I saw a news clip today where what was described as "the Air Force 1 helicopter" was flying over the Oso mud slide in Washington state. It looked liked one of the big Sikorskys used for presidential transport. My question is, while I know that ANY plane the prez is in, is for that moment Air Force 1, did they fly that big bird clear across the country? I know there are more then one, maybe they have some based out of the west coast? Just like they have more then one 747, two I think it is.

No big political rants for or against please, not my intent, just wondering on how that fling wing got there, my best guess is it is west cost based.

There were three (3) Osprey tilt rotors painted in the dark green and black of Marine One parked on the ramp at Paine Field on Monday. Where did they fly those from?

courierguy wrote:I saw a news clip today where what was described as "the Air Force 1 helicopter" was flying over the Oso mud slide in Washington state. It looked liked one of the big Sikorskys used for presidential transport. My question is, while I know that ANY plane the prez is in, is for that moment Air Force 1, did they fly that big bird clear across the country? I know there are more then one, maybe they have some based out of the west coast? Just like they have more then one 747, two I think it is.

No big political rants for or against please, not my intent, just wondering on how that fling wing got there, my best guess is it is west cost based.

They might have some staged in different areas, but I do know for a fact that they can stash them into the back of a C-5 and bring them wherever the pres needs them.

I believe they also have the Presidential limousines and other vehicles staged in different parts of the country.

Same here. I could care less who the Pres. is at the time. Pretty cool to see the aircraft and cool looking vehicles.

During my motocross days with Yamaha and when Clinton was in office, me and a small group of other team personnel was lucky enough to get an inside tour of Air Force One at Andrews AFB when the 747 was parked in the hangar. That was really cool!!

What was just as cool was the year before that, we were given what started off as being an inside tour of the DC9 that our friend Andrew flew for the Vice-Pres. and or First Lady and other top officials. Then we went to the other side of Andrews AFB to get a tour of the fighter jet hangar (I think mostly F16's). Then, a C5 landed and our friend Andrew took us back over to the main ramp and was able to talk his way into letting us climb into the C5 for a tour of that! Then..... (Believe it or not), Air Force One was being towed out if the hangar and over to the staging area where Clinton eventually showed up in the copters from the White House to hop onto Air Force One for a trip to the west coast. That was one of the coolest days of my motocross career!!

Somewhere laying around I have a picture of Marine One landing about 150 feet away from me and taxiing up toward Air Force One and a picture of me standing next to Air Force One. I was a local resource working the event! All three Helo's were here doing their usual cups and ball routine in an effort to confuse any threat as to who the real Slim Shady was. This particular visit was GW who flew in on AF1 (the 757 version if I recall correctly), and after fulfilling his local speaking engagements he flew in Marine 1 to Sunriver to visit and stay the night with a college friend of his. He flew back the next morning, which was when I got the front row seat to the arrival and then he left shortly after that on AF1 to go "home".

Since that was a planned trip the secret service started long in advance preparing by scouting the area, doing background checks and putting a plan together. I remember talking to some of the folks who were setting up the front end and there are a lot of details. For this trip they loaded the helicopters and all of the armored vehicles in cargo (C5) planes and flew them in. There were cars and SUV's everywhere with guns sticking out of them and snipers everywhere you looked and I'm sure a few places you didn't look! Crazy stuff!

CW

clippwagon wrote:Since that was a planned trip the secret service started long in advance preparing by scouting the area, doing background checks and putting a plan together.

That reminds me of flying into West Yellowstone. They have had two Air Force One's there, including the current 747. Apparently the deal is that for political and economic reasons they can't pay bonuses to FBOs and staff, but they know that a visit is a big hassle (some might say it's cool enough to be worth the hassle, some might not) so they "bribe" the ground staff with Air Force One swag as a thank you. When I was there all three people were having their morning joe in air force one mugs and they had t-shirts and polos as well.

ALL presidential missions start from Andrews AFB, Maryland & Quantico Marine base virginia. So We (The Air Force) Transport all the helicopters, cars, ambulence, secret service etc. to every destination that the president goes. The V-22's would have flown themselves. As far as I know the president isn't allowed to fly on those, and I really haven't been in the game lately to find out what they do with them! Either way, it's not cheap when the president (or any president) goes someplace.

It was an interesting shuttle.

AF One landed at Paine Field (KPAE). It appears that the V-22's shuttled everyone to Arlington (KAWO) where the Sikorsky took the party on an aerial tour. Then back to KAWO to get on motorcade to Oso.

From what I could tell it was motocade back to KAWO, then V-22 to KPAE and the waiting 747 AF-1.

It seems they got to use all their toys. Don't know why the Sikorsky could not have launched from KPAE since it was only 16 miles from KPAE to KAWO and Oso is only another 15 miles or so.

TFR's all over the place!!

I have little problem w/ these TFR's due to the mission; however, get really aggravated when some politico shuts down the airspace to hold a fund raiser in some rich person's mansion.

TD

saw a green & black V-22 at EUG, go-ing by on hwy99 this after noon.

I've been flying small airplanes too long, though I know that the armored limo's are transported via C-5A's, it just never occurred to me that the Marine One/Ones could also be transported that way. Really, not much different then me going somewhere in the S-7S, and deciding I need some ground transportation once there, and I throw in the Montague folding bike. Just a matter of scale.

I remember when Air Force One was at West Yellowstone recently.... I was coming back from Montana, and missed it by a day. I saw the pictures in the FBO, and some of the swag. An excellent reminder to check for TFR's, even when in the boonies, naturally I had done so and was fully aware that I had missed flying into W. Yellow and blundering into a presidential TFR by a day, of course I was.

A few years earlier, Clinton's ride was parked at Aeromark in Idaho Falls, to my great surprise the tower cleared me to "taxi to park" as usual. I ended up virtually under or very near under the wing while fully expecting to get yelled at or maybe shot. Nothing, complete radio silence. Turns out Mr. C was on the river so no big deal, still seemed odd no one had a problem, when I got out of my plane I was 100' to 150' from the staircase (a clue that it is a very large aircraft, lot's of steps just to get in). What a great country! I am pretty sure we have the most bad ass leader transport in the world, I mean, A.F. One blows we locals away when we see it, think what effect it has elsewhere when overseas . We are bad MF'ers