A Reporter's First-Person Account On What It Is Like To Be On Air Force One

President Donald Trump disembarking from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, April 9, 2017. (Photo: S. Herman / VOA)

VOA: Little Time to Relax for Reporters on Air Force One

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — VOA's White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman began his post after President Donald Trump took office in January. He and other members of the White House press corps take turns covering the president when he travels. Here is Herman's first-person account of what it's like to fly aboard the famed U.S. presidential aircraft - Air Force One.

“It’s a really big plane.”

I repeated that to myself over and over as I walked under the port wing of Air Force One. Actually, there was also an expletive in that sentence looping through my mind.

I had seen the president’s plane in person numerous times on runways. But walking under the port wing of Air Force Once the first time was a humbling experience, even for a jaded aviation buff.

Any fixed wing plane the president flies on is dubbed Air Force One. There are two VC-25A aircraft – specially configured military versions of the Boeing 7474-200B – that compose the current presidential air transport fleet. Aircraft spotters can differentiate the twins by their distinct tail numbers: 28000 and 29000.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It must be quite a rush to find yourself on that plane .... even as a reporter.