Air Force One coming through the overcast

[Rjel]

Yesterday Air Force One overflew the place where I work on its way into Lansing Capital Region International Airport (I don't think any international flights start or terminate there though). It was a cloudy day with a very low overcast. I could hear the big 747 coming in 10-15 seconds before I could see her. Man, what a sight! Their ETA was 1:20 pm local time. The timestamp on my pictures was at 1:19 pm. I work a mile west of the airport so their wheels must've been touching the runway right on the mark. Damn impressive.

 

Later in the day, as shown in the last photo, my daughter and granddaughter were driving up to see Air Force One as it sat on the tarmac. As luck would have it, my daughter's vehicle was held up as the Presidential motorcade turned off the highway when they were heading back to the airport to go back to D.C. She then found herself right behind them as the made their way down the road. It made my heart glow hearing the excitement in their voices when they called to tell me what they were seeing.

 

Please don't let this become a political discussion, as frankly, I don't care or want to know anyone's views here. This was just one of those life events that are unexpected but oh so cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by Rjel

[BraveSirRobin]

I got to see AF1 take off at Andrews back in 2000.  It was pretty cool.  Unfortunately, we got no warning so the few photos I got aren’t great.  But I still have the mental image of seeing it lift off right in front of us.  
 

I also saw the backup jet land at Westover ARB almost 10 years ago, but I would have been shot if I tried to take pictures of that.

 

 

 

 

[Rjel]

36 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

I got to see AF1 take off at Andrews back in 2000.  It was pretty cool.  Unfortunately, we got no warning so the few photos I got aren’t great.  But I still have the mental image of seeing it lift off right in front of us.  
 

I also saw the backup jet land at Westover ARB almost 10 years ago, but I would have been shot if I tried to take pictures of that.

 

 

 

 

I love the paint scheme. I walked thru JFK's 707 AF1 a couple of years ago. Amazing experience that.

[BraveSirRobin]

Yeah, the paint scheme is really striking.  Especially on a 747.  I’ve seen a bunch of cool stuff at various air shows, but watching AF1 rotating on takeoff was definitely top 5.

[LukeFF]

I've never seen AF1 airborne, but I'd always see it on the ramp at March AFB in the 80s when Reagan came out to California. 

[jollyjack]

[HappyHaddock]

I live the wrong side of the Atlantic to have any real interest in Airforce 1, but what I do remember from the early 1990's was a rare bird visiting our little local airstrip more used to the odd cessna, and a couple of helicopters serving the oil rigs.

 

How the heck they touched down this supersonic jet on such a short strip of concrete I don't know but kudos to the pilot.... You couldn't actually reach up and touch the wheels as it came in but I doubt many can claim to have seen Concorde  fly by at less than 100ft

 

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Never seen AF 1 live, but sure one of most striking and iconic planes flying around. Seen Concorde live a couple times up here at Arctic circle. It was loud as heck, but seeing it taking off on full afterburner in the dark was a sight to behold.

[Ghost666]

I have never seen Air Force 1 in the Air, but I have walked around it a couple of times with a M-16 to keep me company on some cold nights in Denver. Came to hate having that thing, Or even Air Force 2 come into town.

[BraveSirRobin]

On 10/7/2021 at 3:14 AM, jollyjack said:

The guy who drew that is one of the PA people at Westover.  I’m pretty sure that is from the time I saw the backup jet landing.  I think the AF1 jet was in New Hampshire.  They always position the backup nearby.