US Presidential aircraft
The US presidential aircraft fleet currently consists of two Boeing VC-25 wide-body planes, which are configured as military versions of Boeing 747-200B airliners. Both airliners are giants of the sky, marked with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 respectively. They are commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and use the radio call sign 'Air Force One'. This call sign was first used in the early 1950s after Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected as the 34th President of the US. At the time, the standard US Air Force procedure was to designate a flight by its tail number.
However, in 1953 this procedure led to a case of mistaken identity during radio communication between the Washington air traffic control in Richmond, the presidential plane and an Eastern Airlines flight, which had been given the same designated flight/tail number. After the confusion, US officials realised that the method of giving a presidential plane a call signal name by using its tail number could lead to accidents. Therefore, a new procedure of giving any plane flying the president the radio sign 'Air Force One' was implemented. Meanwhile, when the plane is carrying the Vice President of the United States, the radio call sign is changed to Air Force Two'.
Capable of flying roughly one-third of the way around the world without refuelling (up to 7,800 miles - about 12,600 kilometres), the presidential Boeing 747-200B features two main decks and a cargo area. The presidential version features 4,000 square feet (370 square meters) of floor space used for presidential duties. The airliner has a seating capacity for 70 passengers on the second floor, which is considered the main deck. The aircraft also features three entrances, two of which are located on the main deck and one on the lower deck.
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