Executive One

Executive One is the call sign designated for any United States civil aircraft when the President of the United States is on board. Typically, the President flies in military aircraft that are under the command of the Presidential Airlift Group, part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, Maryland. In 1973, to "set an example for the rest of the nation during the current energy crisis" and to "demonstrate his confidence in the airlines", then-President Richard Nixon became the only sitting president to travel on a regularly scheduled commercial airline flight when he flew on a United Airlines DC-10 from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. A Nixon aide carried a suitcase-sized secure communication device on board the plane, so that the President could remain in contact with Washington in the event of an emergency. Nixon's choice to fly commercial did not end up actually saving fuel, as the Boeing 707 then serving as Air Force One later flew empty from Washington to California to pick him up.

If the president's family members are aboard, but not the president himself, the flight can, at the discretion of the White House staff or Secret Service, use the callsign Executive One Foxtrot. 'Foxtrot' is the phonetic alphabet designation for the letter 'F', with that being the first letter of 'family'. Then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was known for using an aircraft designated Executive One Foxtrot to fly into New York City via La Guardia Airport.

On January 20, 2009, the military helicopter that is normally designated as "Marine One" was given the call sign "Executive One" when it took on George W. Bush, whose term as president had just expired.

Read more about Executive One:  Executive Two

Famous quotes containing the word executive:

    One point in my public life: I did all I could for the reform of the civil service, for the building up of the South, for a sound currency, etc., etc., but I never forgot my party.... I knew that all good measures would suffer if my Administration was followed by the defeat of my party. Result, a great victory in 1880. Executive and legislature both completely Republican.
    Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)