Image courtesy U.S. Air Force. Photo by SRA JOSEPH LOZADA, USAF http://www.af.mil

Let's take a minute to think about the president of the United States. The president is the leader of the most powerful country in the world. There are thousands of staff members who help get the work of the presidential office accomplished. The president lives in a huge house called the White House. Motorcades and helicopters are used for any presidential travel near Washington DC.

But what about longer trips? For that, the president has a private jet. The president gets one of the biggest and best private jets in the world. This jet is so big that it has its own kitchen, its own conference room and its own mini hospital, complete with a doctor and operating table. This private jet is known as Air Force One.

Air Force One has a certain mythic or mysterious quality about it. This is because it is completely off limits to most of us. Much of the information about its actual makeup is top secret. This article will take a look at some of the things we do know – so you'll have an idea of what it's like to fly with the president.

But before we do that, there's an important fact to share. "Air Force One" isn't technically a plane: It's simply the radio call name for any U.S. Air Force plane carrying the president of the United States. As soon as the president steps aboard an Air Force plane, the crew and all air traffic controllers refer to that plane as Air Force One, in order to avoid confusion with any other planes in the area. If the president rides on an Army aircraft, that aircraft is Army One, and whenever he boards his specialized helicopter, that craft is Marine One. Civilians generally refer to the physical plane – the president's private jet -- itself as Air Force One, of course, and we will in this article too.

An Air Force One Trip
Any trip on Air Force One starts at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. This is where Air Force One has its hangar. Teams all over the base keep an eye out for any unauthorized craft in the area and are authorized to shoot on sight. The president normally flies to Andrews in Marine One - the presidential helicopter.

Image courtesy U.S. Navy. Photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Robert J. Stratchko U.S. presidential helicopter, Marine One, takes off from the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima after a visit from President George W. Bush.

The plane has its own automated baggage-loader, so that it never has to depend on an airport's facilities, which could be a security risk.

A flight on Air Force One, usually means a car is necessary to reach the final destination. So Air Force One travels with another gigantic plane (usually a C141 cargo plane) that carries the presidential limousine and the SUVs for staff and security personnel. This plane usually lands ahead of time to get ready for the president's arrival.

When the president travels, a lot of people go along. Air Force One is equipped to handle up to 100 people. And those people will be spending the majority of their time working. Here are some of the people who travel with the president:

• Personal attendants – personnel like the president's doctor and assistants
• Secret service – specially trained security members who are always on hand to protect the president
• White house staff - people who help with the business of the president, and who will get important work done during the trip
• Flight attendants - people who prepare and serve food, keep Air Force One clean and make sure all of the passengers on the plane are comfortable
• Journalists - professional journalists who regularly report on the president's activities wherever he or she is going
• Flight crew – people such as the pilot and co-pilot