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Yes, that is Air Force One flying over Greensboro

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Comments (11)

Friday, August 7, 2009

(Updated 3:26 pm)

Staff Reports

No, really.

One of the planes, referred to as "Air Force One" when the president is on board (he wasn't this time), was seen today flying in and out of Piedmont Triad International Airport.

It's nothing new: PTI is a favorite among Air Force pilots trying to keep sharp by practicing takeoffs and landings.

That's because the airspace is not overly populated with aircraft, so there's plenty of room to get some practice in.

PTI's 10,000-foot-long runway is also long enough to practice landing large government planes, including the Air Force's massive C-5 Galaxy plane.

Accompanying Photos

Michael McQueen

Photo Caption: Air Force One flies over Greensboro on Friday.

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maddox69

August 7, 2009 - 1:02 pm EDT

Why do the current adminstration's Air Force One pilots need to practice? As much time and our money as Nobama and his family wastes flying around the country and the world instead of staying here and doing his job, those pilots should have enough practice by now.

bigwill

August 7, 2009 - 1:29 pm EDT

Air Force pilots have to train just as any other job in the military in order to keep their flight status. Plus there are many pilots within the governmental fleet that fly all the different types of aircraft within the fleet. They may have been training a pilot new to the "Air Force One" aircraft. You can't just fly a C-5 Galaxy and think you can fly a 747 as if it were the same, especially a Presidential aircraft. The training I'm sure is much more extensive. Pilots also have to maintain a certain number of flying hours in the military, especially to a particular aircraft. As much as I do not care for Obama's politics, he is no different than any other President when it comes to traveling. I would much rather know that these pilots are performing their proper training than to learn that a President is dead because his plane crashed due to a lack of training.

newkid

August 7, 2009 - 3:03 pm EDT

Well "maddox" how unAmerican of you to criticize the men and women of our armed forces. Hypocrites on the right sure create their own self parodies these days.

bigwill

August 7, 2009 - 4:18 pm EDT

Their training requirements are mandated by the US Air Force not the administration. In that same aspect, why does a professional sports athlete need to practice? Why? To maintain his ability to perform at his best and to get better at his career. There is no difference here.

rightwingnemesis

August 7, 2009 - 6:24 pm EDT

maddox69,
I heard they had Barack's Kenyan birth certificiate on board! You right wing nutcakes are unbelieveable.

rmacz

August 7, 2009 - 8:48 pm EDT

Nope, that one was lost practicing to fly in a building over New York.

just a thought

August 7, 2009 - 2:20 pm EDT

Actually...the aircraft used by Air Force One, aka: SAM 28000 & 29000, are designated as VC-25A aircraft. A closely related variant of the VC-25A is the E-4.

While these are based on the 747-200, they are classified differently and thus not 747 models.

bigwill

August 7, 2009 - 4:12 pm EDT

It is a custom made aircraft from a 747, thus it is a 747. Just like the DC-10 at one point was in the running for being used as Air Force One which the military also was going to rename as a VC-25. The Air Force just names it as VC-25A as you will read from below. It is considered a 747 on the civilian sector and a VC-25A on the military sector. It is still a 747 model aircraft, but it just has a different name now that it is used by the government. Let's try not to get all technical now here "just a thought" and confuse all of our non-military savy readers..lol.

Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two specifically configured, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft – tail codes Special Air Mission (SAM) "28000" and SAM "29000" – with Air Force designation "VC-25A".

buzzman

August 7, 2009 - 5:17 pm EDT

News must be in real short supply. This has been visited and revisited several times.
Everyone should be excited to see this fine aircraft flying around in the GSO area. It is a proud symbol of the United States of America and is known worldwide.
A considerable amount of pilot training is done in very realistic simulators which (in this case) saves the taxpayers a large sum of money. However, as has been pionted out, a minimum amount of training (set by the organization - Air Force) must be done in the actual aircraft. That's what you are seeing when these VC-25As make instrument approaches and takeoffs and landings at PTIA. If you are lucky enough to witness it, enjoy the moment!

TerryT

August 7, 2009 - 7:34 pm EDT

Being an ex Air Force flight crew member, don't buy into this new training crap. To fly AF 1 you have to have many many hours in that type Air Craft and then you have to stay current. A newly assigned pilot would get his check rides while on a mission if they want. The military wants the public to buy the stuff you read above. Truth is the military has budgets like every part of government and if you don't use it you lose it. If the fuel budget for AF 1 is $750,000 a month they will burn that amount one way or the other. We have a bunch of really incompetent people running the military and a bunch of suckers buying it.