Latest news with #C-32
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Force One will be in D.C., Alabama and Florida today. Here's about what that costs
President Donald Trump's travel on May 1 will take him from Washington, D.C. to Alabama to Florida. Vice President JD Vance is also on the move and separately heading to Palm Beach, Florida, the White House press schedule and Federal Aviation Administration notices indicate. The Boeing 747-200s that the president flies on, known as Air Force One when he's aboard, are highly secured and specially equipped. The Palm Beach Post previously reported that the aircrafts cost about $200,000 an hour to fly. Using that figure, the May 1 costs to get Trump to his presidential duties and back to the Winter White House could ring up to more than $700,000. Trump will be speaking at the University of Alabama on May 1 in his first commencement-related appearance of this presidency. The press guidance from the White House shows he will be headed to Tuscaloosa from D.C., where he had a swearing-in ceremony, an intelligence briefing and a National Day of Prayer Event on the calendar. After his remarks, he will fly to Palm Beach International Airport and is expected to arrive at Mar-a-Lago at 11:15 p.m., his schedule states. There is no ticket price to fly on the Air Force presidential planes, per say, but the Palm Beach Post estimates it costs about $200,000 per hour to operate the Air Force One military aircraft. The planes are equipped with advanced communication systems, medical facilities and defensive technology. But operating the plane isn't the entire cost of Trump's travel; another plane is used to carry the presidential helicopter, and cargo planes carry the motorcade vehicles. Using the time it takes to get to his destinates today as calculated by Trump's May 1 travel could cost could total to more than $700,000. Vance traveled to Huger, South Carolina on May 1 with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to tour a steel manufacturing facility, according to a news release from his office. Pool reports state he is taking Air Force Two to get there, and he is expected to be interviewed by Fox News anchor Brett Baier later in the day. Another "VIP Movement" FAA Temporary Flight Restriction issued for the Palm Beach area indicates Vance could be making the trip for the afternoon. Though the FAA notice does not mention Vance, it is the presidential-level notice usually posted ahead of Trump's visit, The Palm Beach Daily News reported this week. He is likely to leave by 9:15 p.m. The vice president's office pointed to a reported fundraiser in Palm Beach that Vance is scheduled to speak at in regards to his travel schedule. Even if Vance and Trump shared an itinerary, a long-standing security practice would likely prevent them from traveling together. Vance flies in a C-32, according to Business Insider, a military-configured version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner. Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, Alexandra Clough, Antonio Fins, John Bisognano, Lianna Norman, Nayeli Lomeli, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Air Force One costs: Trump and Vance making stops on way to Palm Beach
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Take a look inside Air Force Two, the 155-foot custom jet plane vice presidents use to travel the world
Vice presidents started traveling by plane via Air Force Two in 1959. Vice President JD Vance flies in a C-32, a custom military version of a commercial jetliner. It features a communications center, stateroom, and 32 seats for journalists. For vice presidents of the United States, frequent travel is in the job description. Luckily, they get to travel in style. While traversing the country and the world, Vice President JD Vance flies in a custom C-32 plane featuring an advanced communications center, conference room, and private stateroom. The plane measures 155 feet long and can fly 5,500 nautical miles without refueling. When Vance is on board, it's known as "Air Force Two." Take a look inside the vice president's plane. Any Air Force plane carrying the US vice president is called "Air Force Two." Similar to the president aboard "Air Force One," the designation of "Air Force Two" refers to any Air Force plane carrying the vice president, not a specific jet or model. Over the years, several different planes have carried the Air Force Two title, transporting vice presidents and their staff around the world. The most commonly used jet is a C-32, a customized military version of a commercial Boeing 757-200 plane. The vice president is generally prohibited from flying on "Air Force One," a plane carrying the president. The president and vice president don't travel together for security reasons. It's customary for presidents and vice presidents to salute service members as they board and disembark presidential planes. Service members are required to salute the president as commander in chief, but not the vice president. Still, it's customary for troops to salute vice presidents, as well. Richard Nixon was the first vice president to travel internationally via jet on official business, visiting what was then the USSR in 1959. Nixon, who served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower's vice president, flew on a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner to visit the USSR in 1959. Beginning with the Ford administration in 1975, this DC-9 jet flew as Air Force Two until 2005. The jet was first used by President Gerald Ford's vice president, Nelson Rockefeller. It featured a VIP cabin with 10 seats and a main cabin with 32 first-class seats. The plane was retired from service during the Bush administration in 2005 and placed up for auction by the General Services Administration in 2013. Vice President Al Gore decorated the VIP cabin with family photos. Gore worked on his acceptance speech for the 2000 Democratic National Convention aboard Air Force Two. The cabin also featured a clock with different time zone displays. The clock featured the time in Washington, DC, and whatever destination Air Force Two was bound for. The updated C-32 plane most commonly used by vice presidents first deployed in 1998. With a wingspan of nearly 125 feet, each engine features 41,700 pounds of static thrust, according to the Air Force. As vice president, Joe Biden hung a map of the world in his Air Force Two work area. Biden traveled over one million miles on Air Force Two during his time as vice president. Mike Pence's staff decorated Air Force Two for his birthday in 2017. Staffers celebrated the vice president's birthday with streamers and balloons aboard the jet. Kamala Harris also celebrated birthdays on the plane. Harris brought cupcakes and sang "Happy Birthday" to her domestic policy advisor, Kate Childs Graham, in 2021. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled aboard Air Force Two, as well. Air Force Two is occasionally used by the first lady and Cabinet members. Emhoff filled out his March Madness basketball bracket en route to Las Vegas in March 2021. The back of Air Force Two contains 32 business-class seats for members of the press. Vice presidents and staff occasionally hold informal briefings with reporters known as "press gaggles" aboard Air Force Two. The press area features TV screens that can play cable news. The rear cabin also contains a galley, two bathrooms, and closets. Vice President JD Vance has taken several international trips on Air Force Two, including to France, Germany, and Greenland. In February, Vance visited France and Germany with his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. Vance attended the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference. In March, the vice president and second lady toured Pituffik Space Base, the only US military base in Greenland. Usha Vance was originally scheduled to visit historical sites and attend Greenland's national dogsled race on a solo trip. The visit was scaled back amid tensions between the US, Greenland, and Denmark as President Donald Trump doubled down on his longtime goal of acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, in the interest of national security. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
C-32A ‘Air Force 2' Jet Like You've Never Seen One Before
One of the most famous aircraft on earth was caught 'in the nude' very recently as it underwent deep maintenance and upgrades at L3Harris's Mission Integration plant at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas. The facility is a mecca for large special mission aircraft in need of enhancements and TLC. While the Air Force's twin VC-25A aircraft, which are based on the 747-200, get most of the attention, the C-32As, based on the 757-200, are the real workhorses of the executive airlift fleet. Like their much larger counterparts, the eight C-32As in the 99th Airlift Wing's stable are into the back half of their service lives and have been receiving a number of upgrades to keep them relevant. These include new interiors and enhancements to their communications, navigation, and defensive systems. Above all else, they need periodic deep maintenance like any other aircraft, and that is often a great time to make those upgrades. This is what the C-32 in the photos here is seen undergoing. The shots come to us from our friend on X @SR_Planespotter, who captures some awesome shots of the aerospace happenings around Texas. In this case, he caught the C-32A 09-0016, operating under its common 'Venus' callsign, on a test flight with its iconic blue, white, and gold paint removed. Once work on the jet is wrapped up, it will go to the paint barn where workers there will dress the jet in its 'uniform' once again. C-32A 09-0016 " VENUS97 " comes back from a test flight in primer! — 𝙎𝙍_𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 (@SR_Planespotter) March 31, 2025 @SR_Planespotter said the following about the unique work at Majors Field (also known as Majors Airport) that brings some very interesting flying machines to northeastern Texas: 'At Majors Airport in Greenville, L3 Harris has contracts with the USAF to maintain the VIP airlift fleet and the RC-135 fleet. They do a lot of communications upgrades and then test them on their own unique test range called the MSTF (Multi-Sensor Test Facility). It's pretty fun watching them go along on ADSB and then come back and get up close and personal with them.' C-32A 98-0001 under the South EMP array at KGVT November 13th 2023 after 7+ months of repairs. On March 8, 2023, this C-32 carrying SecDef, struck its aft fuselage during its landing at Amman, Jordan, causing $2.5m in damages. — 𝙎𝙍_𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 (@SR_Planespotter) April 30, 2024 As the C-32As continue to receive upgrades, the USAF is also looking on the horizon for a replacement. Around 30 years old already, even with the best maintenance, the government's VVIP 757s won't last forever. Now, according to a recent report from Aviation Week, it appears that the flying force wants to consolidate the high end of its executive airlift suite from two to one new type. Under such a plan, the 737-based C-40s and C-32As would be replaced with one type. This would simplify many aspects of operating two narrow-body airliner types in the executive airlift role. The 757 went out of production in 2005. In 2023, the Air Force had also expressed interest in potentially supplementing rather than replacing the C-32 fleet with new commercial airliners converted into VVIP transports. It isn't clear exactly what airframe the service would favor as a replacement or a supplement, although the 737 MAX seems like the only clear choice. Still, the short field performance of the 757, which is a huge selling point when using the jet in the Air Force One role in order to get into smaller airports while still carrying the President and their entourage. The USAF still hasn't taken a delivery of a 737 MAX for any mission. One was in the service's requested budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year, but remains unfunded. Regardless of what the Air Force and the White House finally decide on when it comes to any new jet to replace the aging C-32As, they will continue to soldier on with more lumps and bumps — housing communications and defensive countermeasures — than ever before. And as a result, they will still have to fly around naked out of Greenville for years to come. Contact the author: Tyler@
Fox News
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Plane carrying Marco Rubio resumes flight to Munich after mechanical issue forced aircraft to turn around
Video A mechanical issue forced a plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio to return to Joint Base Andrews where he switched to a smaller aircraft and resumed his flight, Rubio was on his way to Munich, Germany from Washington, D.C. for the Munich Security Conference on Thursday night when the plane experienced a mechanical issue, according to spokesperson Tammy Bruce. The plane turned around and returned to Joint Base Andrews where it arrived just before 10 p.m. EST. Fox News reports Rubio was back in the air after midnight. An official said the mechanical issue had to do with the cockpit windshield on the C-32, a converted Boeing 757, occurred about 90 minutes after the flight took off from Joint Base Andrews. Bruce said Rubio intended to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a different aircraft. Rubio is expected to travel to the Middle East for a few days, visiting Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany. His impending visit to the Middle East comes at a pivotal time in foreign policy, as Israel and Hamas are implementing a three-stage ceasefire agreement after 16 months of war in Gaza. It was not immediately clear if Thursday's delay would cause Rubio to miss a scheduled Friday morning meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich.
LBCI
14-02-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Secretary of State Marco Rubio's plane returns after mechanical issue: Reuters
A U.S. Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Munich was forced to return to Washington on Thursday after experiencing a mechanical problem, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. "The Secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft," Bruce said in a statement. It was not immediately clear whether Rubio would be able to make it to a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, planned for Friday morning on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference. The mechanical issue in the C-32 plane, a converted Boeing 757, related to a crack in the cockpit windshield, a U.S. official said, forcing the plane to turn around about 90 minutes after taking off. Rubio's plane landed safely at Joint Base Andrews just outside the capital around 10 p.m. It had taken off around 7 p.m. Reuters
