Tuesday, January 20, 2009

See the Rides of Pres. Obama

Here is Pres. Obama's other new ride, Air Force One...It will be featured on the National Geographic Channel this Sunday Night. Right after it will be a special on Marine One, the helicopter presidents use.



The link featured here is a video of then Pres. Elect Obama's trip from Chicago to Washington D.C. and is his first trip on Air Force One and meeting his pilot. When a new president is elected the pilot steps down and a new one is moved up.

Be sure to check National Geographic to see when it is on Sunday and watch and learn all about the other rides besides the "Beast" limo that Pres. Obama is riding in. Some of the trivia concerning Air Force One.

Fifty years after its debut, Air Force One is still flying high.

Air Force One’s inaugural flight took place on January 11, 1959, and the first model was a Boeing 707-320B airliner.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selected the color scheme for Air Force One’s signature paint job.
Lyndon Johnson took the the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One on the tarmac in Dallas following John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963.
First Lady Nancy Reagan designed the interior of the current Air Force One, styling it in a Desert Southwest motif.
The current Air Force One flew its first presidential mission on September 6, 1990, flying President George H.W. Bush first to Kansas, then to Florida, and finally back to Washington, D.C.
The Air Force operates two identical planes that are used to carry the President. Neither aircraft can be called “Air Force One” until the President steps aboard. The second plane, which carries the Vice President, is referred to as “Air Force Two.”
During presidential tours, the Air Force One is accompanied by at least two C-5 Galaxy aircrafts carrying cargo that includes a bulletproof limousine; a top-of-the-line ambulance; at least one backup limo, often with many more for use as decoys; and occasionally even the President’s personal helicopter, Marine One.
Many of the more outlandish gizmos featured in Hollywood films owe more to artistic license than to airborne fact. For example, unlike in the film Air Force One, the real thing has no super-secret escape pod. It isn’t equipped with parachutes, either -- the massive slipstream created by an aircraft of its size makes them impossible to use.
When he left office, President Ronald Reagan stated that he hoped one day to be able to share Air Force One with the American people. In 2005, his wish was granted. Visitors to the Reagan Library are able to board the Air Force One that served as the “Flying White House” for President Reagan and six other U.S. presidents from 1973-2001.


So there you have a little trivia...some useless information about Air Force One. Much more to be learned at the web site... you can see the air plane...explore it a little and look at different places on it and learn a little more about it.

There is much more to be learned. Yet there is much that is still secret about it too. But that's ok. We don't need to know everything, some things need to be kept secret for safety's sake.

5 comments:

D.K. Raed said...

You have no idea how happy my husband will be to see the Nat Geo special. He really has a thing for AF1. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Annette -

My name is Minjae Ormes and I work with National Geographic Channel to promote the programs online.

I came upon your post about On Board Air Force One and wanted to thank you for your interest and support! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like information about similar programs in the future. It would be my pleasure to keep you posted.

Best,
Minjae Ormes
Digital Consultant
http://minjaeormes.com

Annette said...

Thanks Minjae,

I would love to have some way to embed some videos like those instead of linking to them. These are neat and I love being able to post them. People love seeing them and it would be a great way to promote the great work of your channel.

Thanks for stopping and commenting,

Annette

enigma4ever said...

Annette::
ohhhh my you made me so happy with this post...I love all things flight ( EX was a flight nurse- so I love Helicopters and planes etc...) and I love knowing how our Pres will travel ...THANK YOU ;-)

( yes, I was drooling over the Beast Yesterday- what an amazing car.....I looked it up last night...)

So later today I will do a Round Up on this...
and email me- maybe I can help you with embedding or find some better embeddable posts on it....I will start looking...

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Annette! Wonderful to connect with you. I emailed you a version of this video with the embed code, so that you can post it on your blog. Speak to you soon!