Free Republic

The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for “executive airlift,” a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won’t be ready until after his term is over. “As directed by the Secretary of War, the Air Force is modifying a Boeing 747 aircraft for Executive Airlift support,” the Air Force spokesperson said in a brief statement to media outlets. “Details related to the contract are classified.” The spokesperson declined to answer further questions from Air...

The Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing is reviewing a report after people traveling aboard Air Force One on Sunday saw an object that appeared to be a drone as the plane was landing at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. "We were making the approach, but not yet in the final landing run. I saw a thing with a kind of X shape and part of it was yellow. That's all I can say," a witness told CNN. "This was a brief moment, obviously, but not flashing by," the witness said. "I had long enough to do a double take, then...

President Trump wants to update the paint job on the next version of Air Force One, ditching the iconic robin's-egg blue (which he calls a "Jackie Kennedy color") for a bolder, "more American" look. The big picture: Trump rarely gets into the weeds of government negotiations. But he sat down in the Oval Office with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in February to personally hammer out the $4 billion deal for a pair of replacement 747s for use as Air Force One (the call sign for whatever Air Force plane the president is on).

Nicked ... emotionless Lakhani arrives at court THE British arms dealer seized over a US terror plot hero-worshipped Osama Bin Laden.Hemant Lakhani, 68, tried to supply missiles for a blitz on the scale of the September 11 attacks.He spoke of a bid to shoot down a plane on the anniversary of 9/11.Lakhani hated the US and was hell-bent on killing Americans, prosecutors said last night.The arms dealer believed terror leader Osama Bin Laden “did something right and set the Americans straight” when he orchestrated the September 11 attacks.And he was ready to help extremists unleash a new wave of terror....

<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — President Bush's plane aborted its initial landing attempt here when a car in his awaiting motorcade crossed the runway, but landed safely on its second attempt.</p> <p>The lead car of the president's motorcade crossed the tarmac to get in place before Bush's arrival on Air Force One at Jacksonville Naval Air Station around 11:30 a.m., EDT White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. Air traffic controllers, however, were not aware that the car would be on the runway, he said.</p>