[Spunky]

El Gato can you help us out here?

I have heard and read (see posting #1579) on some news sources that President Bush took the Presidential Marked Air Force One to Washington DC then switched to a back up plane hidden in a hanger to go on to Iraq.

There are other news sources that keep saying he took Air Force One to Iraq. My question is: Which ever plane the President goes in, is it called Air Force One? I think I have heard that whatever plane he is in is called AF1.

[ican'tbelieveit]

I heard the initial reports that he changed planes. But shortly after that they started reporting that he took what we think of as AF1 into Baghdad.

[mylife]

Which ever plane the President goes in, is it called Air Force One. Thats a fact.

[TexKat]

I think I have heard that whatever plane he is in is called AF1.

Ditto that. That was reported not too long ago on Fox News or one of the cable news channels.

[Yaelle]

Someone at the dinner table said that a British Airways plane flew a little close to AF1 en route to Baghdad, and radioed incredulously "Are you AF1?" They were told "No, we are Gulfstream bla bla bla..." In other words, shut the heck up.

Is that stroy true? Did that really happen? That must have been surreal for that other pilot!!!

[El Gato]

I think I have heard that whatever plane he is in is called AF1.

That is correct.

[El Gato]

Which ever plane the President goes in, is it called Air Force One? I think I have heard that whatever plane he is in is called AF1.

From http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/vc-25.htm:

"The mission of the VC-25A aircraft -- Air Force One -- is to provide air transport for the president of the United States. The presidential air transport fleet consists of two specially configured Boeing 747-200B's -- tail numbers 28000 and 29000 -- with the Air Force designation VC-25A. When the president is aboard either aircraft, or any Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign is "Air Force One."

When he landed onboard the carrier, the plane was "Navy One", and the chopper he flies in routinely is "Marine One", again when the President is onboard.