page_title: Air Force One
section_title: Boeing VC-25A
hierarchical_section_title: Air Force One / History / Boeing VC-25A
caption_attribution_description: President George W. Bush gives the thumbs-up after Air Force One landed at Bagram Air Base near Kabul, Afghanistan Wednesday, March 1, 2006. The five-hour surprise visit included a meeting with Afghan President Karzai, a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the U.S. Embassy, and a visit to the troops at Bagram.
context_page_description: Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president. The aircraft are prominent symbols of the American presidency and its power.
  The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the President arose in 1943, when officials of the United States Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, became concerned about using commercial airlines for presidential travel. A C-87 Liberator Express was reconfigured for use as the first dedicated VIP-and-presidential transport aircraft and named Guess Where II, but the Secret Service rejected it because of its safety record. A C-54 Skymaster was then converted for presidential use; dubbed the Sacred Cow, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman.
  The "Air Force One" call sign was created in 1953, after a Lockheed Constellation named Columbine II carrying President Dwight D.
context_section_description: Though Ronald Reagan's two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the manufacture of the presidential aircraft version of the 747 began during his presidency. The USAF issued a Request For Proposal in 1985 for two wide-body aircraft with a minimum of three engines and an unrefueled range of 6,000 miles (9,700 km). Boeing with the 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10 submitted proposals, and the Reagan Administration ordered two identical 747s to replace the aging 707s he used. The interior designs, drawn up by First Lady Nancy Reagan, were reminiscent of the American Southwest. The first of two aircraft, designated VC-25A, was delivered in 1990, during the administration of George H. W. Bush. Delays were experienced to allow for additional work to protect the aircraft from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects.
  The VC-25 is equipped with both secure and unsecure phone and computer communications systems, enabling the president to perform duties while airborne, in the event of an attack on the US. The presidential air fleet is operated by the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Field, Maryland.
caption: President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush walk on the parking ramp as Air Force One sits at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, 1 March 2006.
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