Air Force 1

[speed freek]

Does anyone know if VC-25A is a converted 747, or was it a one-off from Boeing. ie. Was it brand spanking new when the USAF got it?

Cheers.

[speedbird_heavy]

The two aircraft were devliverd by Boeing from Everet to its factory in Wichita for conversion and (28000) first flew as "Air Force 1" on 6th September 1990

[419]

Is it true that it only has the call-sign Airforce 1, when the president is actually on board?.

419

[Vee One...Rotate]

419,

I'm pretty sure that's correct.

V1R

[av8boy]

Correct.

AF1 (Navy1, Marine1, Army1): Prez on board.
Executive1: Prez on board civilian aircraft.
AF1F/Executive1F, etc: Prez family on board aircraft but no Prez ("Executive one foxtrot" for instance).
AF2 (etc): Vice Prez.

Same aircraft without the Prez, VP, or their family: some regularly allocated callsign or the actual tailnumber. But NOT Air Force 1 (etc).

Dave

[PA-28-180]

All correct...except when the Pres/VP is not onboard, the call sign is SAM plus the tail number for Special Air Mission, i.e. SAM28000.

[av8boy]

Only if the aircraft being used is the VC-25 with "28000" painted on the tail (and even then, I am personally familiar with at least one occasion where there was an exception to calling that airframe with "28000" on the tail "SAM28000 when there were no VIPs on board). Otherwise it's some regularly allocated callsign or the actual tailnumber.

[speed freek]

So they were converted. Bloody hell that must have taken a bit of doing. For example, was looking at photos of it the other day, and it has built in airstairs where the forward hold used to be, etc. Would love to have a look around it, to see what they have done. Wonder if it has a glass cockpit? Incidentally, anyone know what the bump on the nose is? Air-Air refueling recpticle perhaps? Maybe watched the film to many times....

Cheers.

[speedbird_heavy]

The "bump" on the nose is an air-to-air refuelling pod and various other lumps and bumps are chaff/flare dispensers and/or electronic countermeasure pods. The aircraft also has its own air stairs towards the rear for the entourage and the chappie that carries the "football", which is a brown leather bag that contains all the nuclear launch codes.

The aircraft are based on the 747-200 so would have the analogue flight deck. They used the -200 for a reason because digital equipment is vulnerable to EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) which is given off during a nuclear explosion.

[speed freek]

Hey thanks for the info. You seem to know quite a bit about the acft. Did you used to fly it?

Cheers.

[speedbird_heavy]

LOL, I have a documentry on the aircraft(s).

[speed freek]

ah, that might help now wouldn't it. lol Thanks again.

Cheers.

[we_never_change]

Don't they have two VC-25s, 82-8000 & 92-9000?

wnc

[NWSRG]

Yes, there are two aircraft.

Although based on the 747-200, both aircraft have a specific glass cockpit.

[WHBM]

The two 747-based aircraft in the fleet were some of the last 747-200s built. They actually went into service long after the 747-400 arrived on the scene. I believe the outfitting contract was done at Boeing Wichita. It took years.

"Air Force 1" is only a callsign when the President is on board, otherwise the aircraft use their standard USAF callsigns. Both aircraft came to Teesside last year when the US President visited there, while for the mission taking him to Iraq one was used from Texas to Washington, then they changed planes to the other one for the Transatlantic leg. There must be some procedures that govern what gets used where.

There are a number of new 747s used round the world by state leaders (Japan, Saudi, etc) that also got done at Wichita. Some of the non-security items probably are used on those too.