Inside Air Force One

The Hospital
It could be said that the president is the most important person in the world. Therefore, if the president gets sick or gets hurt, it is a major emergency. And there are so many ways for a medical emergency to happen. The president could rupture an appendix. The president could fall down the stairs. The president could be shot. If the president is in the air over the Atlantic Ocean or in a foreign country and gets sick, there must be a way to take care of the problem. Because of this simple fact of life, Air Force One comes complete with its own hospital and doctor. A doctor travels with the president everywhere, and the doctor knows how to treat any medical emergency. If the president were to have any emergency problem, including problems that require surgery, the doctor can handle it provided he or she has the right tools.

This is where Air Force One's hospital comes in. This little hospital has everything needed. That starts with a well-stocked pharmacy with any drug that the doctor might need. Next, there is the equipment - things like an X-ray machine to look at broken bones and a heart defibrillator to handle heart attacks. And then there is the equipment to perform emergency surgery, including a foldout operating table and everything necessary to anesthetize the president.

Image courtesy U.S. Air Force http://www.af.mil Air Force One flies over Mount Rushmore.

The President's Suite
Imagine that you're going on a trip with the president. As you board Air Force One, you enter through the main door on the middle deck of the plane. If you were to turn left, toward the nose of the plane, you would be entering the president's suite. Think about how "normal people" fly on an airplane. You get a seat, and you sit in it during the flight. This is not how the president travels at all. The president gets a private suite.

So, what's in the suite? Of course, there is a bedroom. It is up at the very nose of the plane. It includes two beds along with a place to sit and talk. The bedroom lets the president have complete privacy. Next to the bedroom is a bathroom. It looks like the bathroom in a hotel. Next to the bathroom is a huge private office. It includes a presidential desk, several computers, TVs, phones and other office equipment. There's also room for dining around the desk. The presidential office lets the president conduct business with dignitaries and staff members in private.

Because Air Force One has all the comforts of home, the president can live on board for a week or more. It is no different from living in an upscale hotel room.

Air Force One Goes to Hollywood Air Force One got its Hollywood close-up in the 1997 Harrison Ford movie "Air Force One." While some of the details in the set are inspired by the real thing, the movie takes major artistic liberties. The Air Force says the real plane does not have an escape pod, as depicted in the movie, or even onboard parachutes. Of course, an escape pod could be one of the many special features the Air Force won't talk about.