Special Air Mission
Special Air Mission | |
---|---|
VC-25s used by the Special Air Mission as Air Force One | |
Active | 1948–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Presidential Transport Executive Branch Transport Congressional Transport Distinguished Visitor Transport |
Part of | Air Mobility Command |
Garrison/HQ | Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland |
Insignia | |
Air Mobility Command emblem |
The United States Air Force Special Air Mission provides air transportation for the president of the United States (POTUS), vice president of the United States (VPOTUS), first lady of the United States (FLOTUS), presidential Cabinet, U.S. congressional delegations (CODELs), and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries.
The Special Air Mission is under the cognizance of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) and executed by the 89th Airlift Wing (89 AW) based at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.
Mission
The 89th Airlift Wing provides the U.S. government's flight service with 17 aircraft dedicated to the SAM and 15 helicopters supporting federal emergency requirements. They use civilian airports almost exclusively.
SAM mission areas may be divided into the following categories:
- Presidential Mission: A mission directed by the White House to transport the President of the United States or members of the First Family.
- Special Air Mission: A mission operated by the 89th Airlift Wing by direction of the USAF Vice Chief of Staff (CVAM). Primary passengers are the Vice President, Cabinet secretaries, and senior officials of the Executive Branch, as well as Congressional delegations and foreign senior political leaders.
- Helicopter Special Mission: The mission of the 1st Helicopter Squadron (1 HS) is to provide emergency helicopter transportation for officials of Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the military Services and the civil departments of the federal government to relocation sites during a national crisis.
Special Air Mission
After a presidential inauguration resulting in a change in office, the outgoing president is provided transport on a VC-25 aircraft to their home destination. The aircraft for this flight does not use the Air Force One call sign because it is not carrying the president in office. For presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush the flight was known as Special Air Mission 28000, where the number represents the aircraft's tail number.[1][2][3] For President Barack Obama, the Special Air Mission flight used the call sign SAM 44 (Obama was the 44th President).[4][5] George H. W. Bush's coffin was transported on a flight using the call sign Special Air Mission 41.[6]
Special Assignment Air Mission
Special Assignment Airlift Mission (SAAM) are aircraft operated by units other than by the 89th Airlift Wing to satisfy a requirement needing special pickup or delivery at locations other than those established within the approved channel structure; or to satisfy a requirement needing special consideration because of the number of passengers, weight, or size of the cargo, urgency, or sensitivity of movement, or other special factors.
These missions are designated:
- PHOENIX BANNER – SAAM supporting the President of the United States (POTUS); primary aircraft employs call sign of "Air Force One" when POTUS is aboard.
- PHOENIX SILVER – SAAM supporting the Vice President of the United States (VPOTUS); primary aircraft employs call sign of "Air Force Two" when VPOTUS is aboard.
- PHOENIX COPPER – SAAM supporting the United States Secret Service (USSS) when not supporting the President or Vice President, i.e., SAAM for the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), etc.
Standby force definitions are expanded as follows when constituted in support of PHOENIX BANNER or PHOENIX SILVER missions:
- BRAVO Standby. Aircraft and aircrew capable of departing 3+00 hours after notification for C-130 and C-17 and 3+45 hours for C-5.
- ALFA Standby. Aircraft and aircrew capable of departing 1+00-hour after notification for C-130, and C-17 and 1+45 hours for C-5.
To support short-notice PHOENIX BANNER and PHOENIX SILVER missions, AMC maintains aircraft and augmented aircrews on standby at various locations. Specific missions may require standby C-5, C-17, or C-130 aircraft. When the cargo load requires a C-5 (i.e., airlift of
History
Lineage
- Established as Special Airlift Mission on 10 March 1948
- Redesignated as Special Air Mission on 12 July 1991
Assignments
- Bolling Field Command, 10 March 1948 – 1 June 1948
- Military Air Transport Service (MATS), 1 June 1948 – 1 January 1966
- Military Airlift Command (MAC), 1 January 1966 – 1 June 1992
- Air Mobility Command (AMC), 1 June 1992–present
Stations
- Bolling Air Force Base, District of Columbia, 10 March 1948 – 10 July 1961
- Operations originated from Washington National Airport
- Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 10 July 1961–present
Components
Wings
- 1100th Special Air Missions Wing, 1 July 1951 – 10 July 1961
- 1254th Air Transport Wing, 10 July 1961 – 8 January 1966
- 89th Military Airlift Wing, Special Mission, 8 January 1966
- Redesignated: 89th Military Airlift Group on 30 September 1977
- Redesignated: 89th Military Airlift Wing on 15 December 1980
- Redesignated: 89th Airlift Wing on 12 July 1991
Groups
- 89th Operations Group, 12 July 1991–present
- Presidential Airlift Group, 1 April 2001–present
- 16th Special Air Missions Group
- Redesignated: 1100th Special Air Missions Group
- Redesignated: 2310th Air Transport Group, 10 March 1948 – 29 November 1952
Squadrons
- 1st Helicopter Squadron: 1 July 1976–present
- 1st Airlift Squadron: 12 September 1977–present
- 99th Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966 – 12 September 1977; 1 October 1988–present
- Presidential Airlift Squadron, 1 April 2001–present
- 1st Special Air Missions Squadron
- Redesignated: 1111th Special Air Mission Squadron
- Redesignated: 1299th Air Transport Squadron, 10 March 1948 – 10 July 1961
- 98th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966 – 1 September 1977
- 457th Airlift Squadron: 1 April 1993 – 1 April 1995
- 1400th Military Airlift Squadron: 1 April 1975 – 15 March 1978
- 1401st Military Airlift Squadron: 1 April 1975 – 15 March 1978
- 1402d Military Airlift Squadron: 1 April 1975 – 15 March 1978
Aircraft
|
|
The distinctive "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" livery present on Special Air Mission aircraft was designed by Raymond Loewy.
Operations
The Special Air Mission originated with the
When President
After experiencing difficulties with the C-87, the USAAF arranged with Douglas Aircraft to construct a new transport aircraft specifically for presidential use. Nicknamed the "Sacred Cow", this modified
Following the increased development of commercial air travel after World War II, Americans once again took to the air. Commercial airlines, made anemic under prohibitive wartime flying regulations and rationing of airplane fuel, were restored to vigor after the war with many World War II military aircraft being sold cheap to anyone with an idea to open an airway in the sky.
The result was too many civilian aircraft and not enough airfields to support them. This meant many government civilians couldn't get to where they needed to go on time. The Special Air Mission was created to ensure military airplanes were available to transport government employees between military bases. SAM Aircraft also had priority to land at civilian airfields, although this practice became less common as years went on.
The 503d Army Air Forces Base Unit was responsible for the operation of Presidential Aircraft until 27 September 1947 when the United States Air Force was created. At that time, the unit was redesignated as the 503d Air Force Base unit. The unit was nicknamed as the "Brass Hat Squadron". The 16th (later 1100th) Special Air Missions Group was created in 1948 and assigned to the newly created Military Air Transport Service. The mission of the group was to transport civilian government employees for Air Force and non-Air Force activities as directed by Air Force headquarters. The group consisted of eight squadrons, each strategically located adjacent to the headquarters of the agencies utilizing transportation furnished by the squadrons. This included the transportation of the president of the United States, the vice president, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries.
In 1947, USAAF officials ordered the 29th production DC-6 to be modified as a replacement for the aging VC-54C Sacred Cow presidential aircraft. On 4 July 1947, a VC-118, a military version of the
In May 1953, after nearly six years of White House service, the Independence was retired as a presidential aircraft and subsequently served several Air Force organizations as a VIP transport.
President
A 1953 incident where Eisenhower's aircraft was "Air Force 8610" and an Eastern Airlines plane was "Eastern 8610" created the need to devise a unique call sign. The call sign "Air Force One" was classified during the 1950s to identify not only the president's plane, but when he was aboard. In September 1961, it became popularly known when it identified President John F. Kennedy flying aboard his
In 1961, the 1254th Air Transport Wing was moved from Washington National Airport to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where it was later disestablished in January 1966. In its place, the 89th MAW Special Missions was activated and assigned to Andrews Air Force Base until the wing became a group on 30 September 1977.
In 1962, a
Beginning in 1970
SAM 26000 was augmented in December 1972 by another VC-137, Special Air Mission 27000, with SAM 26000 retained as an alternate Air Force One aircraft until it was finally retired in 1998. Richard Nixon was the first president to use SAM 27000, and the newer VC-137 served every president until it was replaced by the two VC-25 aircraft (SAM 28000 and 29000) in 1990. However, SAM 27000 continued to remain in service as an Air Force Two and alternate Air Force One aircraft until retired in 2001.
In October 1981 the aircraft flew presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter, and former Secretary of State Kissinger to the funeral of the slain Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In March 1983, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom flew on SAM 26000 during her trip to the United States when she visited the West Coast.
At a nationally televised event in May 1998, the USAF retired SAM 26000. This aircraft provided 36 years of service and accumulated more than 13,000 flying hours. SAM 27000 was similarly retired in August 2001.
The current Special Air Mission for presidential travel used a modified
In the future, the VC-25A's will be replaced by the Boeing
References
- ^ Felsenthal, Carol. "When Bill Clinton Left the White House". Chicago Daily Observer, 22 January 2009. Retrieved: 26 June 2009.
- ^ "Bush flies to Texas to begin post-presidential life." The New York Times, 20 January 2009. Retrieved: 9 September 2011.
- ISBN 978-0385525190.
- ^ "SAM 44 (Air Force 1) w former Pres Obama circling over CA then diverted" Live ATC, Recorded 20 January 2017. Retrieved: 24 January 2017
- ^ "JBA sends off former President Obama" Joint Base Andrews Public Affairs, 21 January 2017. Retrieved: 5 December 2018
- ^ "Trump to Attend Bush Funeral, but Won’t Deliver Eulogy." New York Times, 3 December 2018. Retrieved: 3 December 2018.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- History of the Special Air Mission units :The Washington National Airport Staff and the 503rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (503 AAFB) : 1943–1947. Andrews AFB, Md. : Office of History, 89th Military Airlift Wing, 1990
- FAS Special Air Mission
- National Museum of the Air Force Presidential Gallery
- [1]
- 89th Operations Group, Fact Sheet
- Presidential Airlift Group Fact Sheet
- 11 October 1950: 100,000 miles to Bolling