Boeing VC - 25 The Boeing VC - 25 is the designation of a United States Air Force passenger transportation aircraft , a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner . The A - model ( VC - 25A ) is the only variant of the VC - 25 . The VC - 25 is most famous for its role as Air Force One , the call sign of any U . S . Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States . The two aircraft currently in U . S . service are highly modified versions of Boeing ' s 747 - 200B , with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 . Although the " Air Force One " designation technically applies to the aircraft only while the President is aboard , the term is commonly applied to the VC - 25s more generally . They often operate in conjunction with Marine One helicopters that ferry the President to airports in circumstances where a vehicle motorcade would be inappropriate . Development . By 1985 , the pair of Boeing 707 - based VC - 137s used as the Presidential aircraft had been in service for 23 and 13 years respectively , and the USAF began searching for an eventual replacement . The Request for Proposal issued stated that the aircraft to be selected should have at least three engines and an unrefueled range of at least . Both Boeing with its 747 and McDonnell Douglas with the DC - 10 were in competition to be selected , with the Boeing entry the eventual winner . The fabrication of the current 747s began during the presidency of Ronald Reagan ( 1981 – 1989 ) . Reagan ordered two identical Boeing 747 - 200Bs to replace the Boeing 707s that he used for transport . The VC - 25s were completed in 1986 and first flew in 1987 . The interior designs were created by First Lady Nancy Reagan , who used designs reminiscent of the American Southwest . Problems with interior wiring for communication systems delayed delivery of the two aircraft until 1990 , during the administration of George H . W . Bush . Design and configuration . While the VC - 25 has three decks , like a regular Boeing 747 , its 4 , 000 square feet ( 370 m² ) of floor space has been reconfigured for presidential duties . Its lowest deck is mostly cargo space , carrying luggage and the onboard food supply . The main passenger area is on the second floor or main deck . There are three entrances on board , two on the lower and one on the main deck . Typically the president boards and deplanes from the front , main deck entrance via an airstair , while journalists and other passengers enter at the lower rear door . Facilities for the press and other passengers are configured like an ordinary airliner ' s first - class cabin . " The White House " . The front of the aircraft is referred to as the " White House " of the aircraft . The president ' s executive suite includes sleeping quarters with two couches that can be converted into beds , lavatory and shower , vanity , double sink , and a private office , or the president ’ s " Oval Office aboard Air Force One " . If necessary , the president can address the nation from the office . This capability was added after the September 11 attacks , during which the aircraft had to land at Barksdale Air Force Base in order for President George W . Bush to address the nation . These offices , including the president ' s suite , are mostly located on the starboard ( right ) side , and a long corridor runs along the port ( left ) side . There is an area along the corridor for two Secret Service agents . The aircraft also contains a conference room , originally designed as a situation room but now used for meeting with staff while traveling . This room includes a 50 - inch plasma screen television which can be used for teleconferencing . The aircraft has fully equipped office areas with telecommunication systems ( including 87 telephones and 19 televisions ) . On board the VC - 25 is a medical annex , which includes a fold - out operating table , emergency medical supplies , and a well - stocked pharmacy ; George W . Bush had a treadmill added to Air Force One during his term in office . Every flight is staffed by a doctor and nurse . The aircraft is self - sufficient , such as carrying all the food it will need . Meals are prepared in two galleys , which together are equipped to feed up to 100 people at a time . The President gets his own menu . An area where guests sit is near the center of the aircraft , outside of the " White House " . There are separate quarters for guests , senior staff , Secret Service and security personnel , and the news media located in the aft area of the main deck . Protocol states that one may wander aft of wherever one ' s assigned seat is , but not forward . Communications equipment and the cockpit are on the upper deck . There are also secure and non - secure voice , fax and data communications facilities . While the aircraft ' s luggage capacity is adequate to carry the belongings of the passengers , the logistics train of the President means that the aircraft must fly preceded by an aerial convoy of several cargo transports , which carry the helicopters , motorcade vehicles , and other equipment required by the presidential entourage . The VC - 25 is capable of flying 7 , 800 miles ( 12 , 600 km ) — roughly one - third the distance around the world — without refueling . It can be refuelled during flight from a tanker aircraft . The VC - 25A can accommodate more than 70 passengers . Each VC - 25A cost approximately US $ 325 million . When a VC - 25 taxis to an airport ' s ramp for events , it stops with the port side of the aircraft facing gathered onlookers . Operational history . The VC - 25 replaced the VC - 137C ( a military version of the Boeing 707 ) as the mainstay of the " Air Force One " fleet . On some occasions , the VC - 25s are used to transport the Vice President of the United States , for which service they adopt the callsign " Air Force Two " . These aircraft are maintained and operated as military operations by the Presidential Airlift Group , part of Air Mobility Command ' s 89th Airlift Wing , based at Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs , Maryland . The aircraft can also be operated as a military command center in the event of an incident such as a nuclear attack . Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability and anti - aircraft missile countermeasures . The electronics on board are connected with approximately 238 miles ( 383 km ) of wiring , twice that of a regular 747 . All wiring is covered with heavy shielding for protection from an electromagnetic pulse in the event of a nuclear attack . The aircraft also has electronic countermeasures ( ECMs ) to jam enemy radar , flares to avoid heat - seeking missiles , and chaff to avoid radar - guided missiles . All small arms and ammunition stores not under the physical possession of the Secret Service on board the VC - 25s are stowed and secured by the Secret Service in separate locked compartments , each with a different locking mechanism for added security . Many of the VC - 25 ' s other capabilities are classified for security reasons . After a Presidential inauguration in which there is a change in office , the outgoing President is provided a flight aboard one of the VC - 25 aircraft to their home destination . The aircraft is not known as Air Force One for this flight because it is not carrying the President in office . For both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W . Bush , the flight was known as " Special Air Mission 28000 " , with 28000 representing the aircraft ' s tail number . The VC - 25A has also been used to transport deceased former presidents . The guest area aft of " the White House " has chairs and tables that can be removed and the casket laid in their place . The remains of both Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were transported by SAM 28000 and 29000 respectively to Washington for their state funerals , and then on to their final resting places . Colonel Mark Tillman , pilot for President George W . Bush , said , " We ’ ll take care of the president from basically when he ’ s in office to when he lays in state . " For the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in 2004 , Tillman said that the crew converted the front of the aircraft to look the way it would have appeared when Reagan was president ; President and Nancy Reagan ’ s Air Force One jackets were placed on the chairs to “ make them feel at home ” . A specially designed hydraulic lifter ( similar to the type used by airline catering ) with the presidential seal affixed to the sides lifts the casket up to the portside aft door to enter the VC - 25A . The tradition of placing the caskets inside the passenger cabin dates back to the assassination of John F . Kennedy , when the crew refused to allow the president ' s body to be placed in the cargo hold , and again during the state funeral of Lyndon B . Johnson . Future . These aircraft are expected to be replaced as they have become less cost - effective to operate . The USAF Air Mobility Command is looking into possible replacements and press coverage suggested that the USAF would consider the Boeing 747 - 8 and the Airbus A380 from the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company ( EADS ) . On January 7 , 2009 , the USAF Materiel Command issued a new Sources Sought notice for a replacement aircraft to enter service by 2017 with an additional two aircraft to follow in 2019 and 2021 . , Boeing is the only aircraft manufacturer interested in supplying the replacement aircraft , and is reported to be exploring a 787 option also . On January 28 , 2009 , EADS North America confirmed the company will not respond to the US Air Force notice , as assembling only three planes in the US would not make financial sense . Notable appearances in media . The VC - 25 " Air Force One " is a prominent symbol of the American presidency and its power ; with the White House and presidential seal , it is one of the most familiar presidential symbols . Air Force One has often appeared in popular culture and fiction , most notably as the setting of the 1997 action movie " Air Force One " where the aircraft had an escape pod and a parachute ramp , unlike the actual Presidential aircraft .