppose the cynic in me sees it as the RAF now see it as safe for him to get a 747 rating now BA are getting rid of theirs ;)

seriously though, congratulations to the individual involved

[Flyerman11]

Perhaps eventually fly VC25 2800 or 2900, but when POTUS is onboard (callsign Air Force 1) not very likely to be allowed to handle the controls. Unless done for diplomatic purposes and even then I would be somewhat skeptical.

[fatbus]

RCAF has had both RAF and USAF on the Squadron that flew the Canadian PM . Generally they would fly all types of missions . Do not remember any restrictions.

[tdracer]

Now, I am a bit pedantic and it does irritate me a tiny bit to see 'Air Force One' used incorrectly.... but it's the media and we should be grateful they managed to list aircraft types that actually exist.
'Air Force One'' is of course, a callsign for when the POTUS is onboard any U.S. Air Force aircraft. Not a specific aircraft type, as it is often incorrectly applied exclusively to the VC-25.

I suppose it would been too much to ask for them to have shown a picture of a VC-25 747. The 757 is rarely (if ever) used as Air Force One...:ugh:

[ICM]

If true, well done for whoever it's to be. But I'm surprised at the 4 decades/1971 bit - I went to the States in 1970 and there had been others on Exchange for many, many years before that. And as it's apparently a new post, I wonder what the quid pro quo is to be over here?

[Lomon]

Indeed. This legend springs to mind...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x800/te5wvsnnirbudnpopjurc3cjsi_f86e98a48e7cfc92df22de1ffa2cf6ed8 82138e7.jpg
He has a very nice bar named after him

[air pig]

If true, well done for whoever it's to be. But I'm surprised at the 4 decades/1971 bit - I went to the States in 1970 and there had been others on Exchange for many, many years before that. And as it's apparently a new post, I wonder what the quid pro quo is to be over here?

Possibly a posting to 32 (The Royal) Squadron,

[chopper2004]

Straightforward explanation Is exchange posting say to the likes of 89th AW and with that special privileges , TS clearence to fly occasionally the VC-25 pair.

Kind of reminding me of opening sequence of Moonraker with Flt Lt (albeit with Nav Wings co Piloting the SCA)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIwSxNARQYE

[BVRAAM]

I suppose it would been too much to ask for them to have shown a picture of a VC-25 747. The 757 is rarely (if ever) used as Air Force One...:ugh:


Oh, it is...

I know for a fact that the 757 has flown over my head carrying the President and the First Lady not too long ago. They were taking off from my local airport and were followed by other world leaders, including Her Majesty the Queen. I was on my way home at the time and couldn't be there to photograph the event.
The runway isn't long enough to safely support a 747.

[hunterboy]

Is dual citizenship possible as an RAF officer? I would have thought that if he has US citizenship in addition to U.K. , that would go a long ways towards smoothing the path to flying AF One ?

[BVRAAM]

Is dual citizenship possible as an RAF officer? I would have thought that if he has US citizenship in addition to U.K. , that would go a long ways towards smoothing the path to flying AF One ?

It depends on the branch.
For an RAF Pilot, yes. For an Intelligence Officer (for example), absolutely not. The RAF Recruitment website is pretty clear on what is accepted for each branch.

I presume the Intelligence branches and trades are the exceptions and not necessarily the rule, probably because of the large amount of UK Eyes Only information they will be dealing with throughout their career. I'd imagine the ISR field of the multi-engine stream would be off limits to a Pilot who holds, or has held, a dual nationality, as well... but that's just speculation on my part.

[Bob Viking]

I’m a dual UK/CAN citizen (Canadian citizenship attained whilst on exchange in Canada) and it gives me no problems.

BV

[hunterboy]

So as far as getting the opportunity to fly AF one, an RAF Officer holding dual citizenship would probably be in a good position I would have thought ?

[Fortissimo]

Has anyone stopped to wonder whether this Sunday Express piece (rapidly copied by the DM!) is accurate? I would have expected comment from MOD or the RAF but do not see one in the article, and a journalist claiming a "senior source" does not mean the source is actually senior.

Does anyone recall another recent example of a wg cdr exchange flying appointment? The exchange system is balanced by rank and role; as the name implies, it is a 2-way exchange, so presumably we will see a USAF LTC coming to fly here. And all exchange posts are established on the basis that there is some technical or operational knowledge and experience to be gained that will benefit both parties (forces). It all seems a little odd given the consistent 'America first' pronouncements over the last 4 years when this scheme was apparently being developed.

If it is true, it's good news, and I hope the selected officer enjoys his or her time at Andrews.

[falcon900]

Allowing for the essential pinch (bucketful?) of salt necessarily associated with any Express article, surely any such development would require that the RAF officer did not have dual nationality and did get to take the controls?
Since we can safely assume that the US and the USAF in particular are unlikely to run out of 747 rated pilots anytime soon, the sole purpose of the exercise would be to show to the world what great buddies we are, and how deep the relationship between our armed forces actually runs.
The mood music following last week's events would suggest that such a public display of affection may need to be postponed......

[Peter Fanelli]

I suppose it would been too much to ask for them to have shown a picture of a VC-25 747. The 757 is rarely (if ever) used as Air Force One...:ugh:
I guess you haven't been paying much attention to the aircraft in the background of many of the Trump rallies over the last few months.

[TwoStep]

I am told the story is entirely made up, hence no official comment from the RAF.

[atr-drivr]

I suppose it would been too much to ask for them to have shown a picture of a VC-25 747. The 757 is rarely (if ever) used as Air Force One...:ugh:

Actually used quite a bit.

[possel]

...Does anyone recall another recent example of a wg cdr exchange flying appointment? The exchange system is balanced by rank and role; as the name implies, it is a 2-way exchange, so presumably we will see a USAF LTC coming to fly here...I know I left the RAF ages ago but in my time there were several US exchange posts where they gave us a Lt and we gave them a Sqn Ldr. No equality at all...

[Warmtoast]

We shouldn't forget that President Eisenhower on a visit to the UK in August 1959 was flown to and from Aberdeen in a 216 Sqn Comet, pilot S/Ldr P. E. Pullen.
Details here: https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/406432-memories-raf-benson.html#post5527893
Post #6
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/450x278/ike1a_473cbc7a0a9812516aad162234ffce399468c843.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/450x278/ike_2a_573a930b213c474bb4bda0bcfbde1ae6e0048ffa.jpg

[sandiego89]

I guess you haven't been paying much attention to the aircraft in the background of many of the Trump rallies over the last few months.

No kidding- the 757 (C-32) has been getting lots of use as AF-1, especially for the multi-city campaign stops on a single day. The runway and apron space considerations for some of the airport rallies likely come into play, and I believe the campaign has to pay some fees for strictly campaign events.

One unique airport driven use was for President Obama visiting Midway island for the Marine Monument dedication. Sure there was a good Gooney bird walk down that day.....

[Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP]

I'm a lucky civi sod. I've flown airliners for about 30 years. My most precious back seaters were always my family. They got the same treatment as everyone else. No more, no less.

[cavuman1]

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/628x478/dr_strangelove_group_captain_lionel_mandrake_b75e80ee174c94c d61d67d26b48ccd2a747f80af.png
Though he never occupied left seat in Air Force 1, at one time the fate of the Free World rested upon Group Captain Lionel Mandrake's broad shoulders!

- Ed ;)

[West Coast]

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/628x478/dr_strangelove_group_captain_lionel_mandrake_b75e80ee174c94c d61d67d26b48ccd2a747f80af.png
Though he never occupied left seat in Air Force 1, at one time the fate of the Free World rested upon Group Captain Lionel Mandrake's broad shoulders!

- Ed ;)

And his moustache.

[Mechta]

Biden was said to be joking when he said this. If he wasn't, he may prefer not to have an RAF pilot flying him:

Joe Biden: "I'm Irish"

[Airbubba]

I suppose it would been too much to ask for them to have shown a picture of a VC-25 747. The 757 is rarely (if ever) used as Air Force One...:ugh:

I think somebody misinformed you about the 757 being rarely used for AF1. ;)

The AF1 757s are C-32As with Pratt motors. The planes used as AF1 are 09-0015, 09-0016 and 09-0017.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1140x712/081720_n_rpb_trump_mankato_08724_0386141b60b8375d8867a2c8710 e9b510318beda.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x676/5f597f950af54_image_7fdcfa7ff6d0c4856d9e2a273f4233f282b01047 .jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1660x934/dal_af1_c1be58f837ecfb0da2d0d2ccdab0a85a4e736979.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1919x1080/72ceb41c_9381_48fe_8a7a_d60b23e572b4_large16x9_img_8256_larg e__68904d96cbf2de0b85ff4980454929b1f51c6421.jpg

[Airbubba]

So as far as getting the opportunity to fly AF one, an RAF Officer holding dual citizenship would probably be in a good position I would have thought ?

AF1 aircrew are required to have a Category Two YANKEE WHITE security clearance. I presume this administrative nickname will soon have to be changed to something more politically correct in the woke Black Lives Matter era.

Some excerpts from DoD Instruction 5210.87 for the sea lawyers here:

The investigative request shall be processed as follows:

E3.3.1. The administrative nickname “YANKEE WHITE” must be stamped or printed in the Remarks section of the DD Form 1879, “Request for Personnel Security Investigation,” for all Presidential support requests that are manually submitted. For those electronic submissions of the DD Form 1879, “YANKEE WHITE” will be typed in item 1 and the form will then be stamped by the Defense Security Service (DSS) upon completion of the investigation. All requests for investigation must indicate whether or not the individual is being processed for a security clearance by any other Department or Agency of the Federal Government.

E3.3.2. Scope of investigation required:

E3.3.2.1. Personnel assigned to Category One or Category Two (enclosure 2) duties must have a favorably completed single scope background investigation (SSBI) within 36 months preceding selection for Presidential support duties. If an individual marries subsequent to the completion of the SSBI, a National Agency Check (NAC) on the spouse must be conducted. Category One nominees shall be required to sign a tax information waiver form. The Executive Secretary shall process the tax form through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT PROGRAM STANDARDS

E4.1.1. In addition to the adjudication standards contained in DoD 5200.2-R (reference (c)), individuals under consideration for Presidential support duties are also subject to the standards listed below to ensure that the assignment or retention is clearly consistent with optimum Presidential security and support. The determination must be a common sense judgment based on all available information.

E4.1.5. Minimum Requirements for Nomination

E4.1.5.1. U.S. citizenship.
E4.1.5.2. High degree of maturity, discretion, and trustworthiness.
E4.1.5.3. Unquestionable loyalty to the United States.
E4.1.5.4. Satisfactory past and present duty performance.

E4.1.7. Discretionary Criteria

E4.1.7.3. Immediate family are citizens of another country. Immediate family under this Instruction includes spouse, offspring, living parents, brothers, sisters, or other relatives or persons to whom the individual is closely linked by affection or obligation. It must be determined that family members are not subject to physical, mental, or other forms of duress by a foreign power and who do not advocate or practice acts of force or violence to prevent others from exercising their rights under the constitution or laws of the United States or any State or subdivision thereof.

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/521087p.pdf

[Airbubba]

I am told the story is entirely made up, hence no official comment from the RAF.

Not impossible I suppose but the AF1 crew do have some SIOP and Continuity of Government duties that are rarely shared with foreign nationals in my experience. One of the three C-32As listed above is often SAM 18, the mysterious CoG third plane on AF1 trips.

Years ago I flew on a U.S. military crew led by an exchange officer who was an RAF Squadron Leader. He was required to leave the flight deck whenever procedures involving nuke weapons were practiced even though he held a NATO COSMIC TOP SECRET ATOMAL clearance.

[Waypoint Short]

I presume this administrative nickname will soon have to be changed to something more politically correct in the woke Black Lives Matter era.


I doubt it will be changed. What could be changed, however, is your irrelevant and flippant comments/attitude towards someone's problems.

[Deltasierra010]

Is it really credible that an RAF pilot who would not be type rated for a 747, let alone experienced, be allowed to even be 1st officer on Airforce One, whereas seconded as a pilot of a C17 is believable.

[chevvron]

Biden was said to be joking when he said this. If he wasn't, he may prefer not to have an RAF pilot flying him:

Joe Biden: "I'm Irish" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsoHAwuQ73g)
As I said before, it'll all change after Jan 20th next year.

[BVRAAM]

Is it really credible that an RAF pilot who would not be type rated for a 747, let alone experienced, be allowed to even be 1st officer on Airforce One, whereas seconded as a pilot of a C17 is believable.

There are not many 747's knocking about in the USAF inventory. In fact, there are 6 - 2x VC-25's and 4x E-4, so I wonder just how experienced the Presidential aircrew are before flying the President?

An E-4 follows the President wherever he goes, its landing location is always classified until it arrives on the tarmac and kept away from the VC-25/C-32. It proved its worth in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/800x400/1605002063_371db8695c13e669be26281142c7030fa98be99a.jpeg

[622]

Is it really credible that an RAF pilot who would not be type rated for a 747, let alone experienced, be allowed to even be 1st officer on Airforce One, whereas seconded as a pilot of a C17 is believable.

The original article (if to be believed!) stated a 'Wing Commander'...would a Wing Commander really be expected to go as a C17 pilot or co etc?....I could understand maybe a Squadron Leader.

[Archimedes]

Biden was said to be joking when he said this. If he wasn't, he may prefer not to have an RAF pilot flying him:

Joe Biden: "I'm Irish" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsoHAwuQ73g)


On the flip side, he beat even Ronald Reagan to public support of the UK over the Falklands. He put a resolution down in the Senate calling on the administration to openly state it would support the UK even as Jeanne Kirkpatrick was busily attempting to secure a position of neutrality. Biden was unaware that Cap Weinberger was privately running his own foreign policy, supplying fuel and offering the USS Eisenhower on loan to the RN, of course...

[Airbubba]

There are not many 747's knocking about in the USAF inventory. In fact, there are 6 - 2x VC-25's and 4x E-4, so I wonder just how experienced the Presidential aircrew are before flying the President?

A former colleague who flew right seat on the VC-25A says that he came from the USAF C-130 community.

An E-4 follows the President wherever he goes, its landing location is always classified until it arrives on the tarmac and kept away from the VC-25/C-32. It proved its worth in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

This is simply not true in my observation. An E-4 is always on alert but domestically at least, I don't see it following AF1. Can you provide a source or cite for this claim? There are similar oft-repeated urban legends about how the President and Vice President never ride on the same aircraft and the President only travels on four-engine planes.

Here's a typical news item about the E-4s following AF1 in a Spokane, Washington newspaper. But, they admit that AF1 is probably nowhere around.

The planes are stationed near Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, but travel a lot. They follow around Air Force One wherever the president goes.

So is Donald Trump here? Probably not. The 44th G7 Summit is taking place this weekend in La Malbaie, Quebec, and Trump is attending. Then, on Tuesday, he’s scheduled to meet with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, in Singapore.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/08/doomsday-plane-that-follows-president-arrives-at-f/

How did the E-4 prove its worth after the 9/11 attacks? There was an annual GLOBAL GUARDIAN (not VALIANT GUARDIAN as some sources say) exercise in progress and I think all four E-4s were airborne or on alert that morning.

The E-4Bs are usually easy to track, CLUB 22 did a brief stop at Seymour Johnson AFB a few minutes ago and is southbound. They took off this morning from Wright-Patterson AFB. They are scheduled to do the periodic POTUS aircraft swap drill today where they meet up with AF1 and board POTUS on the ramp. Or, so it is claimed on social media. ;)

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1786x1142/club_22_2_0bf70376a45abec4f63a33856cd4f87fddbd3489.jpg

[Easy Street]

The original article (if to be believed!) stated a 'Wing Commander'...would a Wing Commander really be expected to go as a C17 pilot or co etc?....I could understand maybe a Squadron Leader.

This may be a sign of the increasingly wide gap between the UK and other nations in terms of senior officers’ flying duties. It is normal for USAF squadrons to have two flying OF4s (the boss and the DO or ‘boss-in-waiting’), for USAF wing HQs to have a couple more (STANEVAL and the deputy wing boss), and for the OF5 and even 1* commanders to be in regular flying practice - maybe even role qualified (IIRC, AF1 was captained by a full-bird colonel when taking GWB to safety on 9/11). So I can well imagine a RAF wg cdr being employed in a USAF flying role, possibly overborne, but it is much less unusual to see fliers of that rank over there. The lucky so-and-so...

Coming back the other way, in the early 2000s there was a USAF lt col WSO filling a sqn ldr position on a GR4 squadron, and I remember thinking that that would be a most enjoyable way to earn a living!

[Spooky 2]

My one experience on the VC25 was at SEATAC during the 2nd Obama administrtion. At the time I was told that the VC32 had landed over in Spokane (Fairchild AFB). It's unlikely that the 2nd VC25 would be following behind every flight of AF1 simply because one of these aircraft is frequently out of service for various maintenance issues. Now that Boeing, and the USAF have gotten the aux fuel tank (SFAR88), issues behind them, the VC32 does a pretty good job of covering for the backup aircraft.

[BVRAAM]

A former colleague who flew right seat on the VC-25A says that he came from the USAF C-130 community.



This is simply not true in my observation. An E-4 is always on alert but domestically at least, I don't see it following AF1. Can you provide a source or cite for this claim? There are similar oft-repeated urban legends about how the President and Vice President never ride on the same aircraft and the President only travels on four-engine planes.

Here's a typical news item about the E-4s following AF1 in a Spokane, Washington newspaper. But, they admit that AF1 is probably nowhere around.



https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/08/doomsday-plane-that-follows-president-arrives-at-f/

How did the E-4 prove its worth after the 9/11 attacks? There was an annual GLOBAL GUARDIAN (not VALIANT GUARDIAN as some sources say) exercise in progress and I think all four E-4s were airborne or on alert that morning.



Sorry, I forgot to include in my post for overseas trips. Of course there'd be no need for domestic travel.

I am also fairly certain that GWB spent a lot of time in an E-4 when everything was going on and he was trying to get things figured out. I don't recall that huge amount of time being airborne, being exclusively in the VC-25.

[BVRAAM]

This may be a sign of the increasingly wide gap between the UK and other nations in terms of senior officers’ flying duties. It is normal for USAF squadrons to have two flying OF4s (the boss and the DO or ‘boss-in-waiting’), for USAF wing HQs to have a couple more (STANEVAL and the deputy wing boss), and for the OF5 and even 1* commanders to be in regular flying practice - maybe even role qualified (IIRC, AF1 was captained by a full-bird colonel when taking GWB to safety on 9/11). So I can well imagine a RAF wg cdr being employed in a USAF flying role, possibly overborne, but it is much less unusual to see fliers of that rank over there. The lucky so-and-so...

Coming back the other way, in the early 2000s there was a USAF lt col WSO filling a sqn ldr position on a GR4 squadron, and I remember thinking that that would be a most enjoyable way to earn a living!

I was under the impression that the Vice WG/CC is typically a full bird Colonel, as are Group Commanders.

Yes, President George W. Bush's Captain was Col. (ret) Mark Tillman.

This podcast with him is worth listening to in the car tomorrow- 45 minutes.

https://inspire.eaa.org/podcast/col-mark-tillman-air-force-one-pilot/

[RAFEngO74to09]

The RAF wing commander isn't ever going to be the captain of any aircraft in use as Air Force One - perhaps on the roster as a reserve co-pilot but I doubt that as well - far more likely he might be on flying duties with other aircraft in the 89th Airlift Wing fleet.

The captain of Air Force One - The Presidential Pilot - is a colonel (OF-5) post and has been ever since 1948 as the responsibilities go way beyond being the captain when flying the aircraft - as can be seen in this Nat Geo documentary from Col Tillman's era.

List of Presidential Pilots (minus the current one) - Presidents Truman > Obama:

https://www.iloveairforceone.com/history/pilots/

Nat Geo documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYPyLDMEG8U

[Airbubba]

I am also fairly certain that GWB spent a lot of time in an E-4 when everything was going on and he was trying to get things figured out. I don't recall that huge amount of time being airborne, being exclusively in the VC-25.

I don't believe President Bush was in an E-4 at all anytime after the 9-11 attacks. Do you have a source that claims otherwise? Thanks.

Here's a 2017 Garrett Graff article that mentions the E-4s and also the low profile Continuity of Government aircraft which at the time was a C-20 Gulfstream. These days it appears to always be a C-32A 757 (09-0015, 09-0016 or 09-0017) with the callsign SAM 18. It leaves ADW an hour or two before AF1 and usually gets back after AF1 and the backup plane SAM 45.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/02/the-presidents-secret-air-force-215091

From the article:

But at first glance, none of that was related at all to the $40 million Gulfstream that landed in Stuttgart—an hour’s flight away from Dresden—a day ahead of Obama’s Germany visit. The white unmarked jet blended in among the anonymous luxury jets that fill many major airports around the world—yet it had no apparent business in Stuttgart, and its crew hung close to the plane. It was in Germany only for a day and then promptly took off around the time the president departed Germany for the next leg of his trip, to France. As Air Force One went to Caen, the Gulfstream flew across the English Channel to the UK’s Mildenhall Air Force Base, where it waited in a hangar just an hour’s flight away from Obama’s visit to the beaches of Normandy for the anniversary of D-Day on June 6. Then the Gulfstream flew back to Andrews Air Force Base in the United States. On no leg of the trip did the plane appear to have any purpose whatsoever. Only someone who looked up its tail number, 60403, would discover its secret.

https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/20224c3/2147483647/resize/658x%3C/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F14%2Fc3%2F327f3cf14 581abd1f68be511d1db%2Fc20c.Gulfstream.jpegThe C-20C in flight. | Photo by Lutz Lehmann

The Gulfstream was the Air Force’s plane 86-0403, one of three special presidential aircraft long tasked with evacuating the president in an emergency and preserving the so-called National Command Authorities, the officials with authority to launch nuclear weapons. Known as C-20Cs, the planes don’t really officially exist. But for years, they have gone nearly everywhere the president travels, paralleling presidential trips, serving as his chameleons, blending in anonymously at airports close by presidential visits—but never at the same airport where Air Force One itself is landing. During one of Bush’s trips to Homestead Air Force Base in Miami in 2001, for example, a C-20C shadowed the trip, standing by at Patrick Air Force Base near Cape Canaveral.

...The main purpose of the covert Gulfstreams, however—and the reason for their secrecy—is ensuring that the president maintains control of the nation’s nuclear weapons and can be safely evacuated in an emergency, particularly if the primary Air Force One is disabled or attacked or if the president can’t make it back to the airport where Air Force One was located. While the E-4B Nightwatch planes are meant to be long-term command centers, the C-20 aircraft—much smaller and able to carry far fewer passenger than a 747—are not meant as a long-term solution. Instead, their goal is to get the president to one of the roughly dozen major ground command posts scattered around the country from which he could securely lead the nation into war. In fact, this plan was nearly activated on September 11, 2001; after Bush took off from Florida, his staff’s original plan, before they realized the scope of the attacks that morning, had been to fly Air Force One to an airport near the capital—like Norfolk, Virginia—where he could be transferred to a small jet like the C-20 and brought either back to D.C. or to an emergency command post.

The ability of the C-20s to land on a runway just half the length required for a 747 means that they’re agile enough to use at nearly any airport in the world—which could be very useful if you were suddenly going to be trying to hide a president somewhere in the United States.

Specifically, if you’re trying to hide a president at Mount Weather in Virginia.

[cynicalint]

Having compared being flown by an RAF pilot, rather than a USAF pilot, POTUS will probably insist that ALL his pilots are RAF! :}

[Airbubba]

This podcast with him is worth listening to in the car tomorrow- 45 minutes.

https://inspire.eaa.org/podcast/col-mark-tillman-air-force-one-pilot/

Thanks again. Colonel Tillman also has several passages of narrative in The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff (2019).

In it he says he took AF1 up to FL450 and later Mach .94. Isn't this a little more that the civilian limits for a B-742?

And I mentioned what I believe to be a few AF1 urban legends repeated in the media. For example, the claim that the President and Vice President never ride on the same aircraft.https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1989x1124/af1_and_af2_6d3badfa1853c41927b31702d62bfb047d943a52.jpgHere 's another one that I've run across claiming that AF1 has some special power boost or something. Anybody know what this is if it really exists?

From the 2017 Graff article linked above:

The special presidential evacuation procedures begin with the primary Air Force One planes themselves: On September 11, 2001, as President George W. Bush raced into the air following his school appearance in Sarasota, Florida, the crew activated a secret, classified capability aboard the 747 that speeds emergency launches, rocketing the plane into the sky at what seemed to passengers and observers like an impossibly steep pitch to minimize its exposure to any lurking surface-to-air missiles. “There are only two 747s in the world that can take off like that,” one of the flight stewards said that day, leaning over to a congressman who was aboard. “And they’re both called Air Force One.”

Is it some best angle flap setting that a standard B-742 doesn't have? Or a war emergency power reserve setting on the CF-6 motors?

[megan]

Probably light weight (little fuel). Had what seemed like a spirited take off in a QF 747 fueled for a 400nm trip, deck angle a lot higher than the previous trans Pacific take off, straight up FL410 like a home sick angel.

[Max Tow]

My understanding is that they're looking to the Brits for someone with a FHSH rating for a possible mission on 20 Jan.

[Airbubba]

Probably light weight (little fuel). Had what seemed like a spirited take off in a QF 747 fueled for a 400nm trip, deck angle a lot higher than the previous trans Pacific take off, straight up FL410 like a home sick angel.

That's what makes me a little skeptical of the claim: “There are only two 747s in the world that can take off like that,” one of the flight stewards said that day, leaning over to a congressman who was aboard. “And they’re both called Air Force One.” A little journalistic license perhaps?

I'm thinking I've read something similar years ago in one of the AF1 coffee table picture books.

[megan]

Agree journalistic license, after al, the 747 is used to heft weight in the airline business, so rare to see one take off at light weight. I'm told a light weight emergency descent is a thing to behold as well, extreme nose down with no weight assisting gravity.

[tdracer]

Is it some best angle flap setting that a standard B-742 doesn't have? Or a war emergency power reserve setting on the CF-6 motors?

I can say with some authority that there is nothing special about the CF6-80C2 engines or the engine ratings on AF1. They are pretty much your stock standard CF6-80C2B1 engines (granted, probably maintained to a somewhat higher standard than most). About all you can do is turn off the (supervisory) PMCs and firewall the throttles - that'll give you some overboost, but only about 2% N1 above the max rating (there is a limiter in the hydromechanical control that prevents any more than that) (the B1 rating is basically the same as the B4 (56k) rating on the 767).

That being said, I've been on some flight tests where we were real light, and did max rated takeoffs (both 747s and 767s) - the climb rate is impressive indeed.

I believe the 747-200 was certified to 45k although I wouldn't swear to it - the 747-8 was 'only' certified to 43k (due to a change in the regulations regarding depressurization as I understand it). I don't remember the certified VMO for the civilian 747s, but I know that Boeing flight test pilots did take it to over 0.97 (I looked at data in the 0.98-0.99 range in a shallow dive).

[megan]

For all 747 up to and including the -300 the TCDS says VMO/MMO 375/0.92 (KEAS), max alt 45,100
-400 VMO/MMO 365/0.92 (KCAS) max alt 45,100
-8 VMO/MMO = 365/0.9 (KCAS) max alt 43,100
-8F VMO/MMO = 365/0.9 (KCAS) max alt 42,100

[flyboyike]

The captain of Air Force One - The Presidential Pilot - is a colonel (OF-5) post

O-6, but who's counting?

[Easy Street]

O-6, but who's counting?

OF-5 is to O-6 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO#Comparison_to_other_systems) as tom-ah-toe is to tom-ay-toe ;)

[JW411]

35 years ago DOD decided that I should be a Field Officer Grade 4 (O-4). This was a little bit bit better than my ex-RAF rank of Flt Lt.

[RAFEngO74to09]

Pilot and Flight Engineer training for the VC-25s is done under contract by Atlas Air - which has just had its contract extended Air Force One Pilot Training Extended with Atlas Air | Airways Magazine (https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/air-force-one-pilot-training-extended-with-atlas-air/)