Posted on 06/11/2004 2:08:02 PM PDT by Huntress
I've been watching the coverage of President Reagan's funeral, and it appears to me that his body and funeral party are being flown on Air Force One. Can anyone confirm this, or comment on the protocol for Air Force One in this situation? Personally, I think it is a very nice and fitting tribute to President Reagan, and an extremely classy gesture by President Bush to allow it.
Well, you blew that right off the bat.
That is a 757 of which there are a few in the fleet. This plane is used by the VP (unless he is being sent on a special mission for the President), Cabinet members, and others of that rank. Depending on the airport the President is to land at, the smaller 757 might be used in lieu of the 747 due to its' heavier weight.
Well .. I heard on FOX that the plane had been ordered - and she had participated in decorating it. However, it didn't arrive until several months after they left office. So, I was partly right.
Usually that's true, but Pres. Bush authorized the use of the title while it was carrying the body of President Reagan.
Such a classy man!
The AF1 fleet also includes a MD80, shown in this picture.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040611/480/mdsh10606112025
It was used by Clinton on his vacations to Martha's Vinyard because the runway on MV couldn't handle the 747.
Another trivia - the two 747 AF1s have been used for deception. When Slick Willy flew into Pakistan from India, there was concern about his plane being shot at so they first flew in one of the AF1 747s w/o Slick Willy aboard (nobody knew the plane only had pilots aboard). Then, about 5 minutes later, the second AF1 747 flew in (with Willy aboard).
I'm hoping it's "Dumpster One" for Syphilitic Bill. And let's be magnanimous - we'll authorize the purchase of a new Dumpster instead of whatever's parked behind his trailer-park lie-bary.
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