Want to learn more about Air Force One? National Geographic is airing a program Sunday, Jan. 25 on the presidential fleet called On Board Air Force One. The show airs at 7 p.m. on Channel 111.
Here’s what National Geographic says about the show: “Journey inside the most secure aircraft in the world, Air Force One, as it carries the President through the confusion and terror of 9/11, a secret mission into Baghdad and a whirlwind diplomatic mission through the Middle East. With unprecedented access, National Geographic introduces you to the presidential pilot and the crew charged with operating this global command center in the sky.”
Writing about Air Force One for today’s paper brings back vivid memories. Several years ago, I covered President Clinton’s trip to Wichita when he came to visit Cessna’s training center that helped bring welfare recipients into the workforce.
I was the only local print reporter chosen to be part of the national press pool. I’d gone through the security checks and was on the tarmac at McConnell Air Force Base when the massive blue and white plane came into sight, then landed. I watched as the door swung open and the stairs descended. On the door was the large presidential seal. It was a scene I’d watched many times on television, but never in person. It took my breath away, and I choked back a tear. No matter your party affiliation, that plane, modified by so many workers at Boeing Wichita here, is symbolic of United States and its freedoms. It was a moment and a feeling I will never forget.
My story today on the Air Force’s plan to replace the two Boeing-747s that make up the presidential air fleet is today’s top-read story. (The planes are called Air Force One whenever the president is on board. Technically, Air Force One is the radio call sign). So far, the story has generated more than five pages of comments on Kansas.com expressing a variety of opinion. Many express an outrage that the government could consider a bid from Airbus. I’ve also received an e-mail today from a recently-retired airline transport captain and flight instructor from Mississippi who brings an interesting perspective.
He thinks the Air Force should not replace the two 747-200s but continue to maintain them. The aircraft took years for Boeing and other contractors to build at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, he notes. Although they are over 25 years old, they are two “lowest time” 747-200s in the world, he said. Although the 747-200 is now out of production, parts on the shelf and parts that could be ordered now could keep the plane flying for another 50 years. “Why spend another billion or two simply to advertise we have borrowed (again) enough money to buy the most expensive?”
National Business Aviation Association’s president and chief executive Ed Bolen has received the Aviation Leader of the Year award from the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy.
The academy is affiliated with the Airport Journals publications and is a Colorado-based nonprofit group interested in fostering young people’s interest in aviation careers. It annually awards individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation.
Bolen has consistently articulated the role that general aviation plays in serving companies and communities across the country, said academy spokesman Paul Lips in a statement. “Ed understands that general aviation is central to job creation, business investment and economic activity in countless local areas,” Lips said.
