OT - Air Force 1 spotted by British Airways pilot - question...

[Guest P3_Super_Bee]

Wouldn't have a clue as to what actual callsign used, but I would bet going to Baghdad in a VC-25(B742) They probably used the a call sign used by the normal USAF trash haulers going into there. That way if anyone listening to traffic wouldn't be the wiser. "Ahh, just another C-5". I can't remember for sure but Navy aircraft in transent from Japan to Diego Garcia normally use a set callsign word and the number used would be the aircraft of the day. IE first aircraft would be "callsign-1", second would be "callsign-2" etc... Not sure if Air Force uses same callsign or not. What I can't remember, if there was a "set" callsign going from Dodge(Diego) up into the Gulf.

:-outta

http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/User_files/3e72a43942b48d2b.jpg

There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".- unknown

"My daddy gives me up, to fight for you"- a US Military Members Child

[Rottenlungs 0]

That would make a lot of sense, fit into to all the routine traffic. That must have been one hell of a security exercise, all in. A stressful day at the office for the bodyguards..Cheers

[Rottenlungs 0]

Yeah right!Quote :"Two weeks before he was to graduate from Yale, George Walker Bush stepped into the offices of the Texas Air National Guard at Ellington Field outside Houston and announced that he wanted to sign up for pilot training.It was May 27, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War. Bush was 12 days away from losing his student deferment from the draft at a time when Americans were dying in combat at the rate of 350 a week. The unit Bush wanted to join offered him the chance to fulfill his military commitment at a base in Texas. It was seen as an escape route from Vietnam by many men his age, and usually had a long waiting list.Bush had scored only 25 percent on a "pilot aptitude" test, the lowest acceptable grade. But his father was then a congressman from Houston, and the commanders of the Texas Guard clearly had an appreciation of politics."

[Guest wycliffe1]

Hi GuysQuite some interesting observations here. ButYou all seemed to miss the most obvious one and that is without any prompting whatsoever the British Pilot of possibly the worlds greatest airline British Airways maintained the security of the President (possibly the most powerful man in the world) without missing a beat.I would say that was just damn cool British reserve and common sense on his part.A colleague of mine, whose Father was a BA Capt and first pilot on 767's and 747's often would need to show discretion on similar incidents. It's all down to training and jolly good manners, and a modicum of common sense in situations that need a clear head.Ta taWycliffe

[SQUAWKIDENT 3]

LOL!"...the British Pilot of possibly the worlds greatest airline British Airways..."with the accent on possibly I hope? great pilots cr*p airline.Would rather fly Virgin/BMI/Quesyjet anyday!Ooops Anorak.:-)Adam

[Guest Darkmage]

When flying on a civilian aircraft, the callsign is "Executive One". Not sure about the Customs/CG/NASA, they might be operating under Executive One also.

[Guest Lobaeux4]

Just for the record, most Air Force trash haulers use the callsign "Reach _".

[Guest tcable]

After a bit of research..There are 2 VC-25B's assigned to the Presiential unit (the only ones) the rest of the fleet consists of 757's and Gulfstreams. I can only imagine the commo gear (Truly the best of the best) and possible countermeasures. Having been near another head of state's aircraft, I can say that military jets are seldom as well prepared as these are.They are not the only 747's equipped for aerial refueling. There are a few others- NEACAP jets.The call signs of the VC-25's are SAM 28000 and SAM 29000 (their tail numbers), copied from the VC-137's of their predecessors.I did not know this:"Convinced that the new aircraft needed a distinctive look, President Kennedy commissioned noted designer Raymond Loewy to come up with a new design. The result was a striking blue and white color scheme that has more or less carried to this day. "United States of America" was emblazoned on the side of the fuselage, an American flag was painted on the tail, and because this would be the president's aircraft, a presidential seal was added on both sides of the nose"As a piece of trivia: Did you know that there has been one flight where Air Force One did not land as AF1? It's when Nixon resigned and LBJ was sworn in while Nixon was in flight to California. It's the only time that that call sign has changed in flight.Theay are also the only 747's with integrated airstairs.Tim