Air Force One

[rtphokie]

The President payed a visit to Raleigh recently to speak at a local high school. The airport is only a few minutes from my office so a fellow shutterbug at work and I spent our lunch hour getting some shots.

300mm, cropped slightly, kind of like the landing was slightly level.

taxiing to the cargo ramp where limos were waiting

taxiing past general aviation

limos leaving, we were at least a half mile away

POTUS, I swear

Limos and secret service vehicles along with the secret service's other equipment such as metal detectors used at the high school arrived a few days earlier aboard 2 of these beauties.

As a bonus for anyone from Alabama, here's Bama One (note the tail number), the University of Alabama Athletic Department's aircraft. Not sure what they were doing in Raleigh but I'm assuming it was looking for an assistant coach at UNC or NC State (probably not Duke).

 

[ColleenG]

Awesome pics! We were flying out of Newark a few years ago and GWB landed while we were waiting for our flight. We got to see Air Force One land and see it next to the hanger it was sitting by when we were taking off. That thing is HUGE!!

 

[annnewjerz]

Very very cool, thanks for sharing

 

[WVDisGeek]

Great shots! My brother lives in Raleigh but wouldn't know which end of the camera to point at the plane!

One of the other Presidential jets (the 757) often practices touch and goes here in Charleston (WV) as the 747 cannot land at our airport (built on the top of a mountain and not long enough for the 747. The last time GWB was in WV for a July 4th parade, we had to task our helicopter (I work for a large trauma center) to him in case of emergency, as Marine One is too heavy for our rooftop pad. Very odd having the Secret Service hanging out in your ER all day in case something goes bad.

Those airplanes are always so majestic looking. The 747 just looks so huge that you wonder how anything that weighs that much can actually fly!

The Alabama plane was a nice bonus! Maybe they were in town recruiting some of the local talent!