Pennsylvania Air National Guard Use
Despite the closure of Olmsted AFB in 1969, the US Air Force continues to maintain an Air National Guard presence at Harrisburg International Airport in the form of Harrisburg Air National Guard Station and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Wing (193 SOW), an Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)-gained unit flying the EC-130 Commando Solo aircraft. The 193 SOW is the sole operator of this critical aircraft asset for the entire US Air Force and in 2001 transitioned from the EC-130E to the new EC-130J variant. The wing has seen extensive Federal service in recent years in support of Operations Just Cause, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Harrisburg International Airport also remains an active touch and go practice runway for SAM 28000 and SAM 29000. These two planes are used to carry the President when he needs to travel via air. They are also known as Air Force One, the call which is adopted when the president is aboard either aircraft (or any other Air Force aircraft for that matter). The Air Force pilots use the custom VC-25's (Boeing 747s) to practice via touch and go at the airport. These practice runs are at random (for obvious security reasons), but they do tend to be seen at around a weekly rate. The Air Force chooses to use MDT as the practice airport for a number of reasons, mostly because of its relatively long runway (able to land and take off a fully loaded 747), relatively low amount of traffic, its close proximity to Andrews Air Force Base, and the presence of the Air National Guard at MDT.
Read more about this topic: Harrisburg International Airport
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