# Presidential flights **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498 "2009-06-02T19:15:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/1 "2009-06-02T19:15:33Z")
I saw a [story about Barack and Michelle Obama](http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/05/obama_hit_by_republicans_for_n.html) flying to New York for a night on the town, and they apparently didn’t use the 747 that typically flies the Pres. Instead, they flew in a much smaller Gulfstream, a 12 passenger jet usually used by corporations or wealthy individuals. Has this been done before? I was unaware of the President using any aircraft other than the 747s and the helicopters that ferry him between the White House and Andrews AFB. Do we know whether Bush used the 747 on all those flights back to Crawford? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/2 "2009-06-02T19:41:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Has this been done before? I was unaware of the President using any aircraft other than the 747s and the helicopters that ferry him between the White House and Andrews AFB. In 1973, [Richard Nixon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_One) flew on a commercial airline flight. The plane he was on was designated “Executive One” while he was aboard. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/3 "2009-06-02T20:02:01Z")
[QUOTE=Wikipedia] On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an [unmarked Gulfstream III](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_One)while another aircraft with the call sign “Air Force One” flew on the same route a few minutes later.[14][15][16] This diversion was reported by several U.S. press outlets. [/QUOTE] I can’t find any cites, but I recall that occasionally a President would use a smaller Air Force jet to fly into an airport that wasn’t big enough to handle the 747-derived Air Force 1. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/4 "2009-06-02T21:21:46Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I saw a [story about Barack and Michelle Obama](http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/05/obama_hit_by_republicans_for_n.html) flying to New York for a night on the town, and they apparently didn’t use the 747 that typically flies the Pres. Instead, they flew in a much smaller Gulfstream, a 12 passenger jet usually used by corporations or wealthy individuals. > > Has this been done before? I was unaware of the President using any aircraft other than the 747s and the helicopters that ferry him between the White House and Andrews AFB. This mission appears to have been flown on a C-20 (Gulfstream 4) or C-37 (Gulftsream 5) which are the current small execjets in the fleet of the [89th Airlift Wing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/89th_Airlift_Wing) at Andrews. They have an assortment of aircraft types to use, depending on the passenger and the situation. Probably happens more often than we think . FWIW, back in 03 the S3-B that GWBush rode out to the carrier USS Lincoln was tagged “Navy One” ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/5 "2009-06-02T22:20:28Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Has this been done before? I was unaware of the President using any aircraft other than the 747s and the helicopters that ferry him between the White House and Andrews AFB. Have you forgotten about W riding in that plane that landed on the aircraft carrier already? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-flights/498498/6 "2009-06-03T02:05:18Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I can’t find any cites, but I recall that occasionally a President would use a smaller Air Force jet to fly into an airport that wasn’t big enough to handle the 747-derived Air Force 1. Air Force One is what any Air Force jet is called when the president is on board. Not just the 747. So if he was on a C-20 or C-37 it would be called Air Force One while he is on board. If he was on a Marine aircraft it would be called Marine One when he is on board. Or Army One if he is on an Army aircraft.