Things You Probably Don't Know About Air Force One

“There’s no other aircraft in the world like Air Force One. It’s more than an expensive taxi service for the president. It’s a feat of engineering genius, built on the frame of one of the largest passenger jumbo jets in use. Over the years, it’s filled many roles to presidents and the people who surround those presidents, but it’s also been a symbol of America and freedom.

The Number of Floors

The details of the interior are not available for security reasons, but we do know how many floors there are. The Boeing 747 is a tall fuselage, affording three floors in parts of the craft. For example, the President’s entrance into the body feeds into a middle floor. There is another door for journalists, which enters on the bottom floor.

Square Footage

Most first apartments span between 500 to 1,500 feet. The interior of AF1 affords 4,000 square feet of space. That means the interior of this jet is probably bigger than 4X your first apartment. You didn’t host journalists, though.

Backup

There is a backup jet which will sometimes follow AF1, codenamed E-4B. The auxiliary jumbo jet is there to take over for any reason if needed. This is a common approach found in many Air Force and NASA missions. Always have a backup if you can.

The second 747-200B which sometimes trails AF1 isn’t only a backup jet. It’s the exact same craft in every way, six stories tall, ready for action. In fact, the president can fly in either one at any time.

Onboard Hospital

Anyone aboard Air Force One (AF1) has a mini-hospital available for treatment, defaulting to the president as the priority, of course. There’s even an operating space with a medical staff onboard at all times.

Doctor In The House

It makes no sense to have an onboard hospital without a doctor at the helm. Anytime the president is onboard, so is the doctor. Whether or not that doctor accepts the national health care is unknown.

Speed Saves

If you believe everything you read, AF1 has flown as fast as 700 MPH, but the cruising speed is closer to 650. The technology in the jet would prevent anyone inside from knowing what speed they travel. Good luck catching up to verify that.

The top speed of the craft is 1,126 MPH, but it can fly well beyond the limits of commercial aircraft as well. Those flights top out at 30,000 feet. AF1 goes 45,100 feet, 15,000 feet higher.

Long-Distance

Fast, check. Flies High? Yup. Goes far? Uh-huh. The 747 can foist over 53,000 gallons of fuel, enough to fly halfway around the world. When fully loaded, AF1 weighs over 830,000 pounds.

Refuel In Flight

Many Air Force craft can refuel mid-flight. It saves valuable wear and time from landing for more fuel. The refueling craft flies in above AF1, extending a hose down to a refueling port on the top of AF1. Then it’s a matter of locking in the hose, keeping both crafts steady, and disconnecting with grace.

Nuclear Proof

When a nuke explodes, it emits an electromagnetic pulse, disabling most electrical systems. Aircraft near a blast fall from the sky for the pulse, but not AF1. The last update to the jet included a pulse-tolerant design. It’s a flying bomb shelter.

Not Kitchen, Kitchens

The fact that AF1 has a kitchen in no surprise after learning that houses a hospital but get this. It has two kitchens, able to feed up to 100 people at a time. That’s a full-sized restaurant in the air.

Flying Hotel

Anyone traveling with the president can rest for a night in the living quarters of the jet. This includes senior advisors, secret service, press and other guests.

Phones

Need to make a call aboard AF1? No problem. There are 85 phones if you can’t get a signal on your cell. There are no rules on AF1 about making calls during landings or take-offs; proof that this is a made up rule.

The Spy Plane Years

In 1959, AF1 housed cameras in the wheel wells so powerful they could read car license plates from 29,000 feet in the air. This was all thanks to then CIA director, Allen Dulles.

Flying White House

From the nuclear proofing to the radar jamming capabilities of AF1, they designed and built 747 to function seamlessly as another White House. The path is untraceable. It even has defense flares in the event of an attack.

In the event of a terrorist attack, AF1 does more than protect the president and his advisors. They can run the country from AF1 if the White House is compromised.

Clear Path

Normal 747s fly in the same world where all aircraft live. Towers and control centers dictate pathways, altitudes and runway orders. AF1 outranks every one of them. Airport traffic stands still when AF1 lands or takes off. It has to be that way.

Shoulder Room

The crew for AF1 is 26. Up to 70 people can be on board for takeoff. That’s almost 100 bodies in a jumbo jet with a hospital, two kitchens, a press room, an office, and a war room.

Tax Payer Expense

To produce the AF1, initial costs were in the neighborhood of $660-million. The Air Force helped pay the bill, making $140-million payments over time like anyone else would pay off an expense. They did not hold a bake sale or go door to door selling raffle tickets to get that money, though. These figures of not include upgrades and maintenance.

Cost of operation

For every hour of operation, AF1 costs $56,000. A 12-hour flight costs $672,000. For 24-hours in the air, it costs over a million. Let that sink in. For more than what most people make in a year, even two, AF1 burns through in an hour. Should’ve enlisted in flight school.

Limitless

Remember how AF1 can refuel in the air? There is no place in the world AF1 cannot reach, so long as there is an adequate runway on which to land. It can refuel indefinitely. As long as hull and wing integrity hold, the mechanics of the plane operate, there is no need to land.

Wired

It’s 216 miles from Boston to Manhattan. The wires inside AF1 stretched end to end, go 240 miles.

Symbol of America

As one of the main symbols of the presidency, AF1 stands for more than the president of the United States. Other countries know the jumbo jet as much as Americans. It’s a symbol of America, emblazoned with “United States of America,” and the U.S. flag.”

Sources: historygarage.com, Twitter, Flickr.com and Pinterest.