1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, host of the new How Stuff 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Works Now podcast. Every week, I'll be bringing you three 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: stories from our team about the weird and wondrous developments 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: we've seen in science, technology, and culture. Fresh episodes will 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: be out every Monday on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:23,319 Speaker 1: and everywhere else that fine podcasts are found. Welcome to 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff, it's 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: Christian Sager here. Imagine you're on the streets of Manhattan 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: on April two thousand and nine. All of a sudden, 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: Air Force one flies overhead, lower to the ground than 11 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: a plane should be, and an F sixteen fighter jet 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: is chasing it. Your first thought probably isn't oh, Harrison 13 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Ford is making a sequel to his classic nine action 14 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: film Air Force One. No, it's probably more like, oh 15 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: my God, New York is under attack, and then you 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: evacuate your building. Well, it turns out this actually how 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: and it was because the White House wanted to capture 18 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: new souvenir photos of the President's airplane flying over the 19 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty. The incident was blamed on miscommunication between 20 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: the White House and New York City Hall, but regardless 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: of who is at fault. Let me throw this fact 22 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: that you it costs fifty dollars per second to operate 23 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: air Force one. That's over a hundred and eighty thousand 24 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: dollars per hour. That's the cost for your plane to 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: be considered a major symbol of technological prestige. Yeah, and 26 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: we were using it for a tourist photo op. Technically, 27 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: air Force one isn't even a single plane. It's actually 28 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: the radio call name for any plane carrying the president 29 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: of the United States. For instance, when Gerald Ford was 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: sworn in as president, the plane carrying Richard Nixon home 31 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: was redesignated midflight to s A M to seven zero 32 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: zero zero because there was no longer an acting president 33 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: on board. But for the most part, we've come to 34 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: understand air Force one as one of two Boeing seven 35 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: forty seven's that the president frequently travels in. While presidents 36 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: like Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman had official presidential air transport, 37 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: it was John F. Kennedy who first requested a flying 38 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: White House, and his first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, even oversaw 39 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: its blue and white interior design. The Twins seven oh 40 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: seven's that Kennedy Commission served the Office of the President 41 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: until nineteen, when the Air Force replaced them with the 42 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: pair of seven forty seven two hundred bees used today now. 43 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: Even though the New York fly over incident in two 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: thousand nine was annoying, it's not the first time the 45 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: aircraft has been used for public relations. Presidents often used 46 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: the vehicle to impress other politicians. They even used to 47 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: have official Air Force one plane cards and candy to 48 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: give to visitors. But despite how much they like to 49 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: show it off, many parts of the plane are off 50 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: limits to visitors for obvious reasons. The Air Force doesn't 51 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: want to reveal too much about the crafts layout. Here's 52 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: what we do know, though. Like other seven forty seven's 53 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: air Force one has three levels, but it is equipped 54 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: to act as a traveling office for the President, their staff, family, 55 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: and the White House Press Corps. Its interior has four 56 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: thousand square feet of floor space that's a thousand, two 57 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: hundred and nineteen meters, and the lowest level is used 58 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: for cargo space, while the top level is mostly comprised 59 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: of the plane's advanced communications equipment. The middle level is 60 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: where the passengers ride This includes the president's living quarters 61 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: and office, as well as an exercise room. There's also 62 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: a conference room that doubles as a dining room, the cockpit, 63 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: a medical suite with an extensive pharmacy office, areas quarters 64 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: for staff, the press area, and two galleys. These hold 65 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: as many as two thousand meals and are capable of 66 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: feeding up to a hundred people at a time, which 67 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: is perfect since the plane can carry up to seventy 68 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: passengers and twenty six crew members. And let me tell you, 69 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: the President's ride is pimped out more than anything Exhibits 70 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: ever worked on. It has four General electric c F 71 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: six eight zero C two B one jet engines that 72 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: give it a top speed between six d thirty and 73 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: seven hundred miles per hour with a full tank of 74 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: fifty three thousand, six hundred and eleven gallons of fuel. 75 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: This means Air Force one can fly halfway around the 76 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: world without even gassing up. Now. Unlike other seven forty sevens, 77 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: this one has retractable stairways and its own baggage loader, 78 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,159 Speaker 1: so it doesn't even require airport facilities. The technology on 79 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: the top level is also pretty amazing. Air Force one 80 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: has numerous onboard telephones, radios, television's computer connections, and fax machines, 81 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: and you can bet the WiFi is better than your 82 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: last commercial flight to All these electronics add up to 83 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: two hundred and thirty eight miles of wiring that are 84 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: shielded well enough to protect them from an electromagnetic pulse attack. 85 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: Beyond that, the planes advanced avionics and defenses are classified, 86 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: but it's definitely designed to withstand an air assault, jam 87 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: enemy radar, and eject flares to confuse heat seeking missiles. 88 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: Maybe it even has awesome turrets like the Millennium Falcon. 89 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: Probably not, but could the Millennium Falcon refuel midflight? Air 90 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: Force one can do that. In fact, it can stay 91 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: in the air indefinitely as long as other planes keep 92 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,160 Speaker 1: bringing thousands of gallons of jet fuel to feed it. 93 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: An air Force one isn't the only aircraft to a 94 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: company the president to sea. Five Galaxy planes tag along 95 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: as well, carrying limousines, secret service agents, and a special ambulance. Also, 96 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: an advanced C one four one starlift or cargo carrier 97 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: flies ahead of the President to deliver his or her motorcade. 98 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: All of these vehicles are maintained by the Presidential Airlift Group, 99 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: which classifies every flight as a military mission. All crew 100 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: members are military personnel operating with high security. Even those 101 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: who prepare meals aboard Air Force one have to purchase 102 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: the food undercover from random locations. As awesome as these 103 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: planes are, the current seven forty seven serving the White 104 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: House have been in operations since nineteen and it's about 105 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: time for an upgrade. Maintaining the current vehicles is expensive 106 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: because commercial airlines have already retired their seven two hundred fleets, 107 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: so the Air Force is planning on getting three new 108 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: aircraft delivered for nineteen and one. After a chance to 109 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: bid for contract. Boeing is once again the company commission 110 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: to build the new planes and are considering either a 111 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: seven four, seven eight or a seven eighty seven as 112 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: models for the design. To keep up its reputation as 113 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: a flying base for one of the most powerful people 114 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 1: in the world, Boeing better come up with something pretty 115 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: swank for Potis to ride around it. Maybe it'll get 116 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: laser turrets. Check out the Brainstuff channel on YouTube, and 117 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: for more on this and thousands of other topics, visit 118 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com.