5 Things You Didn't About The Air Force One
Five Air Force One facts you didn't know. First, Air Force One is multiple planes. The callsign "Air Force One" is used for any fixed-wing aircraft carrying the US President. Second, it can withstand a nuke. If you can get in, Air Force One is ideal for nuclear emergencies. The aircraft's structure is meant to withstand a ground-based nuclear weapon, making it an aerial bomb shelter. The third fact is that it became a spy plane in 1959. Due to the Cold War's risk to US national security, CIA director Allen Dulles transformed Air Force One into a spy plane. In 1959, sophisticated cameras were hidden in aircraft wheel wells and could read license plates from 29,000 feet. Fact #4: Air Force One nearly collided with a commercial airliner. Air Force 8610 was Eisenhower's 1953 call sign. The control tower mistook it for Eastern Airlines flight 8.610 when the two planes entered each other's territory. That near-miss led to the permanent use of "Air Force One".