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ast year, President Trump made a surprise three-hour visit to the al-Asad air base in war-torn Iraq, together with his wife Melania and National Security Adviser John Bolton. The purpose of the visit was to personally thank the US soldiers stationed there.

How did they get there? On Air Force One — one of two official, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that is the president’s personal airplane. Air Force One is like a flying presidential office, ready to travel anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.

Air Force One is easy to spot, with the words “United States of America” emblazoned on it, in addition to the American flag and the United States presidential seal. Unlike any plane you might have flown on, it is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, so it can function as a mobile command center in case of an attack on the United States.

Curious to learn more about the president’s one-of-a-kind aircraft? Join photographer Esky Cook and me as we tag along with Rabbi Chaim Lazar, and his sons, Naftali, Nechemia, and Nesanel. They traveled to National Harbor, Maryland, to tour the only full-size replica of Air Force One (not the actual Air Force One) at Air Force One Experience. They are among the over 40,000 visitors this traveling museum has attracted since it opened at this location this past November.

Hail to the Chief

Generally, when the president leaves the White House, he will first board Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and fly to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where Air Force One awaits him. At the same time, a massive C-141 Starlifter cargo plane flies ahead to the president’s destination. It is loaded with specially designed, armored Secret Service vehicles. Once the president lands, a motorcade of these vehicles escorts him wherever he needs to go.

The Nuts and Bolts

There are six million parts to Air Force one, including four massive CF6-class engines, each one 9 feet wide, 14 feet long, and nearly 10,000 pounds. The wingspan is almost 200 feet across, six stories high. With its maximum takeoff weight of nearly 1 million pounds, there’s no other plane like it on earth. Well, except for its twin. There are actually two Air Force Ones!

The actual Air Force One is a Boeing 747 — a specially designed military version. It can fly nearly 8,000 miles non-stop — that’s a third of the way around the world! It can be refueled in midair by a tanker aircraft — so if there was a security situation on the ground, it can fly up to 72 hours continuously.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 757)