Air Force Two

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The Boeing C-32, a variant of the 757, is the usual transportation for the vice president of the United States USAF C-32A.jpg
The Boeing C-32, a variant of the 757, is the usual transportation for the vice president of the United States

Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president of the United States, but not the president. [1] [2] The term is often associated with the Boeing C-32, a modified 757 which is most commonly used as the vice president's transport. Other 89th Airlift Wing aircraft, such as the Boeing C-40 Clipper, C-20B, C-37A, and C-37B, have also served in this role. [3] The VC-25A, the aircraft most often used by the president as Air Force One, has also been used by the vice president as Air Force Two. [4] [5]

Contents

History

Richard Nixon was one of the first senior officials in American government to travel internationally via jet aircraft on official business, taking a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner on his visit to the Soviet Union in July 1959 for the Kitchen Debates as Eisenhower's vice president. [6] [7]

Domestically, non-presidential VIP travel still relied on the prop powered Convair VC-131 Samaritan aircraft until Nelson Rockefeller was named Gerald Ford's vice president in 1974. Rockefeller personally owned a Grumman Gulfstream II jet that he preferred to the much slower Convair; Rockefeller's Gulfstream II then used the "Executive Two" callsign while he was in office. This would prompt the 89th Airlift Wing's acquisition of 3 McDonnell Douglas VC-9Cs in 1975, adding to their 3 VC-137s jets used for senior executive international travel. [8] [9]

Prior senior executive aircraft included the former presidential Douglas VC-54 Skymaster, Douglas VC-118A, and Lockheed C-121 Constellations, held in reserve as back-up aircraft for the newer aircraft designated for presidential travel.

Design

Aircraft allocated for use by the vice president and senior executives authorized to travel under the Special Air Mission designation operated by the 89th Airlift Wing can be distinguished from the distinctive Raymond Loewy Air Force One livery by the lack of the Steel blue   cheatline and cap over the cockpit. [10] [11]

Former presidential aircraft that has been redesignated for non-presidential VIP travel will be repainted in the secondary livery as illustrated in the difference between VC-137C SAM 26000 and VC-137C SAM 27000's current paint schemes. Both SAM 26000 and SAM 27000 were relegated to a non-presidential VIP role upon delivery of their replacements, but SAM 27000 was repainted by the Reagan Library to match its Reagan era paint scheme (see chronology of SAM 27000 images under Reagan, George W. Bush, and as currently maintained by the library). [10] [12]

Incidents

In 2012, Joe Biden switched to another plane after a bird strike happened to the plane in which he was flying in California. [13] [14] A similar incident in 2020 involving a bird strike in the engine during takeoff caused Air Force Two to land back at a nearby New Hampshire airport while it was carrying Mike Pence and some of his staff. [15] In June 2021, Air Force Two, with Kamala Harris on board, was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after suffering a "technical issue." Harris, who was on her way to Guatemala, resumed her flight on a different aircraft approximately an hour and a half later. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force One</span> USAF aircraft carrying the US president

Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president and a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing VC-25</span> US Air Force presidential transport aircraft

The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as Air Force One, the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing C-32</span> Executive transport aircraft by Boeing

The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, providing executive transport and broad communications capabilities to senior political officials, while the C-32B Gatekeeper provides clandestine airlift to special operations and global emergency response efforts, a role known as "covered air".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulfstream V</span> Long-range, large business jet

The Gulfstream V is a long-range, large business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace, derived from the previous Gulfstream IV. It flies up to Mach 0.885, up to 51,000 feet (16,000 m) and has a 6,500 nmi (12,000 km) range. It typically accommodates four crew and 14 passengers. It first flew on November 28, 1995, and entered service in June 1997. It is used by the US military under the designation C-37A. It is followed by an improved version, the Gulfstream 550.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Executive One</span> Air traffic control call sign of any U.S. civil aircraft carrying the president of the U.S.

Executive One is the call sign designated for any United States civil aircraft when the president of the United States is on board. Typically, the president flies in military aircraft that are under the command of the Presidential Airlift Group, which include Air Force One, Marine One, Army One, Navy One and Coast Guard One.

Air transports for heads of state and government are, in many countries, provided by the air force in specially equipped airliners or business jets. One such aircraft in particular has become part of popular culture: Air Force One, used by the President of the United States and operated by the United States Air Force. Other well known official aircraft include the Russian presidential aircraft, the British Royal Air Force VIP aircraft, the French Cotam 001, the Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft, the German Konrad Adenauer, the Royal Australian Airforce VIP aircraft, the Japanese Air Force One, the South Korean Code One, the Indian Air India One, the Brazilian Air Force One, and the Israeli Wing of Zion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">89th Airlift Wing</span> Unit of US Air Force responsible for presidential and other top governmental official transport

The 89th Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force is based at Joint Base Andrews and has an operational force of over 1,000 personnel. The 89th provides global Special Air Mission (SAM) airlift, logistics, aerial transport and communications for the president, vice president, combatant commanders, senior leaders and the global mobility system as tasked by the White House, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Air Mobility Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Air Force One</span> Type of aircraft

Brazilian Air Force One is the Brazilian Air Force call sign of the aircraft carrying the President of Brazil. On international flights the aircraft uses the Brazilian Air Force ICAO code BRS1 and callsign Brazilian Air Force 01. The Special Transport Group (GTE) is the unit of the Brazilian Air Force responsible for transporting the President, Vice-President and other senior government officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1254th Air Transport Wing</span> Military unit

The 1254th Air Transport Wing was a United States Air Force unit, existing between 1948 and 1966. It was last stationed at Andrews AFB, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VC-137C SAM 27000</span> Presidential aircraft

SAM 27000 was the second of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft that were specifically configured and maintained for the use of the president of the United States. It used the call sign Air Force One when the president was on board, and at other times it used the call sign SAM 27000, with SAM indicating 'Special Air Mission.' The VC-137C serial number 72-7000 was a customized version of the Boeing 707 which entered service during the Nixon administration in 1972. It served all US presidents until George W. Bush and was retired in 2001. It is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VC-137C SAM 26000</span> Air Force VIP Aircraft

SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. It used the callsign Air Force One when the president was on board, otherwise SAM 26000, with SAM indicating Special Air Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">76th Airlift Division</span> Military unit

The 76 Airlift Division was a division of the United States Air Force, activated on 1 March 1976, inactivated on 30 September 1977, reactivated on 15 December 1980, and then inactivated again on 1 October 1985. Its principal components were the 89th Military Airlift Wing and the 1776th Air Base Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Airlift Squadron</span> Part of US Air Force 89th Airlift Wing operating executive transport

The 1st Airlift Squadron is part of the 89th Airlift Wing, 89th Operations Group, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It conducts transport of various high-level U.S. military and government officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">99th Airlift Squadron</span> Part of US Air Force 89th Airlift Wing operating executive transport

The 99th Airlift Squadron is part of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The 99th AS directly supports the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, Congress, and other U.S. and foreign dignitaries. The squadron flies specially configured C-37 Gulfstream V aircraft on Special Air Missions directed by Headquarters United States Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">201st Airlift Squadron</span> United States Air Force unit

The 201st Airlift Squadron flies Boeing C-40 Clipper. It is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 113th Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Mission</span> U.S. governmental flight service

The United States Air Force Special Air Mission provides air transportation for the president of the United States (POTUS), vice president of the United States (VPOTUS), first lady of the United States (FLOTUS), presidential Cabinet, U.S. congressional delegations (CODELs), and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing C-137 Stratoliner</span> VIP transport aircraft derived from the Boeing 707

The Boeing C-137 Stratoliner is a retired VIP transport aircraft derived from the Boeing 707 jet airliner used by the United States Air Force. Other nations also bought both new and used 707s for military service, primarily as VIP or tanker transports. In addition, the 707 served as the basis for several specialized versions, such as the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The designation C-18 covers several later variants based on the 707-320B/C series. The C-137 should not be confused with the similar Boeing C-135 Stratolifter; although they share a common ancestor the two aircraft have different fuselages, among other structural differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Base Andrews</span> United States military facility located in Prince Georges County, Maryland

Joint Base Andrews (JBA) is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 316th Wing, Air Force District of Washington (AFDW). The base was established in 2009, when Andrews Air Force Base and Naval Air Facility Washington were merged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Air Squadron (Indonesia)</span> Military unit

17th Air Squadron is a Special/VIP transport squadron under the command of the 1st Air Wing at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta. The 17th Air Squadron operates Indonesian Presidential Aircraft Boeing 737-800 BBJ2 and other transport aircraft.

References

  1. ↑ "Factsheets: C-32". U.S. Air Force. January 2006. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  2. ↑ "Order 7110.65R (Air Traffic Control) §2-4-20 ¶7". Federal Aviation Administration. 14 March 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  3. ↑ Singh, Sumit (1 September 2020). "The Vice President's Boeing 757 - Inside Air Force Two". Simple Flying.
  4. ↑ "Cheney heads overseas to talk terrorism". USA Today . Associated Press. 10 March 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  5. ↑ Whitelaw, Kevin (11 March 2002). "Reporter's Notebook on Cheney's Mideast trip: Day 1: London". U.S. News & World Report . Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "First of 3 Jets for President and Top Aides Is Unveiled." The New York Times, April 28, 1959, p. 3.
  7. ↑ O'Halloran, Thomas. "U.S.S.R. Moscow, on plane, American B-707, at airport, American exhibit". Library of Congress.
  8. ↑ Charlton, Linda (25 August 1974). "A Maine Vacation, Rockefeller Style". The New York Times . Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Petro, Joseph; Jeffrey Robinson (2005). Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service . New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN   0-312-33221-1.
  10. 1 2 Prisco, Jacopo (3 July 2019). "Out of the blue: A look back at Air Force One's classic design". CNN. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  11. ↑ Naidu, Keshav. "Air Force One Color Scheme". schemecolor.com. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Air Force One". whitehousemuseum.org. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Groppe, Maureen (16 October 2017). "6 fun facts about Air Force Two". The Indianapolis Star .
  14. ↑ "Air Force Two carrying Biden struck by birds, lands safely". Reuters . 20 April 2012.
  15. ↑ Behrmann, Savannah; Fritze, John (22 September 2020). "Air Force Two, carrying Vice President Mike Pence, returns to airport after hitting bird on takeoff". USA Today.
  16. ↑ 'Technical issue' forces Harris back to air base after departing on trip to Guatemala.
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